Our Small Animal Team

Danny has worked at the Practice for 31 years and has watched it grow into a thriving centre of excellence in which he is very proud of. Danny’s interests include acupuncture on Pets which he performs in practice, Danny mainly works at our Poulton branch. In his spare time, Danny enjoys hill walking with his two terriers. He also plays the saxophone, skiing and practices taekwondo black belt. Danny lives at home with his wife, he has 3 older sons who all live in London, so he often visits there.

Having spent most of my childhood messing around with the various animals at the small mixed beef and sheep farm that backed on to my house in the suburbs of Manchester, I was fortunate to get a place to study veterinary medicine at Cambridge University and fulfil my lifelong ambition to be a vet.

I joined Dimples Veterinary practice as an assistant in 1993, working mainly on the farm side. From 1997, I worked for seven years at Blackpool PDSA where I gained experience in all aspects of small animal medicine and surgery and obtained my RCVS certificate in Veterinary Dermatology.

After having my children I returned to Dimples (prior to the merger with Pearson, Thompson and Callery to form Lanes Vets) part-time as a small animal vet and dermatologist in 2004, while also working as a visiting veterinary dermatologist in a large practice in West Yorkshire.

I was very honoured to join the management team of Lanes Vets as a director in June 2014.

My main passion is for medicine especially anything to do with skin – the scabbier the better! I get very excited when I find unusual parasites under the microscope… I have been known to do cartwheels round the practice when finding scabies mites!

I am a member of the British Veterinary Dermatological Study Group and have been involved in giving talks to other members of the profession on the subject of veterinary dermatology.

I have two teenage children; 2 mad black Labradors; 2 cats (one laid back, the other a pyscho-cat!), 3 pygmy goats, 5 chickens and 3 fish.

When not spending time with my animals, husband and children (taxi service for hockey, cricket and football), I love socialising with my friends, cooking (and eating!), attempting to keep fit and trying to do Pilates!

I qualified from Liverpool University Vet School in 1996 and have focused on Small Animal practice since I qualified.

I joined Lanes Vets in 2009 as the senior small animal vet at Poulton surgery and had the honour of being asked to join the partnership in 2014. I am looking forward to the challenge of guiding the progression of the practice in the future.

I enjoy all sides of small animal practice; I like the puzzle that medical cases provide and the skill involved in surgery. I am level 1 certified in Fear Free practice and enjoy making vet visits less stressful and more enjoyable for our animals.

Out side of work I enjoy spending time with my family and our variety of pets – dogs, cats and a tortoise! I like to cook, knit and read, I also enjoy watching movies with the kids.

"Katharine graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2009. After a few years working as a mixed animal practitioner, she moved into purely small animal practice. Katharine joined the team at Lanes Vets in November 2018 before becoming a Director in 2021. She has completed a Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice with a focus on small animal medicine, and mainly works at the Garstang branch.

Outside of work Katharine enjoys spending time outside and exploring the Lancashire countryside with her young family."

Virginia, also known as Gin, qualified from Cambridge University in 1985. Having worked in mixed practice in Derbyshire and Lancashire and moved to Dimples Lane Vets in 1994 working mainly on the farm animal side of the practice.

Since the merger to form Lanes Vets in 2007, Gin decided that small animal work was for her and has become our Small Animal Clinical Manager at the Garstang Branch.

I graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in London in 1996 and, after working in a mixed practice in Rugby, I joined Lanes Vets in 2000 working with both farm and small animals.

More recently I have worked at Lanes Vets’ Lancaster branch, attending to small animals exclusively.

As I have a passion for surgery I have embarked on a surgery course leading to the certificate of advanced veterinary practice in small animal surgery (CertAVP(SAS)).

At home I am kept very busy by my diverse menagerie of 4 dogs, 2 cats, a tortoise, several birds including a parrot, a love bird, a dove called “Dave” and a pet rook as well as my husband and two children!

I am also secretary of my son’s junior football club and I enjoy playing badminton.

