Small Animal or Mixed Veterinary Surgeon

Are you a small or mixed vet looking for a relaxed way of life with beautiful scenery and a great team?

\”I have been working at Bute and Cowal Vets for several years and have found it to be a fantastic practice to work. The team could not be more welcoming, friendly, and supportive, and I have been particularly helped by the flexibility I have been offered in my employment. To top it all off, Dunoon is a wonderful place to live with real community spirit, not to mention the beautiful coast and mountains.\” Kate MRCVS

We’re on the lookout for two experienced vets (who have completed their VetGDP) to join our award-winning, independent, and family-run mixed practice on the stunning west coast of Scotland.

We’d love to welcome a small animal or mixed vet to our Dunoon practice, where you’ll enjoy an interesting and varied caseload, comprising approximately 80% small animals and 20% large animals, with the opportunity to care for a wide range of species, including wildlife. This is ideally a full-time position, but we’re also happy to chat about part-time and flexible working.

We’re also looking for a vet to be based mainly at our Rothesay practice on the Isle of Bute, where the caseload is primarily small animal with some equine work, and with the flexibility to occasionally support the Dunoon team.

Both roles will involve some out-of-hours work, as we take pride in providing our own OOH service for our clients instead of outsourcing it. That said, our OOH work is by no means onerous, and with a shared rota, it certainly doesn’t stop our team from enjoying life in the friendly communities of Bute and Cowal.

There is also the possibility of a directorship/buying into the practice.

Our History

Duncan joined Bute Vets in 1979 and has spent most of his career on the Isle of Bute. He loves the working life of a true mixed vet and being part of the island community. When he’s not working, he can be found looking after his smallholding, including his herd of Dexter cows. Duncan is proud to be the old man of a young team, watching the next generation of vets develop.

Catriona grew up on the Isle of Bute, and having regularly tagged along with dad, Duncan, on farm calls, she soon knew she wanted to be a vet, going on to graduate from Bristol University in 2001. After spending a couple of years working at a mixed practice in Renfrewshire, she returned to the island to join Bute Vets.

When the owners of our neighbouring practice in Dunoon retired in 2008, we decided to expand, and Bute & Cowal Vets was formed. Catriona moved to Dunoon to head up the new surgery, and we’ve continued to progress, and we were delighted to win the Petplan Veterinary Practice of the Year award in 2015.

In January 2022, we moved into new premises in Dunoon. We\’ve received so much positive feedback from our clients about the new site, and it\’s also made a huge difference to our team.

Our Team

We have a fantastic team of 6 vets working either full or part-time, each bringing their own strengths and interests to the practice.

Catriona loves the variety and challenges that a mixed practice brings – she could be seeing a diabetic cat in the morning and delivering a calf by caesarean section less than an hour later. She has an interest in game bird work and aquaculture, and is also a Marine Mammal Medic for the British Divers Marine Life Rescue, where she is called out to assist with seal rescues and whale or dolphin strandings.

Kathrin joined the team on Bute from South Africa, bringing twenty years of experience with her.

Neil originally joined us as a locum and later became a permanent member of the team. Neil lives on the Isle of Skye but enjoys working with us so much that we’ve arranged his rota so he can now work one month on and then one month off.

\”Despite being qualified for nearly forty years, I am still eagerly learning my trade and love the variety of work at Bute & Cowal Vets. My home is on the Isle of Skye, and the flexibility of working a block of four-day weeks in Argyll, then travelling home for a while, suits me. Having lived in the Northwest Highlands for many years, I had forgotten just how beautiful Argyll is, and I’m glad to be working here.\” Neil McRae MRCVS

Hugh enjoys the variety of mixed practices and splits his time between Bute and Dunoon, whereas Kate prefers the smallies. Luke, who joined us after graduating in 2023, quickly became a valued member of the team, bringing lots of fresh energy and ideas.

We are an RCVS-approved nurse training practice and have a great nursing team of 2 RVNs, 2 ACAs, and a trainee ACA, as well as our fabulous reception, admin, and domestic teams. At Bute and Cowal, we’re all one team and rely on each other to make the practice tick.

We have all the usual kit, including digital X-ray and ultrasound, which we are in the process of upgrading. We’re also happy to invest in new equipment to support your interests. We recently introduced PetsApp, which both the team and clients love.

The Rota

We really value our team’s work-life balance, and with both our clinics closing at 5 pm during the week and no routine consultations on the weekends, you’ll have plenty of free time to enjoy this beautiful part of Scotland.

We have two types of shifts. Our consulting shift is a true mix, where you’ll usually start with some small animal consults before going out for any large animal visits if you’re in a mixed role. Depending on what the day brings, the afternoon may involve more visits or an afternoon consult slot in the practice. Our operating shift involves a few admit appointments followed by procedures until 1 pm, when we close for lunch. You will then have a consulting slot from 3.30 pm until 5 pm, with our last routine appointment booked at 4.30 pm.

We have daily morning rounds where we all get together to make a plan for the day, but we’re also realistic and can be flexible with the schedule to deal with any urgent calls that come in. We have a protected lunch break between 1 pm and 2 pm, during which the Dunoon surgery is closed. There is also dedicated admin time, so you’ll have plenty of time to follow up on cases and make phone calls.

The OOH rota is shared by the team, which means the on-call rota at Dunoon is just 1:4 weekends and one weeknight per week, with the Friday off after the weekend on-call. Generally, the on-call is not busy (we won’t use the dreaded Q word!), and we use an answering service to triage calls, so you’ll only have to deal with the cases that really need seeing. If you are called out, you’ll receive 50% of the OOH\’s emergency fees. There is always backup available, along with the on-call RVN. The OOH for a small animal vet would purely be small animal.

About the Local Area

Located on the west coast of Scotland, Argyll & the Isles is an idyllic place to live, with stunning scenery ranging from tranquil sandy beaches to rolling hills and heather-covered moorlands. It’s also one of the best places in Scotland to see wildlife, including golden eagles, red deer, otters, seals, puffins, and more. This area is fantastic for outdoor activities, including walking, cycling, sailing, and water sports, or you could take a boat trip for a spot of dolphin and whale watching. The Isle of Bute was The Sunday Times\’ 2022 winner of the annual ‘Best Places to Live’ guide and is one of the most accessible Scottish islands, just a short ferry ride across the Firth of Clyde. It’s a fantastic place for families with 3 primary schools and an award-winning secondary school. Dunoon is also just 90 minutes from Glasgow.

We’d love you to join our pub quiz team, ‘The Gannets,’ and help us continue our new winning streak (not that we’re competitive!).

The Package:

• Salary of £45,000 – £60,000 plus 50% of OOH\’s call-out fees
• Holidays increase with length of service
• CPD encouraged and certificates supported
• Professional fees paid for RCVS, Veterinary Defence Society and BVA
• Practice membership for Webinar Vet
• Costs covered for travel between the practices
• Employee Assistance Programme for all the team and their families

If you\’d like to find out more about us, feel free to give us a call for an informal chat —we’d love to hear from you! And if this sounds like the role you’ve been looking for, don’t hesitate to apply!