Written by Vasiliki A. Ntavlourou.BVM, GPCert(ExAP), MRCVS.

Written by Vasiliki A. Ntavlourou BVM, GPCert(ExAP),MRCVS. Head Veterinarian and Owner of the clinic.

 

On the 31st of August 2009, my dream came true! And as for every dream that comes true in the end, the "secret" hides behind hard work, continuous and focused efforts and strong visualization. A goal that I had set many many years before that day and worked so hard for, was achieved. Together with friends and family, we celebrated the opening day of my Small Animal Clinic in my home town of Patras in Greece. My clinic was the outcome ( but not the end!) of a lifetime's hard work, decent efforts and studies.

 

Since the very early university years, it was clear in my mind that I wanted to become a Small Animal Clinician and Surgeon. As soon as my studies were completed at the Greek University, I left my country and started my adventurous trip around the world. A trip that offered me lots of experiences, knowledge and amazing memories. My goal, apart from seeing the world, was to gain knowledge and expertise in my field of interest which was and still is: the Internal Medicine and Surgery of Small and Exotic Species. 

 

My endeavour started in the UK. The country that has been my second home since my very first visit back in 2001. England was the country were people offered me the opportunity to "dream" and achieve my dreams and goals and for that I will always be grateful.

During my stay in the UK , I worked in many different small and large animal as well as equine practices. I consider myself  lucky and blessed to have met and worked with some amazing people who have been my colleagues and mentors and  who I will always thank for the help, support and encouragement they offered me. I made some friends for life who are still there , supporting, advising and mentoring me.

 

 

I started my career as a new qualified Vet in a small animal practice in Spalding-Lincolnshire.This was my very first job as a veterinary assistant of a brilliant and kind Veterinarian Mr.Wayne Smith, who I will always thank for teaching me so much and helping me gradually build my skills and confidence. I will always thank him for helping me believe that I could succeed, for helping me discover and expand my true potential. He was a mentor and supporter and he was the one who saw the passion and love I had for my profession and my hidden talent to be become a competent surgeon. He encouraged me to continue in the difficult path I had chosen, miles away from home! in a foreign at the time, country. Over the 10months I spent in his clinic, I managed to gain the appropriate experience in order to continue and seek more opportunities in larger clinics and hospitals in the UK.

 

My full time work in clinics and hospitals, was supported and enriched by attending countless seminars and courses of continuing professional development in the UK as well as in other parts of the world (US, AUSTRALIA, EUROPE). Since then, I ensure that my knowledge and skills are constantly updated by attending numerous CPD courses every year and very often by returning to clinical practicing in the UK.

 

My unfailing interest for veterinary science has always been my guide to discovering new areas and subjects for studying and practicing. As a result, in 2005, after completing a postgraduate program with the European School of Veterinary Postgraduate Studies in England, I achieved the degree of General Practitioner in Exotic Animal Practice. 

This new qualification gave me the opportunity to work in second opinion clinics for Exotic Animals and enriching even more my knowledge.  

 

Soft tissue surgery and orthopedics has always been my top interest. Μy post-graduate training in this field, was and still is supported by working and seeing practice in Referral hospitals in the UK, alongside highly Specialized Veterinary Surgeons. One of the places where I gained a lot of knowledge and experience was the Veterinay School of Glasgow where I attended numerous surgical courses and spent time as a visitor at the Orthopeadic Unit.

 

During the last 4 years of my stay in the UK, I worked as an Emergency Night Vet for Goddard Veterinary Hospital in East London. A 24- hours referral hospital, part of  the Goddard Veterinary Group.  Goddards is one of the larger veterinary groups in the UK.

My duties as a night vet included: dealing with various emergencies, stabilizing and operating on critically ill patients, treating and nursing  the numerous hospitalized animals. Apart from my night work for the group, I would quite often cover day shifts in almost all of their branch clinics around London (over 40!).

 

The experience I gained working for Goddard Veterinary Group was invaluable!