Jo has been qualified as a vet since 1999 and joined Lanes Vets in 2003. Initially Jo worked with both large and small animals, but now works solely within the small animal team. Based mainly at the Poulton branch, she enjoys all aspects of small animal work but has a particular interest in dentistry. Jo is also qualified as a Fear Free practitioner and is passionate about ensuring that our patients experience minimal stress whilst under our care. Outside of work, Jo and her husband enjoy spending time with their three children and numerous pets. They enjoy canoeing, fishing and horse riding as a family.

Jo graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2011 and has worked predominately in small animal practice for the last 8 years. Jo saw practice at Lanes Vets as a Vet student and then came to work for in 2015. She is now studying towards a post graduate certificate in Small Animal Medicine which she hopes to complete in 2019. Her main clinical interests are feline medicine and preventative health care. Jo lives with her husband and two cheeky cats Alfie and Padders. Outside of work she enjoys running, walking, cooking and eating out.

Born in New Zealand , to English parents, our kiwi vet Andrea graduated in 1994 from Massey University before travelling to the UK. After 3 years in small animal practices down south she made the journey to the north of England and has worked around the Fylde ever since. Andrea has spent over 10 years in charity hospitals gaining a wealth of experience in both surgical and medical cases. Her great passion is still with general practice with the variety of cases, the clients and all their wonderful pets. No two days are ever the same and Andrea loves the challenge that this brings! When not working Andrea enjoys spending time with her family at home, baking, reading, walking her border terrier, Wasp,  and keeping in touch with friends and family all over the world!

I am a recent graduate of the University of Liverpool where I studied as a mature student, fulfilling my long standing ambition of becoming a vet. Throughout my training I particularly enjoyed working with horses, but my main focus has always been small animal practice.

I have a keen interest in surgery and hope to develop my skills in this area. 
Having grown up on the Fylde Coast it is lovely to be working so close to home and I now live here with my husband and 2 children along with our Golden Retriever and 3 cats. During my spare time I most enjoy going on our family holidays. 

Hannah joined the Lanes team in January 2021, and is mainly based at the Garstang practice. After completing a degree in Bio-Veterinary Science at the University of the West of England, Hannah then went on to study Veterinary Medicine at the University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Slovakia. Upon graduation, she worked in England’s smallest county, Rutland, for several years in small animal practice before working as a locum vet for a year throughout Yorkshire and the North West of England. Now happy to be back in a permanent position, Hannah enjoys surgery and also consulting, where she’s able to speak with owners and help them with their pets. 
Originally from Carrickfergus in Northern Ireland, Hannah has now settled in Lancashire with her partner David, who is originally from Glasgow. They met while studying in Slovakia, and David now works as a farm animal vet. When away from work, they try and get out walking in the Lakes and the beautiful Lancashire countryside.

Olivia was born and raised in Bermuda, but moved to the UK in 2015 to attend university to become a veterinary surgeon. She graduated from the University of Surrey in 2020 and decided to pursue a Masters in Clinical Animal Behaviour at the University of Lincoln. While finishing her thesis, she started working part time at Lanes Vets and now works full time. 
Olivia is a candidate member of the Fellowship of Animal Behaviour Clinicians and is working towards becoming a Certified Clinical Animal Behaviourist through ASAB.
When not at work, she spends her time exploring new places with her three-year-old toy poodle mix, Avi. She also enjoys doing pet and landscape photography.

I graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2020. Wanting a new challenge I took the job offered at Lanes; having never done more than passed through Lancashire! The support and team spirit here have made me very thankful for the move. I am enjoying gaining experience whilst working primarily out of the Poulton branch.
I spend my spare time walking my collie, reading and playing rugby.

Victoria graduated from the University of Nottingham in July 2021. She completed a rotating internship in a busy referral hospital in the North West before joining the Lanes team in August 2022. She has a particular interest in soft tissue and orthopaedic surgery and hopes to develop these skills further. Victoria will be mainly based at the Garstang and Cottam branches.

Hannah grew up in a house with a lot of pets including horses, dogs, cats, fish and exotics and qualified in 2017 with a degree in Veterinary Physiotherapy. She then started a business treating horse and dogs; specialising in Spinal Rehabilitation alongside helping her family with their wildlife rehabilitation charity. Hannah joined the Lanes team in 2022 as the Clinical Veterinary Physiotherapist and has a keen interest in neurological and orthopaedic rehabilitation for small animal. Outside of work, she enjoys riding her horses and hiking.

