Cardiology
If your pet is suspected to have a heart condition, they will be referred to see our cardiology service. We know the possibility of a heart condition can be a real worry, but the first step is a thorough evaluation and the correct diagnosis.
Chris Linney heads the cardiology service at Paragon Veterinary Referrals.
We are the only specialist-led cardiology team in Yorkshire.
Under the guidance of our highly-experienced team, your pet will receive the highest standard of diagnosis and care.
We treat cats and dogs for a range of heart conditions and related issues:
- Heart murmurs
- Breathing problems
- Collapsing episodes
- Exercise intolerance
- Abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias)
- Congenital heart conditions such as patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)and pulmonic stenosis
- Diseases involving the heart sac (pericardium)
Your initial consultation will usually last from 20 to 60 minutes, where we will take a thorough history and examine your pet. We will always discuss potential costs, outcomes and possible risks.
Your pet will usually need to stay with us for a few hours, but sometimes overnight, for investigation and treatment after the consultation. We have extensive hospitalisation facilities, including an Intensive Care Unit, to care for your pet if they do need to stay with us.
Minimally-invasive procedures
We offer a range of minimally-invasive cardiac procedures and have invested £145,000 in state-of-the-art ultrasound equipment and operating facilities to support our interventional cardiology service.
Our veterinary cardiology specialist Chris Linney is one of the most respected veterinary cardiologists in his field and has specialised qualifications in interventional cardiology. and
Treatments we offer include:
- Balloon catheter dilation to treat valvular pulmonic stenosis and options such as stenting
- Closure of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) using interventional or surgical techniques
- Fitting and monitoring pacemakers for abnormal, slow rhythms
- Fitting Holter monitors (24-hour ECG) for diagnosis and monitoring of arrhythmias
- Management of congestive heart failure
Drainage and management of pericardial disease:
Cardiology Team
Chris Linney
BVSc MSc CertAVP(VC) DipECVIM CA (Cardiology) MRCVS
Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Companion Animals)
RCVS Specialist in Veterinary Cardiology
Head of Cardiology
Chris is both an RCVS Specialist and a European Specialist in Small Animal Cardiology and sees both medical and surgical cardiology cases.
Chris graduated with Honours from the University of Liverpool in 2007 and following 2 years in small animal practice in Lincolnshire, returned there to complete further specialist cardiology training. This included an internship and three-year residency in Cardiology before being promoted to the position of Lecturer in Cardiology. Chris has also undertaken further training in human interventional cardiology and is the first veterinary cardiology specialist to hold a Master of Science in the subject.
Having already developed the busiest interventional cardiology service (key-hole surgery) in the UK during his 5 years at Willows Veterinary Centre & Referral Service in the Midlands, Chris moved to Yorkshire and joined the Paragon team in 2021 where he is the clinical lead and Head of the Cardiology team.
Chris loves developing patient-vet and owner-vet bonds and believes it is the key to successfully caring for his cardiology patients. He has a keen interest in congenital heart disease and performing cardiac catheterisation procedures for correction of heart defects. Due to the excellent reputation of the cardiology service amongst fellow cardiologists and primary practice vets, Chris is one of the most experienced minimally invasive cardiologists in the UK and Europe.
He has close links with the charity Animals Asia in Chengdu, China and is involved with investigating heart disease in rescued moon bears from the bile-farming trade and helping to improve their health and general well-being. Chris is also an avid instructor in cardiology to both undergraduate students and vets in practice, he has presented and lectured around the globe and loves to share his passion for cardiology with others.
Julie Kavanagh
MVB MVetMed Dip ACVIM (Cardiology) MRCVS
Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Cardiology)
Cardiology Clinician
Julie qualified from University College Dublin in 2012 and worked in first opinion small animal practice for the following 2 years. She then began a rotating internship, followed by a cardiology internship at Davies Veterinary Specialists in Hertfordshire, before embarking on a cardiology residency at the Royal Veterinary College. Julie obtained the ACVIM diploma in Cardiology in 2019 and then moved to her homeland of Northern Ireland to set up the first cardiology specialist service in the country.
Julie has a particular interest in congenital heart disease and can perform advanced interventional procedures.
Alex Brown
DVM MRCVS
Cardiology Intern
Alex graduated in 2021 from Trakia University in Bulgaria, before returning to the UK to work in general practice. Over the following two years he gained experience in all areas of clinical practice and began developing his love for cardiology. Alex moved to Paragon in 2023, completing the rotating internship before joining the cardiology team in 2024. He is passionate about all areas of cardiology both medical and interventional, and aims to continue his cardiology journey with a residency in the near future.