I owe a lot to the staff of Goddard Veterinary Hospital. I will always be grateful to the Veterinary Surgeons, Nurses and Managers of the Hospital for giving me the opportunity to work with them and learn so much, but also for offering me the financial security in order to achieve my goal. Most of all, I will be grateful to all of them for treating me in such an amazing, respectful and friendly way and for supporting and encouraging my new start in Greece. I received and still receive respect, care, appreciation, help and support. For this and a lot more, I can only feel graditude! I consider myself lucky to have met them all! THANK YOU!

 

In total I remained in the UK for 8 years. The thought of creating my own Veterinary clinic though, had always been in my mind. It was a dream that I was constantly visualizing and working hard for. My own clinic! A place so different and unique for the treatment and care of my little patients. A very special place, not only for its design but for its history too!

My clinic is located in the City of Patras in Greece,  on the groundfloor of my family house. The home where I was born, spent my childhood and grew up. Over the years, this building was transformed several times: from home to a  family business ( mini market), later on to an apartment for rent and finally...........to my very special Veterinary Clinic!

In 2009, the time had come for this building to be converted into the Veterinary Clinic that I had dreamed of for so many years.

This veterinary clinic was created by me personally, through very hard and dedicated work. The planning......very long!

The actual building project, since the day I started it, took me 12 months!

Twelve months of working in London and visiting home once a month, in order to organize the building works. All the new equipment was bought in the UK and transported to Greece. The design, was the extract of all my experiences and views from the UK and especially the Goddard Veterinary Hospital. The principles, could only be the lessons I took from the amazing, competent, decent, compassionate and dedicated professionals I met on my adventurous trip around the world, together with the principles and values that I was taught by my family.

 

My clinic was given life on the 31st of August 2009 and since then, it continuously grows and improves, like a living organism. The opening of the clinic though, was not the end of my dreams. My goal was and still is, the creation of a unique place for the treatment and care of my small patients. This is a constant effort, against all the odds, the difficult times and the "obstacles".

 

In 2010, my hard work and decent efforts were rewarded. The plan to extend the original building of the clinic, was about to come true. On the 17th of September, the building that stood next to our family home since 1958, became ours! Now, all the efforts are focused on gradually renovating this building and turning it into an extension of my clinic. This is a slowly progressing project which takes a lot of hard personal work. 

 

I should not miss the opportunity to thank all the builders, technicians and friends who helped and supported me, in building and imroving my clinic, sharing with me the same enthusiasm and passion. Most of all I should not miss the opportunity to thank my parents for trusting and supporting me. 

My clinic is not just a business building. It is a living-growing organism that will keep growing and improving endlessly!

I would like to thank all of you who have already honored and continue to honor me with your presence and trust in my services. Thank you for the endless inspiration and vitality you add into my clinic.

Vasiliki A. Ntavlourou BVM, GPCert(ExAP), MRCVS

Written by Vasiliki A. Ntavlourou BVM, GPCert(ExAP),MRCVS.

 

EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR DESIGN.

ENTRANCE

 

Spacious Veranda for welcoming our "larger" four-legged friends! This is our outdoors waiting area during the hot summer days! This space is also used for the gait examination of our orthopedic cases, as well as the everyday walk and relaxation of our hospitalized patients.

 

 

 

ENTRANCE RENOVATIONS - AUGUST 2015!

 

 

OLD ENTRANCE.

 

 

• 
• 
• 
•  

 

 

WAITING AREA

 

Two double and one triple couch. Water fountain for our little patients and heavy duty scales.

Waterfall reception desk and............a taste of exotic atmosphere with beautiful Latin music!

• 
• 
• 
• 
•  

 

WAITING ROOM RENOVATIONS - APRIL 2013.

• 
• 
• 
•  

 

FLOOR

OUR PRACTICE FLOOR WAS COVERED WITH SPECIAL VINYL ANTI-SLIP FLOORING-JULY 2010.

All of our spaces were covered with vinyl anti-slip flooring in order to ensure the safe walking of our patients.

The works lasted for 4 days and the whole practice equipment was moved out of the building in order to change the floors. It was a very difficult and challenging project but the result was worth it! The change of our practice floor was absolutely necessary as the old floor was too slippery. This new floor is safe and easy to keep clean and hygienic.