Kelly started at Lanes in 2008 as a veterinary nurse and has always worked within the animal industry. Kelly grew up in Chorley and is still local to her roots now living with her family in Chorley.

Since working at Lanes, Kelly has worked her way up and has gone from being a veterinary nurse to head nurse at Garstang and is now the Garstang & Cottam branch manager and Senior Nursing Manager. In Summer 2021, Kelly bought into the practice and became one of our directors. 

Mandy started at Lanes in July 2019 and works from the Garstang surgery. Mandy grew up locally and has worked in similar roles ever since. In Summer 2021, Mandy bought into the practice and became one of our directors. 

I have been with the practice since the Lancaster branch opened in 2000.

Having worked in a variety of veterinary support since a young age, I joined the practice in a nursing auxiliary/receptionist role. I was soon promoted to branch manager and completed a Level 3 certificate in management 2002.

As well as my role as Branch Manager for Lancaster and Poulton-le-Fylde I also deal with Health and Safety through the whole practice

Outside work I enjoy Gardening,walking,cycling and looking after my grandson.

Carol started at Lanes over 20 years ago and worked as the bookkeeper at Pearson, Thompson and Callery before the merge. Carol works at the Garstang branch as the company’s accounts manager and has qualifications in Level 2 certificate AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) & Level 3 Diploma iAAT.

Chloe, joined the Lanes team in September 2022 after many years working as a care navigator in GP surgeries. Chloe, has completed the bronze and silver awards with the BVRA (British Veterinary Receptionist Association) and will soon be working her way towards the gold award. Chloe's love for animals is what attracted her to the job role! She currently has a black and white cat called Lola.

I joined Lanes Vets at the Caton Road, Lancaster practice in 2008 as an auxiliary nurse. After achieving a credit in my animal nursing assistant qualification in 2010, I embarked on my veterinary nurse training, qualifying as a registered veterinary nurse in 2013. I enjoy all aspects of practice but especially surgical nursing and canine behaviour.

I am also a clinical coach, involved with training our student nurses.

Outside work I enjoy socialising with my friends and partaking in sporting activities. I have been stupid enough to take part in several assault courses including Total Warrior and also to don a tutu and do the odd 5km race for charity!

I have two fat, lazy cats and one completely crazy dog with a mind of her own!

Claire started working for Lanes in 2005 as a Saturday girl, and has gone on to become our head nurse at the Garstang branch, she particularly enjoys taking an active role in caring for inpatients. Claire is kept busy out of work caring for her two girls and two dogs Max and Leo.

I began at Lanes as a veterinary nurse student and has gone on to become our head nurse at Cottam.

I have a real interest in exotic species and am always keen to work with these cases when they come into the practice. I really enjoy Nurse Clinics as this is the time we get to bond with the owner as well as the patient on a one to one basis.

I am from Downpatrick in Northern Ireland which means I’m a little far from home but getting to work with animals that need care and seeing them leave with their owners at the end of the day makes it worthwhile!

Chloe has been at Lanes Vets for 6 Years. She first started doing work experience while studying animal care at Myerscough College and began to work Saturdays on reception at the Garstang and Poulton Branch. Once finishing her 2 years at college, Chloe then went on to qualify as a Registered Veterinary Nurse after studying at University of Central Lancashire. Chloe’s main interests in practice are nurse clinics and client care and became head nurse at Poulton in 2018. Chloe’s hobbies include cooking and being social with friends and family. She has a cavalier king Charles spaniel at home and a lovely cat she rescued.

Previous to veterinary, Carlie studied at Chester University to complete her BSC (hons) in sport and exercise science and then went on to complete her MSC in social ology of sport and exercise science.  Carlie qualified as a Registered Veterinary Nurse 7 years ago but has been at Lanes Vets for 9 Years. Since being here Carlie has achieved a diploma in higher education clinical veterinary nursing (CVN) and then in 2017 achieved her RCVS advanced nursing diploma (AVN). Her main interests in practice are medical nursing and nurse clinics and strives to improve inpatient care. At home, Carlie is kept busy looking after her 2 horses and walking her lovely dog Maisy. Carlie also enjoys baking and netball.

