Orthopaedics
Subheading
Veterinary orthopaedics is the diagnosis and treatment of skeletal and joint conditions. At Paragon Veterinary Referrals, our orthopaedic veterinary surgeons focus on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of a vast range of orthopaedic conditions in cats and dogs, and have extensive experience in small animal surgery.
Consultations usually last 20 – 60 minutes during which we will take a thorough history and examine your pet carefully. We will try to answer any questions you may have and suggest ways in which we can investigate and treat your pets’ problem. We will always discuss potential costs, outcomes and risks including complications.
Assuming you agree to treatment, your pet will usually be left with us for immediate investigation and treatment. Once the investigation has been carried out, we will contact you with the results. If appropriate, we can proceed straight to treatment. When your pet is ready to go home, we will make an appointment to discuss the treatment performed and the aftercare required.
- Team of highly experienced orthopaedic surgeons allows collaboration for more challenging cases, led by the only registered specialist in the region devoted solely to orthopaedics.
- State of the art operating facilities including intra-operative imaging (C-arm fluoroscopy and DR x-ray), laser and operating microscope.
- State of the art-imaging suite including high field MRI and 16 slice CT.
- Multi-disciplinary; essential for unstable cases (dedicated ICU) and cases with co-morbidities, but also invaluable for unexpected anaesthetic emergencies with specialists in both anaesthesia and emergency medicine.
Staff
Turlough O’Neill
MVB MVS MACVSc CertSAS DipECVS MRCVS
RCVS Specialist in Small Animal Surgery (Orthopaedics)
EBVS® Specialist in Small Animal Surgery
Turlough graduated from the Veterinary College of Ireland, University College Dublin in 1987. After 2 years in mixed practice in Ireland, Turlough moved to Australia when he spent time in a number of large institutional hospitals before managing a small animal practice.
He became a member of the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists by examination in 1996 and completed a Masters of Veterinary Studies and a residency in Small Animal Surgery at the University of Melbourne.
Turlough returned to the UK as a lecturer in Small Animal Surgery at the University of Liverpool in 2000. He successfully passed the Royal College Certificate in Small Animal Surgery (2002) and then the European Diploma in Small Animal Surgery (2005).
He moved to private surgery referral practice in West Yorkshire for 10 years before a short stint in the North East before returning to the North West. Turlough enjoys all aspects of orthopaedic surgery including arthroscopy and spinal surgery.
Nick Blackburn
BVetMed CertSAS MRCVS
Orthopaedic Surgeon
Nick graduated from the RVC in 1998. He worked in small animal practices before joining Calder Vets in 2012. Nick gained his certificate in Small Animal Surgery in 2007 and is now an RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Small Animal Surgery.
Nick undertakes most aspects of orthopaedic and spinal surgery. He has gained a large amount experience in the diagnosis, management and treatment of trauma patients. He has a particular interest in joint surgery and regularly performs total hip replacement (THR) surgery for cats and dogs.
Away from work Nick spends much of his time renovating his house. He has also taken up running and now enjoys endurance obstacle events.
Dan Kenny (resident)
BVSc MRCVS
ECVS Resident in Small Animal Surgery
Dan qualified from the University of Liverpool in 2013. Since then he has worked in busy small animal practices both in England and Australia before joining the team at Paragon as a rotating intern in 2018. He is currently involved in research assessing quality of life in patients undergoing Total Ear Canal Ablation (TECA) surgery and he is working towards a Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice in Small Animal Surgery.
Aside from working he enjoys music and getting outdoors – cycling, both road and mountain biking, running and snowboarding.
Dan is our ECVS Resident in Surgery. He has worked at Paragon since opening and has established himself as a vital member of the surgical team. He sees both soft tissue and orthopaedic cases.
