Independent vet practice in Tavistock & Yelverton
About our friendly vet practice
The Story of Drake Vets
Our vet practice has its origins in Horrabridge near Yelverton and was originally known as Town Farm Vets. The Practice was originally started by Nelson Bowden in the early 80’s and moved to Horrabridge for many years as a local mixed practice. In 2003 the practice changed hands eventually to Karen Tyrrell and Peter Mackellar and in 2010 changed its name to Drake Vets ltd concentrating solely on small animals.
In 2010 the new practice at Yelverton was purpose built as a modern well equipped small animal practice and opened in 2010. The practice has grown from strength to strength and remains as an independent practice to this day. In 2019 Peter retired and Chris Jones became a director with Karen Tyrrell and have further developed the practice as an independent.
We pride ourselves in having a fully equipped modern practice allowing us to offer up to date treatment options including digital radiography, video endoscopy, laparoscopic surgery and ultrasound. We invest in our staff to improve our range of services for the nursing and vet side.
We offer an out of hours service for our own clients (see terms and conditions) and have staff on site over night to care for inpatients.
The practice has always been independent and we will remain so as this is something that we are very proud of as we are one of a very few practices locally that are still run independently.
Meet the team
Our Vets
Chris Jones
Director | GP cert MRCVS
Chris graduated in 1999 and has worked locally ever since in small animal practice. He has a GP certificate in ophthalmology and also enjoys surgery. Chris became a director in 2019 with Karen Tyrrell.
Chris is keen on general surgery and has an interest in ophthalmology and will see complex cases. He has a particular interest in corneal surgery.
In his spare time he can be found either on the moor with his family and dogs or working on various projects in the garage including a classic MGB and helping his sons with various mechanical restorations. He is married to Catherine and they have 2 sons and 3 dogs plus many other pets.
Catherine Jones
PG cert MRCVS
Catherine graduated in 2003 after having done a previous degree and has been working locally ever since. She finally agreed to move to us in 2021 from her previous role at the PDSA.
Catherine has a PG certificate in surgery and is very keen on orthopaedic and soft tissue surgery and is happy to delve into complex cases. She is very keen on soft tissue and bone surgery especially complicated fracture management and so this will improve our local services to our clients.
Catherine has dealt with many complicated cases over the years (spinal fractures, shunt surgery, complicated fractures etc) and we are excited to have her here to improve our surgical ability.
Catherine was brought up in the area and like Chris has stayed put, they like nothing more than being on the moor in their spare time with their children and dogs.
Catherine is also a keen member of Dartmoor search and rescue as well as the search and rescue dogs association (SARDA) in which she has trained 4 search dogs.
Katie Score
MRCVS
Katie joined us in January 2018, she was working in a busy Plymouth practice for the previous 4 years before joining us at Drake Vets.
Katie has recently returned from maternity leave and works 3 days a week, she is very interested in dentistry and is keen to develop this further. She is happy to deal with more complicated dental issues and also is happy with general medicine and surgery.
Andrew Ketteridge
MRCVS
Andrew joined us in 2023. He is an experienced vet who graduated in 2004
Andrew is a general GP vet like us all but he has a keen interest in soft tissue surgery and is very experienced in Laparoscopic surgery (‘Key Hole Surgery’).
Key hole surgery also has many other indications and will become another area that we can offer our clients.
Ellie Needham-Bailey
MRCVS
Ellie joined us in April 2023 and graduated in 2017. She had previously been working at a local PDSA practice and has a strong interest in Ophthalmology (eyes) and will be starting an ophthalmology certificate in May 2024.
She has a ragdoll cat called Rhubarb and she is a very keen runner and horse rider, plus she does like to bake cakes.
Emma Noyce
MRCVS
Jasmine Jupp
MRCVS
Jas joined the team in March 2024, after working in both a fast-paced and busy hospital in Plymouth and a smaller, community-based branch in Ivybridge for the last 3 years. Jas’s areas of clinical interest lie in the realms of soft tissue surgery, oncology, and feline medicine, and is developing these areas within the practice. She plans on studying for a certificate in soft tissue surgery.
Jas is also very passionate about mental health and wellbeing within the veterinary profession, as well as the role integrated coaching can play in empowering veterinary professionals, resulting in improved patient safety and clinical outcomes. Jas is dedicated to building meaningful relationships and supporting members of the veterinary team and clients alike, with a focus on encouraging a culture of authenticity and positive values.
Outside of work, Jas enjoys anything artsy, crafty and creative. She loves learning new skills, such as trying out new recipes, spending time with her friends, or cuddling up on the sofa with her cat.
