West Sussex veterinary physio wins South East Vet Physio of the Year

A veterinary physio from Shipley has won South East Vet Physio of the Year through the Prestige Awards.

Katherine Brown picked up the award at the Solent Hotel & Spa in Fareham.

Katherine said: “When I first got the email telling me I had won the award I thought it was a scam, I thought they wanted something from me. I contacted my friend who had won a similar award to check it was a legitimate thing.

“I was really shocked, when it sank in I became really excited about the whole thing.”

Katherine started her practise - KB vet physio - five years ago after completing a masters in Veterinary Physiotherapy at Bristol College.

Veterinary physiotherapists work with injured animals, or animals with movement problems, to help reduce pain and improve their health and Katherine’s current practice treats dogs, cats and horses.

Katherine spent her first two years as veterinary physio working mobile, and was then offered a space at a vets in Sussex to carry out her practise. However, the Covid-19 pandemic changed everything for her.

Katherine said: “It was really stressful after lockdown, as it was for everybody, trying to navigate Covid. Having my treatment room taken away at the vets because I couldn't mix teams as they still weren't allowing clients in and they weren't even mixing teams between branches. I couldn't even have the clients outside.”

Luckily, Katherine’s husband was a builder and constructed the veterinary physio her very own treatment room and Katherine has gone from strength-to-strength since.

Katherine said: “Since then it's gone crazy, it just went nuts. A lot of dogs who would have needed surgery and been walking around in pain for months were sent to physiotherapy. And a lot of people started to do sports with their animals again. Just like a human athlete, it was my job to prevent them getting injured and make sure they were in top condition.

“I’ve got a lot more equipment, because I don't have to move around all of the time. I’ve got floodlights which mean i can do evening appointments, i can do morning appointments in the winter when it is still dark. It just gave me loads more flexibility and also greater availability for people that work full time. Whereas at the vets I was fairly limited when I could see people. “

When asked why she thought she won the award, Katherine said: “ It’s about broadcasting yourself and what you can do. I would like to think the care I put into it, there are many easier ways to earn a living then be a vet physio and run your own business. It’s a very difficult challenging profession to get into and it's very niche, but it's really growing.

"So I think I'm in it because I really care about my patients and I really want to get results for them and the owner. It's all about animal welfare for me really, that's why I do it."

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