Joao Bigares DVM PhD MRCVS
Clinical Director
Joao graduated in 2004 in Portugal and, after spending two years in mixed practice, has worked mainly with companion animals. He has been working in the UK since 2010, mainly in emergency and out of hours medicine in different hospitals and clinics in South Wales and England. Joao completed his PhD in cardiac physiology at Cardiff University in 2016 and is now the clinical director of Petherton’s Rumney branch and also of our sister practice, Morgan’s Vets. In his free time he enjoys walks in the countryside and travelling with his family.
Joel Alves DVM MscVet Msc(Bris) GPCertSAS BSAVA PGCertSAS MRCVS
Joel graduated from the University of Évora (Portugal) with a Master’s degree in veterinary medicine, followed by the completion of a surgical internship at Northwest Surgeons, a multidisciplinary referral centre in Cheshire. He has continued his studies in surgery having completed both the European School of Veterinary Postgraduate Studies (ESVPS) general practice certificate in surgery and the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) postgraduate certificate in surgery. Alongside clinical work, Joel has been involved in research, leading to the completion of a Master’s degree in stem cells and regenerative medicine at the University of Bristol and he is also currently enrolled in a part time PhD project in biosciences (Cardiff University), studying glutamate receptors antagonists as a potential novel approach to treat cruciate disease in dogs.
Eleanor Stringer RVN
Head Nurse
Ellie has been in the profession since 2001 and has been a qualified RVN since 2006. Originally from Manchester, she moved to Cardiff to complete her training. Ellie really enjoys both general nursing and emergency nursing. In her spare time she is kept busy with her two dogs, two cats, tortoise, two children and a husband. When she does manage to get some spare time she enjoys running and shopping.
Jodie Hoare RVN
Jodie qualified as a registered veterinary nurse from Abbeydale Vetlink, Monmouth in 2017. She takes great pride in the nursing of our inpatients and surgical cases and has an interest in wound management.
Amy Lewis
Student Veterinary Nurse
After completing a national diploma in animal management in Pencoed College, Amy joined Petherton's in 2016 as a receptionist and started her nursing training in 2018. In her spare time she enjoys visiting west Wales and spending time with her English Bull Terrier, Ruby.
Eloisa Adams
Patient Care Assistant
Eloisa joined the Rumney branch in November 2017, gaining her veterinary care assistant certificate a year before in London. In the future Eloisa would love to continue her training and become a qualified veterinary nurse. In her spare time she likes to explore and go for scenic walks. She has recently taken on a Chihuahua puppy named Winter who requires a lot of her attention. (Eloisa is currently on maternity leave)
Lisa Slee
Practice Manager
Lisa has worked at Pethertons for over 25 years. She is extremely experienced and a friendly, familiar face known to all practice regulars. Lisa deals with much of the administration within the practice. Away from work she enjoys spending time with her husband, children and her Border Terrier, Chewie.
Hayley Thomas
Receptionist
Hayley joined our team as our receptionist in November 2019. Hayley manages bookings, general enquiries and insurance related matters. Hayley is always available for general advice or a general chat and has already proven to be an extremely popular member of the team with both clients and staff. Outside of work Hayley lives on an off-grid smallholding keeping a variety of poultry and livestock.
