Our Soft Tissue Surgery department offers a comprehensive range of surgical procedures and expertise.
How we can help
Soft tissue surgery is the discipline that includes surgical management of most areas of the body other than the nervous and musculoskeletal system. This includes areas such as ENT (ear, nose and throat), thoracic (lung and cardiac), abdominal (hepatic, gastrointestinal, urogenital etc.), skin reconstruction and oncological(cancer) surgeries.
We work closely with the other clinical services in the Small Animal Hospital including Internal Medicine, Diagnostic Imaging, Anaesthesia and Oncology, to ensure the best integrated care for our patients. Our goal is to provide patient-centred care ensuring that we provide the most appropriate treatment that matches the needs of our patients and their owners.
Surgeries we perform
We can provide routine referrals for a comprehensive range of surgical procedures listed below.
Surgeries we perform
Head and Neck Surgeries
- Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Surgery (BOAS)
- Total Ear Canal Ablation (TECA)
- Thyroidectomy
- Salivary mucoceles
- Cervical abscess exploration
Urogenital Surgeries
- Cystotomy / Cystostomy
- Scrotal urethrostomy
- Perineal urethrostomy
Perineal Surgeries
- Anal Sacculectomy
- Perineal hernias
Abdominal Surgeries
- Liver biopsy
- Cholecsytocentesis
- Cholecystectomy
- Gastrotomy
- Gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV)
- Enterotomy
- Enterectomy
- Septic Abdomens
- Splenectomy
- Hernia – diaphragmatic / Prepubic/ Inguinal
Oncological Surgeries
- Axial pattern flaps
- Pinnectomy
- Mass removals
- Scar Revisions
- Lymph node extirpation
Minimally Invasive Surgeries
- Laparoscopic OVE
- Laparoscopic orchidectomy
- Laparoscopic Gastropexy
- Laparoscopic exploration and biopsy – hepatic, pancreatic, renal
Meet the team
Richard Coe MA VetMB CertSAS DipECVS MRCVS
Senior Clinician in Surgery (Soft Tissue)
Richard graduated from Cambridge University in 1998 and after 2 years in general practice pursued a rotating small animal internship at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia and surgical residency in Small Animal Soft Tissue Surgery at the University of Bristol. He achieved the RCVS Certificate in Small Animal Surgery in 2003 and the Diploma of the European College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2007. Since his residency Richard has gained nearly 20 years of experience of specialist surgery in both university and private specialist practice and spent a period running a peripatetic surgical service in Scotland.
Richard’s main interests are basic surgical biology, teaching surgery to both undergraduate and postgraduate students, urinary tract surgery, reconstructive surgery, and the development of less invasive approaches for some surgically-treated conditions.
Richard has lectured in the UK, Europe and Asia on a variety of surgical topics, particularly emergency surgical procedures.
James Phillips BVMS PgC(SAS) MRCVS
Clinician in Surgery
James Graduated from Glasgow University in 2012. He initially worked in mixed animal practice before moving to small animal only practice in Glasgow.
James initially worked in mixed animal practice before moving to small animal only practice where he developed an interest in surgery. He completed a post graduate certificate in surgery in 2018 and went on to work as a peripatetic surgeon for CVS offering soft tissue and orthopaedic referral surgery for their practices throughout Scotland and the North East of England. He joined the Small Animal Hospital in 2023 and has a keen interest in cruciate disease treatment and fracture repair but also specialises in oncology cases and skin reconstruction.
James is a Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons recognised Advanced Practitioner in Small Animal Surgery.
Kendra Yates RVN ISFM CertFN
Senior Veterinary Nurse
Kendra graduated as a Registered Veterinary Nurse from Edinburgh Napier University in 2017. After graduating she worked in a first opinion practice in Ayrshire but left to join the team at the Small Animal Hospital in 2022. Kendra started as a rotating nurse and worked in all areas of the hospital but quickly joined the Soft Tissue and Orthopaedic team, which she thoroughly enjoys.
Kendra has a nursing certificate from International Cat Care in feline nursing and is currently studying towards getting her certificate in surgical nursing. At home she has a senior cat, Tammy, who was adopted from Cats Protection.
