ABOUT

Compassionate, experienced, local

With 15 years experience and further qualifications in both veterinary ophthalmology and small animal surgery, Steven's advanced surgical skills and compassionate nature make him a safe pair of hands.

After graduation from Edinburgh in 2007, and having worked across the UK, Steven settled back in his native Northern Ireland in 2011. His greatest satisfaction comes when doing delicate procedures to an exactingly high standard, and is careful to make sure that each procedure is tailored to the both the pet's and owner's best interest. "I think it is essential to take time to get to know what is important for both the pet and owner - so that my advice and surgery can give the best outcome for everyone."

Steven has always loved nature, and the childhood nickname of "Eagle Eyes Baird" came from his close observation and attention to the world around him, spotting animals everywhere. A career in veterinary surgery was the perfect way to combine curiosity, diligence and compassion in caring for animals of all shapes and sizes.

His desire for improvement and excellence has guided his career - even when in rural Wales in mixed practice, he spent free time at the nearby specialist Eye Vet Clinic. He completed his certificate in ophthalmology in 2011 and has enjoyed seeing first opinion and referral eye cases since then. An active member of the BrAVO and VSSO communities (and founding member of the Pub Night CPD Sessions) Steven has always enjoyed research, learning and developing his skills. A 3 day course in Berlin in 2019 gave in-depth instruction on the delicate art of surgical cataract removal and advanced intra-ocular techniques. A BSAVA small animal surgery certificate followed in 2019 and this, combined with a busy soft-tissue caseload, has led to broad experience across all areas of soft tissue surgery.

Profession subscriptions

Member Royal College Veterinary Surgeons June 2007
British Association Veterinary Ophthalmologists (BrAVO) 2010
BVA (2005), BSAVA (2011) AVSPNI (2011), BBVA
(2017), VSSO (2018), AVSTS (2020), SVSTS (2021), ACVS (2021)

Qualifications

Degree (credit) RDSVS Edinburgh 2007
Certificate in Ophthalmology (merit) 2011
Certificate in Small Animal Surgery (distinction) 2019