Whether you are a pet owner, an animal lover, a newly qualified vet, a seasoned vet, or a veterinary professional looking for a community of support, social media is a growing source of information and a valuable resource. Today we are going to look at the top UK veterinary influencers I think you should be following…

Table of contents

James Greenwood (@drjamesgreenwood) – Vet, Welfare Advocate, and Presenter

James graduated from Bristol University in 2007. He is a practising veterinary surgeon and TV animal expert. James was the resident vet on CBBC’s The Pets Factor, and ITV’s The Pet Show.  He has also made regular appearances on Blue Peter, the Dengineeres, Top Class, and BBC1’s Morning Live.

James is a vocal advocate for animal welfare and conservation. With video content online, he shows support for many animal welfare organisations such as “Compassion in World Farming”, “Brooke, Action for Working Horses and Donkeys” and “Spana” to name a few. Via his role at BBC1’s Morning Live, James advocates for animal welfare strongly dealing with topics on ear cropping, animal rescues, diet, disability and pets, pet bereavement and the cost of living crisis for pet owners as well as many more important hot topics highlighting how owners can improve the quality of life of their beloved pets.

James writes for various journals and magazines; has appeared at multiple festivals; and worked on high-profile campaigns such as the RSPCA’s “Adoptober “month, MSD tick awareness and the annual James Wellbeloved “Scruffts” dog show. His first book “For the Love of Animals: Stories from my life as a vet” was published in July 2023.

James, who is now appointed the pet care expert at Forth Glade Pet Food Company, cares deeply for our pets’ health and welfare. And he is a passionate advocate for the veterinary profession, mental health awareness and LGBTQ equality. 

Sean McCormack (@thatvetsean) – Vet, Conservationist, Welfare Advocate, and Presenter

Sean graduated from Dublin University in 2010. He is now the head vet at tails.com which allows him more time to focus on conservation and welfare issues, a passion of his. 

Sean’s passion for conservation, as a wildlife and veterinary TV presenter, also led to him founding and chairing Ealing Wildlife Group. The community group works closely with the local Council to safeguard and improve habitats for nature and urban wildlife species; such as bats, great crested newts, hedgehogs, barn owls and peregrine falcons. They focus on community outreach and education, lead bat walks and volunteer habitat management days, and organise a highly successful outdoor wildlife photography exhibition. Sean also hosts a wildlife podcast aptly named “Sean’s Wildlife Podcast” with many episodes discussing wildlife, life as a vet, working with animals and animal welfare issues, sustainability, and our connections to nature. 

Sean’s strong online presence is focused on advocating for animal welfare, wildlife health and pet owner education. He is a published author, having written a canine nutrition book in 2019. And he is a vet columnist as well as a working vet and wildlife presenter. He also has a significant radio presence spreading the word on veterinary topics to the public. 

Rory Cowlam (@rorythevet) – Vet, Welfare Advocate and Presenter

Rory graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in July 2015. And he completed a postgraduate certificate in surgery in 2018. This gave him skills in a vast range of soft tissue surgery and basic orthopaedics.

Rory is otherwise known as Rory the Vet, a vet, writer, and TV presenter. Starting out in TV on The Pets Factor, Rory has also worked as the resident vet for Blue Peter. Still working in clinical practice, whilst enjoying work in the media, Rory was also involved in the veterinary app “VidiVet” alongside Ben Sweeny, aiming to provide professional guidance to pet owners worried about their pets whilst taking the workload off of busy, struggling colleagues in practice. Rory is a best-selling author with his book, “The Secret Life of A Vet” which was released in 2020. The book discusses mental health issues and the challenges of working in the veterinary profession. 

Known for his strong stance on sustainability and animal welfare Rory is an ambassador for the RSPCA, Streetvet (A charity supporting homeless people reach veterinary care, who would otherwise go without), and he works closely with Dogs Trust.

Cat the Vet – Vet and Animal Welfare Advocate

Cat is an experienced vet who qualified from the University of Bristol in 2003, and was one of our bloggers here at VetHelpDirect! She has a significant social media presence as ‘Cat the Vet’. She is a strong and trusted voice as an advocate for the veterinary profession and animal welfare. Working regularly with companies on their campaigns, Cat produces easy-to-understand informative content, including blogs, social media posts and videos on topics educating pet owners and advocating excellent welfare and responsible ownership.

Cat has worked on many campaigns to advocate health and animal welfare; including Elanco’s Wormwise campaign, Lintbell’s ‘Pupnic’ campaign, Merial’s – Parasite Action campaign and an Agria Pet Insurance campaign. Cat has also written for the media, magazines, veterinary publications, and journals. 

Cats content is unique and packed full of tips for pet owners to ensure the welfare of their pets. She tackles difficult concepts and often inflammatory subjects all in the name of public education. 

Ben The Vet (@ben.thevet) – Vet and Animal Welfare Advocate

Dr Ben Simpson-Vernon graduated from Cambridge University in 2015 with an additional masters degree in pathology after intercalating.  Ben is a practising vet, freelance writer and social media advocate for animal welfare and the profession. 

Ben shares videos and writes sharable informative content on social media to educate pet owners on animal welfare. He also writes for the media and has been published in veterinary journals and magazines. Ben also writes a blog site known as vetrealitycheck.wordpress.com where he details his frustration at the alarmingly high rate of mental health issues and suicide within the veterinary profession and the preventable animal welfare problems he sees in practice. He is concerned about the damaging abundance of misinformation available to pet owners by unreliable sources about the veterinary industry itself but also about caring for their pets. Ben is clearly passionate about mental health care in the veterinary profession and also pet owner education to improve animal welfare standards. 

Fabian Rivers (@dreadyvet) – Vet, Welfare advocate and Presenter

Fabian Rivers, also known online as “The Dready Vet”, works in clinical practice as an exotics vet after graduating in 2018 from the University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences. In 2020, Fabian was awarded The British Veterinary Association (BVA) Young Vet of the Year award for his outstanding work in the veterinary field. He is also one of the vets who worked on the BBC’s Pets Factor. And he presented on BBC3’s ‘Britain’s Puppy Boom’ documentary. Fabian is incredibly passionate about his work and often shares the highs and lows of what it means to be a vet on his social media channels. 

The strengths and the weaknesses of social media

Social media is an excellent way to stay informed about animal health and learn more about pet care. From informative videos and blog posts, these influencers are part of a thriving online community dedicated to animal welfare and education. Although social media and the influencers we have discussed are valuable resources, they are not a replacement for proper medical advice. If you have any concerns about your pet, contact your vet who will be able to advise you appropriately. 

And are there any we’ve missed out? Let us know!

Find out even more in this blog: What influencers do vets follow?

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