Pete Qualified as a Veterinary Nurse in 2001. He is one of Lanes Vets dedicated night nurse looking after our poorly inpatients during the early hours.

He recently rescued a 15 month old French Bulldog called Wilma and enjoys taking her out for walks.

I have worked for Lanes Vets since 2005 and I am a qualified and registered veterinary nurse. I enjoy all parts of nursing but my favourite part is night nursing as I get to spend a lot of quality time with the inpatients and helping get them well again.

When I am not at work I spend my time looking after my pack of dogs – either taking them for long walks, often to the beach, or I am at a flyball tournament or doing agility with them.

I started my training to become a veterinary nurse at Lanes in 2016 and qualified in July 2019.

I love every aspect of nursing, however, my main interests within the job are, parturition, neonatal care (puppies!), emergency and critical care and anaesthesia.

Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my several dogs, a labrador, two lurchers and 2 patterdale terriers, who keep me very busy!

Ashleigh has recently qualified as a Veterinary Nurse in July 2018 after studying at University of Central Lancashire. Before qualifying, Ashleigh studied animal care at Myerscough College for 2 years. Ashleigh enjoys all aspects of working in practice but practically enjoys animal rehabilitation and behaviour. A lot of Ashleigh’s time is spent with her 6 dogs, she takes them to flyball and lawn coursing on the weekends and enjoys photography too.

I live with my husband and two daughters in the local area where I was born - my family are local farmers.

I started working for Dimples Vets, now Lanes Vets, in 1994 when I trained as a vet nurse before going on to travel and work abroad in private practices and rescue centres.

I really enjoy the variety that working within a large mixed, rural practice offers and the ‘no two days are the same’ that our profession provides.

I enjoy making the most of this beautiful area we live in and walk, run, cycle and climb in my time off. I also enjoy baking for my family with eggs produced by my three hens!

Kcee joined Lanes in 2018 after qualifying as a veterinary nurse from Myerscough College. She currently works at our Cottam branch after returning to work for Lanes after a year travelling Australia in 2019/2020. Kcee has an old Boxer call Lucy who she adores and she can't wait to meet all your pets.

I joined the practice back in 2010 on work experience and then fully joined in 2012 as a auxiliary nurse.

Back in 2018 i became a fully qualified veterinary nurse.

I have a keen interest in anaesthesia and i am hoping to advance my knowledge, my other keen interest is exotics, mainly rabbits and i have completed additional training in this area.

I grew up on my parents farm with lots of  different animal species which gave me the desire to work with animals in my future. I qualified as a Veterinary Nurse  in 2008 and took a job working in a mixed practice helping with large animal work such as lambing and caesarians as well as the small animal nursing.

I joined Lanes Vets in May 2015 following maternity leave after the birth of my son. I enjoy nurse clinics and talking to clients. I am the first person people ask if there are any orphaned animals needing hand rearing.

Outside of work I enjoy baking, walking my dogs and going to folk festivals with my family.

Sophie joined Lanes in 2018 as part of her Veterinary Nursing Degree. Sophie worked as a Saturday girl alongside her studies and has worked full time as a registered veterinary nurse since graduating in summer 2021.

Her favourite part of the job caring for inpatients and conducting nurse clinics.

Outside of work Sophie enjoys spending time with her horse and her Labrador

Olivia joined Lanes after qualifying as a Veterinary Nurse in July 2021 from Myerscough College which was a big dream of hers. She particularly interested in critical care and inpatient care and hope to develop her knowledge further in these fields.

In Olivia's spare time she enjoys spending time with her 2 Labradors and Cocker Spaniel.

Mary joined Lanes Vets in 2016 as a receptionist. She grew up on her family beef and sheep farm and has had a passion for animals since a very young age.

Since joining Lanes, Mary has moved from receptionist to qualified veterinary nurse. She particularly enjoys nursing patients through their operations and seeing them go home happy and healthy!

I first came to lanes in 2016 as work placement for my level 3 animal management course. I then went on to a veterinary nursing degree which I graduated from in 2021. I enjoy walking my dogs in my spare time.

