Meet Our Team

Veterinarian

Dr Cathy Opie has always had a love of animals and from a young age would more often than not be found playing with her dog and cat, catching skinks, rescuing baby birds …the list goes on. So, it is no surprise that she decided to pursue a career as a veterinary surgeon and if asked , she can tell you the exact moment that she realized a vet was what she wanted to be. After graduating with Honours from The Univerisity  of Melbourne in 1989, she worked first in an inner city companion animal clinic in Melbourne followed by 5 years in a busy,  4 vet companion animal practice in Adelaide where she had the opportunity to work with more experienced vets and gain invaluable experience.  In 1997, she and her partner Philip Lindsay established The Pet Doctors. Cathy’s particular areas of interest are Diseases of the Respiratory System, Emergency Medicine and Dentistry.

Dr Philip Lindsay graduated from Massey University in 1988. The following year he undertook an Internship in Small Animal Medicine at The University of Melbourne where he completed a Master of Veterinary Studies after submitting his thesis on Portosystemic Shunts in Dogs. It was while researching this topic, that he met and developed a love of Dobermann dogs that led to him acquire his first Dobermann, ‘Tinka,’ whose paw print you will find on The Pet Doctors driveway. He went on to work in a busy 5 vet companion animal practice in Sydney alongside a world renowned Veterinary Neurologist where Philip was able to learn the nuances and subtleties of diagnosing and treating neurological diseases. Philip passed the examination for admission to the Canine Medicine Chapter of the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists before travelling to Murdoch University Veterinary school in Perth, WA. Here Philip worked alongside many Veterinary specialists, of note, an internationally respected Veterinary Dermatologist. In 1997, he moved back home to New Zealand and established The Pet Doctors with Dr Cathy Opie. Today Philip’s interests still involve Internal Medicine and Soft Tissue Surgery. He has maintained a strong interest in Dermatology and periodically travels to Australia to develop his skills in this area. Recently Philip completed a 12 month Ophthalmology course with a Melbourne Eye Specialist and plans to travel to Melbourne to expand on this knowledge.

Philip recognises the importance of Companions Animals in the lives of New Zealanders and believes in offering clients the best care available. In establishing The Pet Doctors, he and Dr Opie agreed to utilize the serves of an independent diagnostic laboratory for all blood and tissue tests to ensure a Specialist Pathology Team, with their state-of-the-art equipment, is included in our patient evaluations. The Pet Doctors, as is the gold standard in Human Medicine, believe in utilising the services of the various Specialist Serves available to us to ensure clients and their pets have easy access to the best care available.

Veterinary Nurse

Leah is our senior veterinary nurse and has been working at The Pet Doctors for five years . She is our ‘go to’ person who always finds time to manage the day-to-day running of the practice as well as helping to care for our high needs patients. All this is done with a smile on her face and a professional attitude. She studied and gained her degree in the Philippines and emigrated to New Zealand 6 years ago. Unfortunately, she had to leave her cat named Ming (Filipino for “meow”) and two dogs named Wacky and Mhilot with her Mum when she moved to New Zealand. Leah has an ability to calm animals and make them feel comfortable, so it can be guaranteed that your animals time at The Pet Doctors will be enjoyable.