 

• 
• 
•  

 

CONSULTING ROOM

Our consulting room is equipped with:

 

• Electric based examination table/weighing scales. Our patients can step on the table on their own as the height of the table can go as low as 30cm from the floor.
• Complete equipment for the examination of eyes and ears.
• Electronic Microscope equipped with internal camera that connects to PC in order to transfer the images. Owners can see our microscopic findings on the computer screen and that helps us explain our diagnosis better.

 

CONSULTING ROOM RENOVATIONS-MAY 2015!

 

OLD CONSULTING ROOM.

• 
• 
• 
• 
•  

 

THEATRE

• Separate theatre room.
• Isoflurane anaesthetic machine and complete surgical equipement.
  
• Surgical light.
• 2 Oxygen cylinders.
  
• Electric based surgical table and heating pads.
• X-ray machine. Our x-raying procedures are protected by the use of specially designed lead wall and all the appropriate lead equipement.
  
• Complete dental equipement.
  
• Anaesthetic chamber for the anaesthesia of rabbits and other exotic species.

THEATRE RENOVATIONS- MAY 2015!

 

OLD THEATRE

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•  

PREPARATION AREA

This area is equipped with:

 

• Second anaesthetic machine.
  
• Examination table for the preparation of our surgical cases and the premedication of our patients.
• 3rd oxygen cylinder.
  
• Nebulizer for the inhalational treatment of special cases and exotic species.
• Ultrasound bath for the cleaning of our surgical instruments.
• Autoclave for the sterilization of our surgical instruments.
• VET-TEST AND LASER-CYTE Biochemical and Hematology analyzers. (Our practice is equipped with the latest and most advanced IDEXX blood machines).
  

For more specialized blood tests for the diagnosis of diseases such as Leishmaniosis, Dirofilariosis and Erlichiosis (all exotic and endemic diseases) and others, we use external local laboratory services. For the Histologic analysis of samples taken via surgical procedures we use external laboratory based in the UK.

• 
• 
• 
• 
•  

KENNELS

Our hospitalization area is at the back of our main building and consists of 4 kennels for the hospitalization of our inpatients. There is also a terrarium for hospitalization of reptile inpatients.

NEW KENNELS-AUGUST 2010!!!!

Purpose built, spacious and comfortable kennels. Each kennel has autonomic lighting, inox door kennels, tile covered walls and anti-slip flooring. We practice a very strict disinfecting and infectious control policy.

• 
• 
• 
• 
•  

KENNELS EXTENSION -JUNE 2011!!!!

Our hospitalization area is gradually getting bigger and better. The start of extending our main building was made by acquiring a new building that stands nextdoor to the original practice building. Our future plans include: special recovery area for the anaesthetized patients, resting staff area, more kennel rooms and isolation area for animals carrying contagious diseases and second larger theatre.

• 
• 
•  

KENNELS RENOVATIONS AND NEW BUILDING EXTENSION-DECEMBER 2014!

 

 

 

• 
• 
• 
•  

OLD KENNELS.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•  

 

OUR BACKYARD

JULY 2015

The backyard of our new extended building was created for the relaxation of our little patients as well as .....ours! This is the exterior space of our new building since 2010 that we turned into a little "oasis" with a lot of hard work and effort! In this space our hospitalized patients can walk and relax during their hospitalization time and of course this is the home of our pets - Patripodos, Kalamaris and........Head nurse "SOSONI"! This is the area where we can enjoy time with our great loves: animals and flowers!!!!

This is also the space we use in order to host events such as LOCAL SCHOOL VISITS, when we take the opportunity to help and educate young students over animal welfare and pet owners responsibilities and hopefully encourage our young students to follow the path of the most beautiful science of all: VETERINARY!

 

 

 

 

 

OLD BACKYARD.

ANIMALS' BATHROOM

This is the space we use for the bath of our hospitalized patients. In our practice, we do not offer grooming services. For this purpose we recommend local specialized businesses.

ANIMALS' BATHROOM RENOVATIONS - APRIL 2013

• 
• 
• 
•  

OLD ANIMAL'S BATHROOM

• 
•  

DARK ROOM FOR DEVELOPING X-RAYS

• 
• 
• 
•  

 

Our equipment is under constant service and renewal with special care taken over the service of our anaesthetic machines. Our practice is equipped with 3 oxygen cylinders.