Cardiology
Subheading
The Cardiology service at Paragon is headed up by Chris Linney, the only diplomate in Yorkshire in this field. Heart problems in pets can be a real source of worry for owners, with conditions ranging from the easily treated to the extremely serious. We’re here to ensure your pet receives the highest standard of diagnosis and care, and the members of our veterinary cardiology team are all highly qualified and experienced. Cardiology patients are seen by our team of veterinary cardiology practitioners.
Pets referred to our cardiology department commonly suffer from:
- Heart mumurs
- Breathing problems
- Collapsing episodes
- Exercise intolerance
Your initial consultation will usually last 20-60 minutes, during which time we will take a thorough history and examine your pet thoroughly. We will try to answer any question you may have and suggest ways we can investigate and treat your pet’s problem. We will always discuss potential costs, outcomes and risks, including complications.
Assuming you agree to treatment, your pet may be left with us for investigation and treatment. We aim to send patients home on the same day, if appropriate, and have extensive hospitalisation facilities to care for your pet if they need to stay with us.
Staff
Chris Linney
BVSc MSc CertAVP(VC) DipECVIM CA (Cardiology) MRCVS
Head of Cardiology
Chris is both an RCVS Specialist and a European Specialist in Small Animal Cardiology and sees both medical and surgical cardiology cases.
Chris graduated with Honours from the University of Liverpool in 2007 and following 2 years in small animal practice in Lincolnshire, returned there to complete further specialist cardiology training. This included an internship and three-year residency in Cardiology before being promoted to the position of Lecturer in Cardiology. Chris has also undertaken further training in human interventional cardiology and is the first veterinary cardiology specialist to hold a Master of Science in the subject.
Having already developed the busiest interventional cardiology service (key-hole surgery) in the UK during his 5 years at Willows Veterinary Centre & Referral Service in the Midlands, Chris moved to Yorkshire and joined the Paragon team in 2021 where he is the clinical lead and Head of the Cardiology team.
Chris loves developing patient-vet and owner-vet bonds and believes it is the key to successfully caring for his cardiology patients. He has a keen interest in congenital heart disease and performing cardiac catheterisation procedures for correction of heart defects. Due to the excellent reputation of the cardiology service amongst fellow cardiologists and primary practice vets, Chris is one of the most experienced minimally invasive cardiologists in the UK and Europe.
He has close links with the charity Animals Asia in Chengdu, China and is involved with investigating heart disease in rescued moon bears from the bile-farming trade and helping to improve their health and general well-being. Chris is also an avid instructor in cardiology to both undergraduate students and vets in practice, he has presented and lectured around the globe and loves to share his passion for cardiology with others.
Debbie Hyman
BVSc CertVC MRCVS
Advanced Practitioner in Veterinary Cardiology
Debbie is our lead cardiologist. She grew up and went to university in South Africa and gained her veterinary degree in 1996. After 2 years of working in South Africa, she moved to the UK where she worked for various small animal practices, gaining experience in medicine, cardiology and soft tissue surgery. She has been a Clinical Director in various veterinary hospitals for 9 years. She played an integral part in designing, setting up and running a new veterinary hospital in South of Glasgow, for 3 years, before moving to Leeds in 2017. She has always had an interest in cardiology since her university days, after diagnosing a heart murmur in my little pet dog. This interest was further developed over the last 21 years and she then subsequently gained the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons accredited Certificate in Veterinary Cardiology in 2010. She then achieved and maintained the accolade of Advanced Practitioner in Veterinary Cardiology since 2014. Debra went on to join the Paragon Referral team in November 2017.
She is passionate about delivering an exemplary level of service and prides herself in maintaining a high level of care with every patient she sees. She hopes to develop a strong relationship with the referring vets and clients alike and through this dedication, hopes to develop the cardiology service at Paragon in the years ahead.
In her spare time she enjoys renovating houses, reading and traveling and currently owns 2 boisterous cats called Dexter and Coco.
Adam Bell
BSc BVSc CertVC CertSAM MRCVS
Internal Medic & Cardiologist
Adam graduated from Bristol in 1992. He spent 10 years in small animal practice in the Bristol area before moving to Calder Vets in Dewsbury in 2002. Adam received his Certificate in Veterinary Cardiology in 2002.
As well as cardiology, his interests include all aspects of Internal Medicine, particularly ultrasonography, guided biopsy techniques and endoscopy. He received his certificate in Internal Medicine in 2006.