Zoe has worked at Lanes Vets for 2 and a half years now. She first started as a receptionist here while completing her Animal Nursing Assistant (ANA) course. When Zoe qualified at an ANA she then went on to become ward nurse at our Poulton branch and has been doing this for a year. Zoe is now studying at Myerscough College to become a Veterinary Nurse and thoroughly enjoying it as she has a big passion for animals and wants to keep expanding her knowledge within the area. Zoe has an energetic 4-year-old husky and a mischievous kitten Oscar at home.

'I started on the path to becoming a veterinary nurse a bit later in life having previously worked for insurance companies and housing associations amongst other roles, none of which felt like the career for me.

Whilst volunteering for a local dog shelter in 2016 I got talking to people who worked within the veterinary care industry. This prompted me to undertake some work experience within vet practice and I have never really looked back! I went on to do a diploma in animal management then began a veterinary nursing degree and am due to graduate in July 2021. I enjoy how varied the role is with so many different skills required and no two days the same. It is also hugely rewarding being able to contribute to the health and welfare of all our patients.

I have always loved animals and currently have a 7 year old border collie called Digger. In my spare time I enjoy sport and being outdoors exploring the countryside. My time at work is split between the Poulton, Garstang and Cottam branches and I hope to continue with Lanes Vets following completion of my studies.

I qualified as an RVN in July 2019 and am especially interested in behaviour and peri-operative care. I don't have any of my own animals at the moment but would love to have a Border Collie in the future.

Laura is originally from Bolton and grew up with an array of pets. She qualified with a degree in vet nursing from Myerscough College in 2011. Since then she has worked in both first opinion and hospital practices and even Myerscough College itself as an assessor. Laura joined the Garstang team in 2022. Her main interests are in emergency and critical care, rehabilitation and rabbit welfare.

Outside work Laura plays the piano and sings in a choir, enjoys the gym and loves getting out on her motorbike.

I was brought up on a farm in Forton which gave me a passion for animals and made me want to become a veterinary nurse. I started work experience at Lanes Vets and joined the team in 2015 when I left school.

I previously completed an Animal Nursing Assistant course, and I have now started my veterinary nursing course.

Lucy started at Lanes in 2018 to begin her Auxiliary Nurse training and completed her course in 2019. Lucy grew up on her family's beef and sheep farm and spends most of her spare time on the farm.

Since starting at lanes, Lucy has completed her Auxiliary Nurse training and is now working towards her Veterinary Nurse qualification. Lucy especially enjoys helping the vets in consultations.

Hello I am Hayley and I am an Animal Nursing Assistant at Lanes Vets in Poulton and you may see me on reception from time to time. I finished my ANA qualification at the beginning of 2019 and then I joined Lanes vets.

I have always wanted to care and work with animals from a young age and I really enjoy my job. I like caring for the animals we get on the ward, before and after their operations. I try to make sure they are nice and snug during their recovery, with plenty of blankets and also plenty of cuddles! Outside of work I like to keep myself active by going to the gym regularly, I am quite a sociable person and I like to meet up with friends and family when I can.

Martha started working at Lanes in September 2020 to begin training as an Auxiliary Nurse. Martha grew up on her families beef and sheep farm and loves to work with both small and large animals and is now very much looking forward to becoming a veterinary nurse.

I started at Lanes in Poulton in 2020 after working with animals since 1988 when I passed my diploma in Animal care, I work as an auxiliary nurse but you will also see me on reception, my interests are exotic pets and I passed my City & Guilds certificate in Zoo Animal management and also wildlife and Ecology. Working with animals is my dream job and I have a Border collie and a Jack Russell Terrier that I enjoy walking in the Lakes District with.

Aimee joined Lanes in 2019 after working on a local farm for a number of years. Out of work, Aimee enjoys going to the gym regularly and walking her dog Bella.

Olivia started working at Lanes in January 2021 as both a large and small animal receptionist on a Saturday. She lives on her family's dairy farm and has her own flock of sheep, a black labrador called Poppy and a fox red labrador called Maple. Olivia enjoys working with large and small animals and is hoping to go on and train to become a veterinary nurse in the near future.

Katie joined the Lanes team in Sept 2022, after studying level 3 animal management extended diploma at Myerscough College. Katie has always been an animal lover, having a variety of small pets since she was a little girl. Katie currently has a very cheeky Patterdale terrier called, Tommy and 2 cats, Nova and Shrimp. Shrimp was a stray brought into the surgery, who Katie immediately fell in love with! 