Nursing Team
Su Williams
Veterinary Nurse (RVN)
Su has been with us for many years and is one of our senior nurses responsible for running the nursing team and is also a clinical coach helping to develop the skills of the student nurses.
Su is also very interested in wound care and loves nothing more than a smelly wound to deal with!
She enjoys walking on the moor with her dogs and kids and loves family time.
Abi Semmens
Veterinary Nurse (RVN)
Abi is one of our senior nurses and has been working in the veterinary industry since she was 14. She is interested in emergency and critical care, night work and neonatal care as well as laboratory work.
She loves walking on Dartmoor and exploring in her campervan with her spaniel and staffie.
Kelly Beacham
Veterinary Nurse (RVN)
Kelly has been with us since 2018 as a student nurse and qualified in 2021. She is very keen on anaesthesia, nutrition, critical care and general nursing.
She has 2 large ridgebacks, a cat and a rabbit called Norman.
Mary Fellows
Veterinary Nurse (RVN)
Mary has been with us since 2023 and has a lot of experience in veterinary nursing having worked for many years at the PDSA. She is a good experienced all round general nurse and she is also one of our senior nurses and is also a clinical coach.
Eve Fry
Veterinary Nurse (RVN)
Eve has been with us since 2023 and has returned to nursing after a long break. She has since re qualified and has returned to general nursing. She lives on Dartmoor with her family and many animals.
Jo Godfrey
Veterinary Nurse (RVN)
Jo Has been at drake vets since 2018 and has since dropped down to a night only position. She is an experienced nurse who also works alongside street vets which is a national homeless charity helping the animals of homeless people.
Amber Goldsmith
Veterinary Nurse (RVN)
Amber has been with us since she was training in 2012 and has recently returned from maternity leave. She has a strong interest in exotic pets as she keeps many herself and is also interested in behaviour and nurse clinics.
Laura Smith
Veterinary Nurse (RVN)
Alecia Mitchell
Veterinary Nurse (RVN)
Alecia joined the team in February 2024 having worked in a fast paced, 24 hr Veterinary Hospital in Plymouth. S particularly enjoys educating owners through her nurse clinics, anaesthesia and emergency medicine. Alecia has recently completed a canine arthritis management course, and is due to start her emergency and critical care certificate in October. In her spare time, Alecia enjoys going to the gym, volunteering for Streetvet in Plymouth and playing with her rescue cat.
Maddy McCorry
Veterinary Nurse (RVN)
Maddy has been studying Veterinary Nursing at Nottingham University and has had periods during her course working with us in clinical practice. She completed her training and become an RVN in March this year. Maddie has a keen interest in inpatient and intensive care. She loves the beach and collies.
Evie Mabel Ross
Animal Nursing Assistant
Jess Asquith
Student Veterinary Nurse (SVN)
Jess has been at Drake Vets since 2022 training as a nurse. She has an interest in nurse clinics, laboratory work and small furries.
Jess has a spaniel and a house rabbit and in her spare time loves the gym.
Amelia Jones
Student Veterinary Nurse (SVN)
Amelia started with us in 2023 and has started her nurse training. She has a keen interest in rabbits, as she has four of her own. She has always wanted to work with animals and veterinary nursing is now the job for her.
Admin Team
Karen Tyrrell
Practice Manager / Co-direcror
Karen joined the practice in 1994 (as Town farm vets) and was training as a nurse. She became a director with Peter Mackellar in 2003 before he retired in 2019. Karen is the practice manager and is a co-director with Chris Jones with responsibility for all aspects of accounts, administration and the daily running of the practice as well as nursing.
Karen has a variety of different pets including chickens, ducks and rabbits. Away from work Karen’s time is spent with her family and her 2 children.
Kate Wearing
Senior Receptionist
Kate joined Drake vets (then Town Farm) in 1996 and initially was training as a nurse. Since then, Kate has become the senior receptionist and can regularly be see on reception at the Yelverton site. In her spare time, she likes to walk her dogs on Dartmoor and she is a keen fosterer for the RSPCA and other rescue centres.
Tracy Beech
Receptionist
Tracy has been at the practice since 1994 and knows everyone! She is in charge of the insurance side of things and is the first point of call for pet insurance queries and claims.
In her free time, she is involved in wildlife rehabilitation and dog re-homing. Tracy has rescued numerous pets both domestic and wild over the years
Linda Whitaker
Receptionist
Linda joined us in April 2023 and has joined the reception team at Yelverton. Linda loves the interaction with clients at reception.
She moved to the area 15 years ago and owns a labrador chihuahua cross Jack Russel and a ginger tom cat.