Small Animal Anaesthesia
The anaesthesia service at the Animal Health Trust is unique. One of our dedicated veterinary anaesthetists carries out every anaesthetic for both small animals and horses. This means one- to- one veterinary patient care at all times. This standard of care is continued in the postoperative period when one of our trained nursing staff looks after each case. When additional supportive care or pain relief for in-patients is needed this is done under the direct supervision of an anaesthetist. Patients requiring full intensive care receive one-to-one veterinary care from an anaesthetist, in conjunction with the clinician in charge of the case and support from our nurses.
The anaesthesia team has six veterinary surgeons and one veterinary nurse, who holds the RCVS diploma in advanced surgical nursing. Our two European Specialists in Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia are available to give telephone advice and in-house consultancy services to veterinary surgeons in both general and referral practices. We also encourage vets to come and see practice with us to develop their skills in anaesthesia and analgesia.
We are currently investigating the use of new perioperative pain relief techniques in small animals, whilst our clinical research in horses focuses on improving recovery quality following general anaesthesia.
Anaesthesia staff
Elizabeth A. Leece BVSc CertVA DipECVAA MRCVS
European and Royal College Recognised Specialist in Veterinary Anaesthesia
Head, Anaesthesia Unit
Liz stayed at Liverpool University, after graduating in 1994, as an anaesthesia demonstrator before completing an HBLB residency in Veterinary Anaesthesia, during which time she gained the RCVS Certificate in Veterinary Anaesthesia. After a year in general practice, she returned to anaesthesia, firstly at Cambridge University and then at the Animal Health Trust in 2000. She gained the European Diploma in Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia in 2003 and became Head of the Anaesthesia department at the Trust in 2006. Her research interests include neuroanaesthesia and intensive care, small animal analgesia and factors that influence the recovery period in horses following anaesthesia.
Colette Jolliffe BVetMed CertVA DipECVAA MRCVS
European Specialist in Veterinary Anaesthesia
Senior Clinical Anaesthetist
Colette qualified from the Royal Veterinary College, University of London in 1996, and worked for four years in small animal general practice. Following this she spent two years in industry during which time she developed an interest in anaesthesia, analgesia and ethics. She started a residency in veterinary anaesthesia at the Animal Health Trust in 2003, gaining the RCVS Certificate in Veterinary Anaesthesia in 2004 and the European Diploma in Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia in 2006. She is currently a senior clinician in anaesthesia at the Animal Health Trust.
Kieren Maddern BVSc (Hons) MACVSc MRCVS
Resident in Anaesthesia
Kieren graduated from University of Queensland in 2000 then spent the next two and a half years in mixed and small animal practice before returning to the University of Queensland to work as both an emergency clinician in the Animal Emergency Centre and as a general clinical consultant in the Veterinary teaching hospital. In 2004, Kieren moved to the University of Sydney Veterinary Centre as a Clinical Registrar in Veterinary Anaesthesia. She held this position for 2 years and during this time completed a Membership of the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists in Anaesthesia and Critical Care. Following this she moved to The Animal Heath Trust in 2006 to commence a residency in Veterinary Anaesthesia. Her clinical interests include critical care and analgesia/pain assessment
Nicolas Girard DMV MRCVS
Resident in Anaesthesia
Nico qualified in 2004 from the University of Liège (Belgium). After completed a year of rotating internship in Centre Hospitalier Vétérinaire Frégis (Paris, France), he started a three-year clinical training scholarship (residency) in veterinary anaesthesia and perioperative intensive care at the Animal Health Trust in September 2005. His interests include the effect of microdoses of sedative/anaesthetic agents, anaesthesia of the critically ill patient and recovery after equine anaesthesia.
Heide Kloeppel, DVM MRCVS
Resident in Anaesthesia
After graduation from the Tieraerztliche Hochschule Hannover, Germany Heide spent two and a half years at the AO Research Institue in Davos, Switzerland where she was responsible for anaesthesia and pain management in animals and where she undertook her doctoral thesis. Following this, Heide undertook a rotating small animal internship in the Veterinaermedizinische Fakultaet der Universitaet Vienna before returning to the AO Research Institute to complete some projects. From July 2006, Heide has been a resident in veterinary anaesthesia at the Animal Health Trust. Her interests include the effect of ketamine on opioid therapy in dogs following spinal surgery.
