James Specialist Veterinary Cardiology

25/09/2026

So something a little different!!
The youngest son of our head of cardiology Rachel James is attempting with his school friends to swim the English Channel there and back tomorrow (if the weather remains good!). They are raising money for Mencap. The feat is made more impressive as Thomas and all is friends all have significant learning difficulties. These are a remarkable team of boys who have trained incredibly hard. So if you are to support them they would be very grateful as they are raising money for Mencap an incredible charity.

Help Rachel James raise money to support Mencap

24/09/2026

Meet the lovely Percy, the one with the big personality! 😍

Percy came to the clinic to have an arrhythmia investigated and unfortunately we found a heart base mass on his echocardiogram along with a collection of fluid around his heart (pericardial effusion). Further treatment was initiated and the fluid was drained, but Percy represented with another effusion soon after.

The decision was made to perform the surgical procedure to remove a portion of the sack around the heart to prevent the fluid from collecting and hampering heart function (a pericardiectomy).

The lovely team at Visiting Vet Specialists , Catherine and Paula, came to JSVC to perform the surgery successfully and obtain a sample of the heart base mass.

Percy recovered brilliantly and continues to make great progress 🙌❤

27/08/2026

AUGUST BANK HOLIDAY OPENING TIMES!!!

Friday 28th August: Open as usual

Saturday 29th August: Emergencies only 9am-7pm

Sunday 30th August: Emergencies only 9am-7pm

Monday 31st August: Emergencies only 9am-7pm

Tuesday 1st September: Open as usual

24/08/2026

Have a look at the video here.

This is a pulsating jugular vein and appears when there is high pressure in the right side of the heart.

This could be due to many things but is often the consequence of an enlarged heart due to disease process. The lack of forward flow through the right side of the heart means there is a back up of blood volume and pressure to the body and one of the signs of this is a pulsating jugular vein.

Cool, eh? 🤓😎

20/08/2026

Introducing gorgeous Newfoundland, Lottie, who came to us recently for a minimally invasive closure of her PDA (patent ductus arteriosus).

A PDA is a vessel within the heart that should've closed at birth. When this vessel remains open the subsequent blood flow through it can lead to premature heart failure and a shortened life span.

Brilliantly, this is something we can cure 🙌and Lottie went to have her procedure successfully with super surgeon Mike Martin, assisted by our Callan and lovely anaesthetist Cesca ❤

We will see Lottie back to check on her progress as her medication was discontinued now that the PDA is closed.

See our website www.jsvc.co.uk for more info on our fixed price surgical options.

27/07/2026

We have an exciting opportunity to join our team!

Practice Manager | James Specialist Veterinary Cardiology
Location: Cranage CW4 8EX
Position: Full-Time / Permanent
Salary: Competitive, negotiable based on experience
About Us
At James Specialist Veterinary Cardiology, we believe world-class cardiac care goes hand-in-hand with a supportive, warm, and friendly environment. As a modern specialist referral hospital, we deliver exceptional care to our patients and outstanding service to our referring vets and pet owners.
Behind every successful procedure and happy patient is a seamless, well-run practice—and that’s where you come in! We are looking for an experienced, proactive, and compassionate Practice Manager to lead our day-to-day operations and keep our vibrant practice thriving.
The Role
As our Practice Manager, you will be the backbone of our hospital operations. You will play a pivotal role in creating an environment where our clinical team can focus on what they do best, while you ensure the business runs smoothly, efficiently, and harmoniously.
Key Responsibilities:
Financial Management: Overseeing daily financial routines, including balancing bank accounts, managing invoices, and processing practice payroll smoothly.
HR & Team Support: Leading HR processes, managing staff schedules, coordinating holiday requests, and fostering a positive, inclusive workplace culture.
Health & Safety Leadership: Ensuring our modern hospital meets all health, safety, and regulatory compliance standards to keep our team and clients safe.
Operational Excellence: Streamlining practice workflows, supporting team development, and acting as a central point of communication across departments.
About You
We’re looking for a organized and empathetic leader who thrives in a collaborative setting. You’ll be a great fit if you have:
Proven experience in practice management, business administration, or operations (veterinary or medical referral experience is a plus, but not essential!).
Strong financial literacy with confidence handling accounts, payroll, and invoicing.
A solid understanding of HR practices and Health & Safety regulations.
Exceptional communication skills and a approachable, solution-focused attitude.
A passion for delivering excellence and supporting a dedicated clinical team.
What We Offer
Competitive Salary: Reflective of your experience and expertise.
Work-Life Balance: Generous holiday allowance and structured working hours.
Supportive Culture: Work alongside a passionate, friendly, and highly skilled specialist team.
Professional Growth: Support for ongoing training and personal development.
Staff Perks: Generous employee discounts, workplace pension, and team social events.
How to Apply
If you’re ready to bring your management expertise to a modern, specialist hospital where your contribution is truly valued, we’d love to hear from you!
Please send your CV and a brief cover letter outlining why you’d be a great fit to [email protected]

