About Us

The RFVS is a group of motivated vets, vet nurses and other paraprofessionals with a common interest in raw feeding and SPECIES APPROPRIATE NUTRITION for cats and dogs.

We believe in the tribe

Collaboration | Education | Community | Support

To promote the principles and practical aspects of species-appropriate nutritionthrough education of veterinary and other professionals and the pet-owning public.

As practising veterinary surgeons it is important we give clients clear, practical feeding strategies they can follow in their busy lives. In a biologically – ideal world –  every hunting carnivore would be fed on live prey. Clearly this is socially un-acceptable, morally questionable and impractical. A spectrum of ‘lesser’ alternatives are available, and there will always be a trade-off between convenience, ideology, cost and practicalities. What is right for one pet owner may not work for another.

So let’s not talk in ‘definites’ – there is no right or wrong, simply different ways of improving our pets nutrition to greater or lesser degrees.

It is UK based, but we welcome all pet professionals from around the world. Formed in 2014, it represents another step in the evolution of the recognition of feeding pet animals food they would, logically, have adapted to over millennia in the wild.

We are committed to professional, responsible communication, education and research on all areas of nutrition in dogs and cats.

OUR TEAM

Directors

Brendan

Brendan Clarke

Director
Brendan qualified from London Vet School in 1994 and has worked in general practice for 25 years. In 1998 he took over the partnership of Towerwood Vets. In 2002 Brendan became the secretary for the regional branch of the BVA, the Yorkshire Veterinary Society, becoming president in 2014. He was also nominated and voted the first BVA regional representative for Yorkshire and Humberside between 2007 and 2014. Brendan strongly feels that nutrition is an essential part of animal health and welfare and has a wealth of general practice experience offering advice on, and monitoring clinical cases of, biologically appropriate nutrition for both cats and dogs.
Morag

Morag Sutherland

Director & Secretary
Morag is an RVN with more years experience than she cares to remember. Her interests outside raw food are in equine and canine behaviour. She is the boss at Gelert Behaviour. For general enquiries, affiliate and support members contact Morag at enquiries@rfvs.info

President

Amaya

Amaya Espíndola

President & Membership Manager
Amaya is a vet from Spain, settled in Mallorca, specialised in Feline Medicine and Nutrition. She started Felvet in 2013, working with cat owners who have poorly cats, providing them with support and advice in health, nutrition and behaviour that’s missing from conventional medicine. Raw feeding is just one of the alternative tools that she uses in her practice. For membership queries contact her at members@rfvs.info

Operations Manager

Laura

Laura Jones

Operations Manager
ON MATERNITY LEAVE UNTIL SEPTEMBER 2024 Laura Jones joined RFVS in 2021 to help with our mounting admin. She turned out to have so many skills that we needed, that we very soon promoted her to Operations Manager. Laura works part time around her family and community commitments in rural Wales. pa@rfvs.info

Clinical Board

The purpose of the Clinical Board is to more closely connect us to both our Affiliate members’ vets in non-specialist practices, and professionals from around the world and to ensure that we have ideas which meet the needs of both. 

The board is made up of Professional members willing to get involved in the strategic planning, events and content are welcome to submit application to join our the clinical board.

Business Board

The intention of this board is to help guide and support us from a business/financial perspective, which will be working alongside our Clinical Advisory Board, which is made up of veterinary professionals.

The Business Board is made up of selected marketing and business experts who are dedicated to helping us grow and reach more events and people.

Founder

Nick Thompson

Nick runs Holisticvet Ltd. in Wiltshire and he passionately advocates for responsible, species-appropriate raw food feeding for pets and has done for the last 25 years. His pet topics are gastroenterology and the microbiome and the misuse of pharmaceuticals in medicine. He loves researching all aspects of human and animal nutrition.

Honorary Members

Dr Richard Malik, Sydney University

Cat/Medicine Specialist

Dr Ian Billinghurst

BVSc (Hons), BScAgr Dip Ed

Dr Lyn Thomson

Catherine O'Driscoll

On November 12th 2020, we lost one of our own, Catherine O’Driscoll, founder of CHC (Canine Health Concern). An inspirational, brave and unique human being who we at the RFVS have decided to make an honorary associate member posthumously.

Catherine was a passionate advocate for raw food feeding ahead of her time in her relentless and selfless pursuit of wanting the best for our dogs. In Catherine’s own words; “Use your voice, your intelligence, your love, and speak the truth for those who will benefit from listening.”

As we gain momentum in striving to educate on the importance of species-appropriate nutrition, let’s do so in Catherine’s memory carrying forward the crucial foundations of her work for which she so selflessly gave of her time and of herself.

We miss your presence, Catherine, you deserve to rest easy with all your beloved dogs who went ahead of you. Neither your work nor your courage will ever be forgotten.

Dr Karen Becker

DVM, NMD

Dr Barbara Royal

DVC, CVA, CIAC

Anna Hielm-Björkman

Adjunct Professor (Docent), PI, DVM, PhD, CVA
University of Helsinki | HY · Equine and Small Animal Medicine

Dr Thomas Lonsdale

BVetMed MRCVS

Past Honorary Members

Dr Lyn Thomson

It is with very great sadness that we have to tell our followers that we have lost a very special member, colleague and friend to many of us.
Dear Lyn Thomson left this world in tragic circumstances, news which any of you who were lucky enough to know her will find as upsetting as all of us on the RFVS team.
Lyn was our President in 2019. Her enthusiasm was infectious. As well as working hard, we had a lot of fun visiting regional BSAVA meetings to educate vets and nurses about species appropriate nutrition. In the face of strong challenges, she remained positive, courteous, and spoke with evidence to support everything she said.
She was a real inspiration and has acted as a mentor to many of us. She was always generous in sharing her knowledge with members asking questions in our forums, no matter if they were “old hands” or just beginning to explore nutrition. Her wish to constantly strive to increase her knowledge and to share with anyone willing to listen and learn was an example to all. She truly was one of the world’s loveliest human beings.
For those who don’t know her, Lyn was a vet and the inspiration behind and founder of Raw Essentials in New Zealand, a business model that we could all learn a great deal from. She coordinated the writing of our Position Statement, and this will remain as a small part of her legacy to the world of species appropriate nutrition.
We will miss Lyn greatly, and it is heart-breaking to think that we can no longer seek her wisdom and share in her passion for learning. We can only hope that she has found peace and send our deepest condolences to her family and friends.