Here at Eastcott Vets in Swindon we are delighted that our Director Peter Southerden has gained his qualification in Nov 2010 – Diploma in Veterinary Dentistry. He is now a Diplomat of the European College of Veterinary Dentistry and is a recognised European Veterinary Specialist in Dentistry. Pete says “ I am both delighted and relieved to have passed my diploma exams and now be diplomat of the European Veterinary Dental College. I first enrolled as an alternate pathway trainee in 2003 and fulfilling the credential requirements and then studying for the college exams has been a major commitment for the last seven years alongside family life and being part of running a busy small animal hospital. I know that this has also been a burden on others and I thank Ibby my wife, my children and my work colleagues for all of their help, support and understanding. I would also like to thank Dr Cecilia Gorrel, my supervisor, for her commitment to my training program and all of the help she has given me and Richard Gowshall my co-director at Eastcott Veterinary Hospital for his support and patience. Passing this qualification will allow me and other members of our team to develop the dentistry, oral and maxillofacial surgery referral work that we do at Eastcott Veterinary Hospital. It has coincided with the start of building our new hospital. One of the additional facilities we will have is a CT scanner which is a very exciting and useful diagnostic tool in this discipline that will allow us to greatly enhance the service we can offer. We are also building teaching and wetlab facilities which will allow us to develop a new teaching program for dentistry and oral surgery. I work in a practice that thrives on development at all levels and in all departments and have three colleagues who are also enrolled on RCVS or European Diploma training courses – so alongside our new Hospital development it’s exciting times at Eastcott Veterinary Hospital!”