Our Team of Surgical Specialists

Dr Larry Anderson

BVSc, Dip Vet Med, PhD
Director & Consultant Surgeon
Registered Specialist in Small Animal Surgery

The founder of Vetspecs, Larry retired in September 2007. Larry remains a financial partner in Vetspecs and, since the place would not be the same without him, we will be using him as a locum (and he thought we would let him retire!). The availability of a locum is a first for us and a real luxury.

Dr Helen Milner

BVSc(Dist), PhD, FACVSc, CertVR, MRCVS
Director & Consultant Surgeon
Registered Specialist in Small Animal Surgery

Helen graduated with Distinction from Massey University in 1989, having arrived at the university on a Junior Scholarship, and leaving with an illustrious academic record, collecting awards each year of her studies including the Veterinary Science Faculty Medal for best overall student, 1986-1989.

Starting work in Auckland as a small animal vet, Helen soon departed for the UK where she worked in a truly mixed practice, treating small and large animals. It was here that her interest in small animal surgery grew.  In 1991, she was employed as the Senior Demonstrator in surgery at the Small Animal Hospital at the University of Liverpool.  In 1992, she took up a residency in Soft Tissue Surgery at the Royal Veterinary College, London. During this time, Helen completed the Certificate in Veterinary Radiology. In 1996, she was awarded a Veterinary Research Fellowship, and an advanced studentship position at Trinity College, University of Cambridge, from which Helen completed a PhD in 1999.

In 2000, Helen relocated back to NZ where she helped develop the veterinary nursing certificate and diploma courses at UNITEC, Auckland and their Bachelor in Applied Animal Technology degree course, first launched in 2003. Helen also worked for Franklin Veterinary Referral Services, South Auckland, during 2000-2001. In 2003, she decided to become a ‘Mainlander’ and joined Veterinary Surgical Specialties (Vetspecs) in Christchurch.

During her time at Vetspecs, Helen has completed externship surgical training at Texas A&M University and at the University of Sydney, as well as an anaesthesia externship at Massey University and related disciplines training in clinical pathology.  Helen became a Member of the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists in Small Animal Surgery in 2004 and a Fellow in 2006, the latter resulting in her registration as a surgical specialist.

Dr Brent Higgins

BVSc CertSAS MRCVS
Consultant Surgeon

Brent grew up in Twizel, South Canterbury, with a few years spent in Marlborough. He graduated from Massey University in 2000 and initially went to Australia to spend two years in mixed, predominately cattle, veterinary practice. After a period of overseas travel, he spent four years working in small animal practice in the United Kingdom. During that time, he took full advantage of Britain’s array of continuing education, which added practical expertise to an already solid interest in soft tissue and orthopaedic surgery. These interests lead to the position of assistant surgeon at Britain’s ‘Veterinary Referrals for Cancer and Critical Care (VRCC)’, which started an awareness of the different philosophy required to manage dogs and cats with cancer.

Brent was awarded the position of Resident in Small Animal Surgery at the University of Liverpool in 2006, an institution well known for advanced arthroscopy, minimally invasive surgery, oncology and critical care. In 2007, the hospital moved to its new £10million facility boasting radiotherapy, MRI, CT and dedicated key-hole surgery suites for veterinary training. During these three years he was an active contributor to the surgical training of veterinary students and graduates.

In 2008, Brent was awarded the RCVS Certificate in Small Animal Surgery. He has contributed to British veterinary publications and presented surgical topics in Britain, the USA and Serbia. He has undergone training in the USA with AOVet in fracture management and in France in surgical stapling as well as completing externships at North Carolina State University, the University of Florida and with Britain’s pioneers of limb prostheses Fitzpatrick Referrals. His research has focused on novel methods in external skeletal fixation to manage complex orthopaedic conditions and novel methods of diagnosing spinal disease in dogs with a research grant from the RCVS Trust.

Brent is currently completing his study towards becoming a Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Surgeons and a European and New Zealand specialist in surgery. His main interests are in wound management and reconstruction, surgical oncology, spinal surgery, fracture repair, arthroscopy, minimally invasive surgery and critical care.

Outside of work, Brent enjoys wind surfing, scuba diving, water skiing and snowboarding. After ten years overseas, he is very much looking forward to contributing to the South Island’s veterinary surgical referrals.