Dr Sarah Heath

BVSc DipECAWBM(BM) PGCert Vet Ed CCAB FHEA FRSM FRCVS

Sarah qualified from Bristol and spent four years in mixed general practice before setting up Behavioural Referrals Veterinary Practice in 1992. In 2018 she was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in recognition of her work in establishing Behavioural Medicine as a veterinary discipline. She is an RCVS and EBVS® European Veterinary Specialist in Behavioural Medicine. Sarah is an External Lecturer in small animal behavioural medicine on the veterinary undergraduate courses at Liverpool University and also lectures at University of Lancashire School of Veterinary Medicine as well as veterinary schools in other countries. She is a Certificated Clinical Animal Behaviourist under the ASAB accreditation scheme. Sarah sees clinical cases across North West England. In 2002 she became a Founding Diplomate of the European College of Animal Welfare and Behavioural Medicine (formerly the ECVBM-CA) and served as President from 2002 to 2008. She served as Treasurer of the College from 2011 to 2017, the Chair of the Behavioural Medicine Credentialing Committee from 2017 to 2024 and is currently the Chair of the Behavioural Medicine subspecialty of the College. Sarah is the author of the Heath Model and promotes the concept of Comprehensive Veterinary Healthcare. She has a special interest in the interplay between emotional and physical illness in dogs and cats and particularly in the role of pain. She promotes the recognition of emotional health issues in companion animals and the role of the veterinary profession in safeguarding the welfare of animals in this context. Sarah lectures at home and abroad and is an author, co-author and editor of several books and papers.