Andy was born in Poole and grew up in Bournemouth. He was a pupil at St James Primary School, only a few yards away from the practice, and then Bournemouth School before training as a vet at Bristol University. Since qualifying in 2003 Andy has worked both in the UK and abroad treating an extraordinarily diverse variety of animals including horses, farm animals, dogs and cats as well as more exotic species ranging from parrots to chimpanzees. However it was always his intention to come back to the area that he grew up in with its beautiful coast, rivers and parks to establish his own veterinary clinic. So here it is!
Andy lives in Southbourne with his partner Emily (also a vet!), their children Freya and Thomas as well as their two dogs – mischievous collie Max and naughty terrier Milly. The association of the Matthew family with the area goes back several generations. Andy’s grandfather built his own house on Hengistbury Head in the early ’50s and worked locally as a teacher, whilst in 1982 his father and uncle established a firm of solicitors (Matthew and Matthew solicitors) in Southbourne which is still going strong to this day.
Andy introduced many of his veterinary colleagues to the area when studying at University and they were so enraptured by the beauty and ambience of the area that many of them chose to relocate to the area to start families – and join the Natterjacks family of course!
Andy’s main interest is in advanced surgery including orthopaedics and he accepts referrals from other vets for a range of procedures including complex fracture repairs and joint surgery, with a particular interest in elbow and knee problems. He also performs other complicated soft tissue procedures such as airway surgery in Brachycephalic breeds, Total Ear Canal Ablations (TECAs), hernias, anal gland removal, wound reconstruction/skin flaps and gastrointestinal procedures such as sub-total colectomies in cats.
A large part of Andy’s current role is as a consultant to the practice, overseeing the continued development and progression of the practice. The practice has grown phenomenally quickly since 2012 and has been one of the most successful new start-ups in the profession. However keeping pace with this growth in terms of management, recruitment, finance and clinical advancement has been a huge challenge for Andy personally and placed enormous pressure on the staff at times. This was one of the key factors for the practice teaming up with VetPartners in 2017 and with their help the practice has continued its ascent to the top of the profession with investment in all the latest diagnostic technologies such as video endoscopy, CT and advanced colour doppler ultrasound.
Whilst Andy is no longer able to commit time to routine check-ups or day-to-day problems, it should be of huge reassurance to his patients to know that he is still on hand to help when there is anything major that needs repairing! As part of his consultancy role, Andy will also help advise other vets on the management of other complex cases, particularly those that Andy had been involved with historically, though there are other members of the team who are better equipped to deal with many non-surgical problems.
When not at the practice you may find Andy fishing from his dinghy off Southbourne beach or going for a run along the seafront at dawn. At the other end of the day you may find him enjoying a local craft beer in one of the micropubs in the area! When time allows he enjoys hiking and finding tapas bars in the mountains of southern Spain as well exploring new places with the family in their campervan. Andy is also a keen and hopelessly optimistic follower of both Bournemouth and Southampton football teams.