Amanda started to work for Lanes Vets in 2014. Before working at Lanes Vets, Amanda previously worked in local government as a licensing officer. Amanda has lived in Lancashire area for over 12 years with her daughter and bunny rabbit "Cuddles" Amanda’s job role here is Admin Assistant whereby the main area Amanda covers is ‘financial’. Outside of work, Amanda’s time is spent enjoying family time and going out for walks and bike rides with her daughter.

I joined Lanes Vets in May 2015 as an admin assistant at the Lancaster surgery. Since then I have worked at both Garstang and Lancaster, and now run the VIP Pet Health Plan for Lancaster. I also cover Reception as and when needed, and I enjoy meeting our clients and pets.

I’ve always been interested working with animals, having grown up with several cats, dogs and a variety of small furries. Our collection has now grown to 5 cats and 2 dogs, both of whom are mad Huskies.

Lucy started working at Lanes in October 2018 and is one of our small animal receptionists. Lucy grew up in Garstang and spent some of her childhood helping on her grandparent’s farm in Nateby.

Since working at Lanes, Lucy has become a vital member of the reception team and has also completed her BVRA (British Veterinary Receptionist Association) training, she has also gone on to become our Reception Team Leader at Garstang.

Sophie started working at Poulton in 2018. She works as a receptionist and is currently working to achieve her silver BVRA (British veterinary reception association) award after completing her bronze. Sophie has always been from the Lancashire area and lives locally to the Poulton branch. Sophie is very talkative and high energy so loves to be social with friends and family outside of work.

Bethany joined Lanes vets Lancaster as a receptionist in March 2018. Bethany has 2 cheeky boys and a crazy spaniel. Bethany completed the British Veterinary Receptionist Award June 2019.

Karen has been a receptionist at Lanes Vets for 21 years now, she has recently completed her bronze BVRA (British veterinary reception association) award and is working towards her silver award. Her time at home is kept very busy looking after her 4 dogs, 3 cats and parrot. Karen enjoys socialising with friends and family and has lots of hobbies such as walking and dancing and is hoping to start cycling soon too.

Vivienne has been working at Lanes Vets for the past 15 years but has been in the Veterinary industry for the past 32 years. Since being here, Vivienne has achieved a diploma in customer service as well as completing a bronze, silver and gold award for the BVRA (British veterinary reception association). Vivienne lives with her husband and young son who keep her very busy! She also has a very sweet Yorkshire terrier and fish at home too.

Before working at Lanes Vets, Louise worked as a herdsman on her family’s dairy farm for 12 years. For 16 years she’s been a Lay staff in Northwich, Cheshire. In 2015 she came to Lanes Vets, Lanes have given her the opportunity to pass her NVQ in Customer Care Level 2 and has now recently passed her certificate in Animal Nursing. Louise has worked alongside Debra Agapito, Lanes Vets referral Ophthalmologist, for 3 years.

Ria joined the team in October 2018 after spending many years on the family farm. Originally from Bolton, Ria moved up to Garstang at the beginning of 2018 to be with partner Paul and their dog Tyson.

Since working at Lanes, Ria has completed her BVRA (British Veterinary Receptionist Association) training and organises the Garstang surgery’s work placements for students.

I joined Lanes Vets in August 2018 as a receptionist at Garstang, and I now work part-time as Lancaster’s receptionist.

Amy started working at our Poulton branch in 2021, she has always had a passion to work with animals from a young age. Amy has many strings to her bow; from being a waitress, a chef and most recently a cheese maker! Amy enjoys looking after her Yorkshire terrier, Lilly, and 2 cats Col and Coops! She is also a keen traveller and loves exploring places abroad and in the UK.

Alyx started working at Lanes at the beginning of 2022. Originally, from Bury, Alyx worked as a relief milker and still likes to keep her hand in! In her spare time Alyx loves to walk her crazy pointer, and look after her two horses.

I have a lovely poodle called Bertie who I love to walk on the beach or in the woods. My hobbies include: open water swims and crafts including, willow weaving, pottery, creating a peaceful garden & trying out others crafts whenever I can!