16/07/2026

Another foray into the Land of Surgery for team JSVC, this time for the feline with the floofiest tale ever, Radar 😻

Radar is an unusual case as she has been diagnosed with a double-chambered right ventricle 😳

This means that one of the bottom chambers of her heart (the right ventricle) that pumps de-oxygenated blood to the lungs has an extra membrane creating a double chamber within where there should only be one. This can create problems due to the impedance of blood flow through the ventricle.

Radar's owner opted to try a minimally invasive procedure using a balloon catheter to try and open up the membrane creating the double chamber. This is not a common procedure and has mixed results, but Radar's owner wanted to try and see if we could make a difference ❤

The balloon procedure was performed at our hospital near Holmes Chapel by super surgeon Mike, assisted by Emily, and all under the watchful eye of anaesthetist Miguel 🤓

You can see the "waist" of the balloon as it sits within the double chamber in the picture and then the video shows you the balloon inflation to try and widen the narrowing.

Results of the procedure will be ascertained over time as Radar recovers 🥰

13/07/2026

The team recently enjoyed a visit by not-so-much-puppy Puppy! ❤

Lovely Puppy is a total gentle giant, being crossed with a Wolfhound, and we couldn't have asked for a better behaved patient 🥰

Puppy came to see the team to investigate a fast heart rate identified at home along with some uncharacteristic lethargy. We didn't see any structural abnormalities on Puppy's heart scan, so a 24 hour ECG (Holter) monitor was fitted to ascertain the extent of Puppy's arrhythmia.

Holter monitors are an invaluable tool in cases like Puppy to be able to gain an understanding of what is happening when patients are at home and not just in the clinic and we can fit them to all sizes of patient from Puppy to kitten 😆🐕🐈‍⬛

09/07/2026

Introducing cute as a button Pancake 😍

Pancake was diagnosed with a PDA (patent ductus arteriosus) which is a blood vessel within the heart that should've closed at birth. When this vessel remains open it shunts blood around the heart rather than letting it leave and go around the body and this can end in congestive heart failure at a young age.

Pancake's owners opted for a minimally invasive surgical technique to close the PDA and this was performed successfully at our hospital near Holmes Chapel by super surgeon Mike, assisted by Laura. You can see in the video clip the contrast media butting against the implanted device within the PDA, showing no leakage through the PDA at all. A complete closure! 🙌

Pancake has made a brilliant recovery after her procedure and is back to being her mischievous self ❤

Did you know our surgical procedures are held at a fixed price?? Details can be found on our website www.jsvc.co.uk or call us on 01477 534729.

29/06/2026

Introducing our patient, Harley, who does a spectacular job in demonstrating a Holter monitor for you 😍

Harley has some structural heart disease with a stage B2 mitral valve disease but he also has ventricular arrhythmias. This means that his normal heart rhythm is disturbed by beats originating from the bottom chambers of his heart (the ventricles) rather than following the normal conduction pathway from the top chambers (the atria) through to the ventricles.

Left untreated this could cause Harley to go into heart failure prematurely by adding to the workload his heart works under and leaving him at risk of his heart muscle not having enough oxygen.

The Holter monitor is a small device that Harley wears under a cotton jacket to record his heart rhythm at home and whilst he goes about his usual activities. This is invaluable information as it shows Harley's true situation out of the clinic and we can record for up to 3 days.

Wonderfully for Harley his Holter monitor showed that the treatment regime we have him on is doing a good job at controlling his arrhythmia 🙌

We will see Harley regularly to make sure his medications continue to do their job ❤