Meet the Referrals Team
Our Animal Trust teams are what make our practices and hospitals special. They are dedicated to our mission to provide access to affordable, compassionate, and quality care. Putting pets before profit.
Our referral services are provided by experienced and talented vets and nurses located at our practices throughout the UK. This means that your pets can be seen at the most convenient location possible for many of our services. More complex cases will be directed to our 24/7 hospitals in Ellesmere Port, Bolton and Shrewsbury, where our Advanced Practitioners and residency-trained vets are based, learn more about them below.
Dr James Portsmouth
BVSc BSAVA PGCertSAS PGCertVBM MRCVS | Referral Principal Vet
James graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2013 and worked for 4 years in mixed practice in North Wales and Shropshire, before joining Animal Trust in 2017 as the first vet employed at the newly opened Ellesmere Port practice.
During his time with Animal Trust, initially as Lead Vet and later Area Principal Vet for Merseyside and North Wales, James developed a keen interest in surgery. He completed the BSAVA Certificate in Small Animal Surgery in 2021 and was later granted RCVS Advanced Practitioner Status. After leaving Animal Trust for a brief stint as a Veterinary Director in Hong Kong, and then Surgical Clinician in a UK referral hospital, James returned to Animal Trust as Referral Principal Vet, managing and developing our growing referral service. In 2024, he completed the postgraduate Certificate in Veterinary Business Management.
James' main clinical interests are in fracture management, oncology and reconstructive surgery, and routine orthopaedic surgery.
Away from work, James sits on the Board of Directors for the Veterinary Management Group, and as a Trustee for his local rugby club, for which he still regularly plays for the 1st XV. He is often accompanied at work by his two Labradors, Ruby and Quill, whilst Goose the cat reluctantly stays at home.
Dr Dylan Payne
Residency Trained Veterinary Surgeon BVMedSci (Hons) BVMBVS (Hons) PgCertVPS Cert AVP (GSAS) MRCVS DipECVS | Referral Surgery Clinician
Dylan is an RCVS and EBVS European Specialist in Small Animal Surgery. Dylan graduated from the University of Nottingham with honours in 2013, completing an RCVS Certificate in Small Animal Surgery before moving on to complete an internship and residency in small animal surgery at a highly respected specialist referral centre. He subsequently passed his board certifying examinations to become a diplomate of the European Board of Veterinary Specialists as a specialist in small animal surgery.
Dylan performs a wide variety of advanced soft tissue and orthopaedic procedures and brings a wealth of surgical expertise to our team, allowing owners to access a wide range of quality, referral-level surgical procedures at an affordable price. Dylan is based at the 24/7 Ellesmere Port Hospital, meaning additional surgical services such as arthroscopy and thoracic surgery will now be available to pet owners.
Dr Amber Mahon
BVSc CertAVP(SAM) MRCVS
Amber graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2016 and initially stayed in Liverpool, working in both general practice and for an emergency out-of-hours service. In 2021, she joined Animal Trust, where she treats our sickest inpatients, performs diagnostic imaging and treats emergencies as part of the Pet A&E service.
Amber completed her certificate in Small Animal Medicine in 2023. She enjoys all aspects of internal medicine but has a particular interest in critical care and is currently undertaking a further qualification in emergency medicine.
Outside of work, Amber enjoys gardening and spending time with her many rescue animals - dogs, cats, ferrets, chickens, ducks and goats!
Dr Edward Allsop
BVSc ESVPS GPCertSAS MRCVS
Edward graduated from Liverpool Vet School in 2006 and has dedicated much of his career to serving the Shropshire area. In 2013, he obtained the ESVPS General Practitioner Certificate in Small Animal Surgery, further developing his expertise in advanced procedures.
He joined Animal Trust in 2016 as Lead Surgeon at Bolton, where he expanded the range of complex surgical services available to clients. With the opening of the Shrewsbury branch, Edward brought his surgical skills closer to home and completed the Biomedtrix certification for Total Hip Replacement in 2017. Over eight years as lead surgeon, he has successfully managed a wide range of complex surgical cases, with a focus on orthopaedic surgery and fracture repair, as well as advanced soft tissue procedures.
After a brief period at an independent referral centre in early 2024, Edward returned to Animal Trust Shrewsbury to continue his passion for providing high-quality surgical care.
Away from work, Edward leads a busy family life and often finds himself chauffeuring his children to various after-school activities. He also coaches his son's football team. In his spare time, he enjoys gardening, DIY projects, and is currently restoring a vintage tractor.
