
We’re proud of our rich history in the area
We’ve been caring for the pets of Caithness in our current guise since 1965, when Donald McGregor took over the practice in Thurso from the previous owner, John Simison.
At that point there were four vets in Thurso and Wick, living a life similar to what you may have seen in All Creatures Great and Small.
Caithness is the kind of area where people put down longlasting roots and that has meant our team has seen relatively little turnover through the years.
That dedication to our profession was first championed by John Simison’s widow, Jean, who stayed on to supervise the running of the practice when Donald took the helm, happily helping out answering phones in the evenings and weekends long after her retirement.
Vets such as Frank Stephen and Sinclair Mason, who joined in 1973 and 1974 respectively, spent their entire careers with us and are still in the area today – forming a crucial bond to our heritage for the current generation of team members. You can hear their reminiscences on their careers in this fantastic interview on Wick Voices.


Life as a vet was very different when Donald, Frank and Sinclair were first starting out. Our team would work around the clock, with only one weekend out of three and one night a week for down time.
Most of our clients were farmers, with pets seen in the evenings. That meant lots of travelling, with 35-40k miles a year on call the norm – although our equine team may think that figure sounds pretty familiar!
Not all change has been for the better. Our more experienced team members remember the days when a farm visit could lead to a three course lunch, often accompanied by a dram.
Another food based tradition was Donald’s open invite to his team to join him and his wife for Sunday dinner at his house every week. The team was a lot smaller in those days!
We believe it’s important to remember where we’ve come from and to retain the relationships we’ve built with our community over the decades.
Over the years, the day to day of veterinary practice has changed, but our values and ethos have stayed the same.
We hope to continue passing our story on to the next generation of vets in the area while allowing them to write our next chapters!