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FHB is retiring

RedFraggle

Warren Veteran
From October FHB won't be practicing anymore but will remain in a consulatnacy capacity at Crab Lane vets. Sad news. She's done so much for Scarlet. We'll continue to go there for madam and see Ruth who did Scarlet's last dental due to FHB being in hospital.
 
It is indeed sad news though a very well earnt retirement. She told me at the beginning of the year, I think she was telling everyone individually as she saw them. I got the impression it was the first week she was telling people. I'm very relieved to see that she will still be involved with the practice in a consultancy basis. I had believed that her husband was retiring at the same time but the website doesn't say so, which hopefully means when he's doing OOH her input is easily available. :D

We've just two vaccinations now before she retires. Well, retires from consultations.. she will be writing books, fighting the cause for rabbits etc :D
 
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From October FHB won't be practicing anymore but will remain in a consulatnacy capacity at Crab Lane vets. Sad news. She's done so much for Scarlet. We'll continue to go there for madam and see Ruth who did Scarlet's last dental due to FHB being in hospital.

Scarlet will still be in extremely good hands. I will continue doing the 20 mile trip there. When FHB told me the news I said, "If Ruth leaves as well I really will cry!" :oops::oops:
 
From speaking to FHB today it sounds like her input will still be very available at the surgery and she will consulting for complex cases and in some instances be doing the surgery. It sounds less like 'retirement' but doing less hours and channelling her energies into the work that requires her specialist knowledge rather than routine dentals, neutering, vaccinations etc. The 'retirement' is the beginning of October. I wasn't sure if we had 6 weeks left to ask silly questions or 10... it's about 6:(

It must be extremely hard to properly retire when your work means so much to you.
 
So, I heard today whilst picking up Esme that FHB's retirement is 1st October... as she isn't in next week that means she has only 7 consult days left.... it's come round awfully quickly :(
 
I was there yesterday too at midday to pick up Scarlet. Did you have a bunny sweater on and two buns with you (in separate carriers).
Frances managed to get her most pesky tooth out!
 
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I was there yesterday too at midday to pick up Scarlet. Did you have a bunny sweater on and two buns with you (in separate carriers).
Frances managed to get her most pesky tooth out!

No, we weren't consulting with FHB yesterday just collecting a very stroppy Esme late afternoon.

Glad it went well with Scarlet, I think she will have spent her inpatient stay listening to Esme thumping :oops: With the occasional lunge for good measure. :oops::oops:
 
Well I was there for possibly my last consultation with FHB (unless anybody becomes a 'complex case') and there were some others I see regularly in the waiting room with bunnies... one couple had with them the biggest bouquet of flowers I've ever seen:love::love:

:( It's going to take a bit of getting used to a new routine of booking with the others and at random times of day instead of the 2 mornings I'm used to.
 
Soo... twenty months down the line!!! FHB really is retiring this time. :cry: According to her website she is retiring 30 June... not many consultation days to go :(

Just a bit of background for anyone who uses the practice: Ruth will be back in the last week of June though will be covering odd days of holiday during June before she is back properly. Ruth will not be doing weekends and OOHs on her return, her working days will be Monday and Tuesday. Rosie will be staying, which I'm seeing as really good as she was brilliant with Anarchy, I couldn't have asked for more. So we will have Ruth p/t, Heather f/t and Jenny is also good with rabbits and Rosie (Rosie has been on some of FHB's CPDs) ... so still a 'rabbit savvy practice' ... but it will be hard getting used to FHB having retired (for real this time!).
 
Do you reckon she'll still be in the background for the other vets to ask questions? Or will that just be it?
I've never seen Rosie, but always try to see Heather now. I've also seen Jenny once and was also impressed with her - she did a really thorough examination of Fudge and nailed the diagnosis which was quite an odd one and not at all what I was expecting.
 
Do you reckon she'll still be in the background for the other vets to ask questions? Or will that just be it?
I've never seen Rosie, but always try to see Heather now. I've also seen Jenny once and was also impressed with her - she did a really thorough examination of Fudge and nailed the diagnosis which was quite an odd one and not at all what I was expecting.

I'm really not sure, re Frances' input. I'd like to think she will be available, and I think she would like to be involved as I know she's finding the idea of stepping down really difficult. My instinct is, given that Frances isn't 'retiring' in the sense that we all understand retirement ie she's very involved with the writing up of research papers, info on the website etc.. I think for the really complex stuff/brainstorming she will be available. .. but that's just guesswork. It's come round really quickly this time :(
 
I'd have thought that if she is retiring 'from practice' it may well be that they're actually selling the practice on, that would be the normal thing to do otherwise you'd still be involved in the management of the practice and hence not really retiring. I do hope that Frances will continue to develop her research and information on the website, it's fascinating and so useful, and continues to develop our understanding and the advancement of rabbit medicine and indeed welfare!
 
I'd have thought that if she is retiring 'from practice' it may well be that they're actually selling the practice on, that would be the normal thing to do otherwise you'd still be involved in the management of the practice and hence not really retiring. I do hope that Frances will continue to develop her research and information on the website, it's fascinating and so useful, and continues to develop our understanding and the advancement of rabbit medicine and indeed welfare!

Without doubt that is the intention, this is from the website:
"Frances is retiring from practice completely in 2016. In her retirement, she hopes to concentrate on continuing to provide free information about diseases of pet rabbits. By slowly adding articles and illustrations, as well as updating existing ones, it is hoped that the Veterinary Information section of this website will prove to be a valuable resource for vets, veterinary nurses and rabbit owners"

She keeps saying she needs 36 hours in a day to complete all the missions she has for rabbit education/information/welfare etc so I suspect she will be more active rather than less for a good while at least when she's freed up some time from 'retiring from practice'. I get a strong impression they handed over management of the practice first time they 'retired' and the practice name change happened.
 
Yey! This is the clarification [quoted from Facebook]:

....thank you for your kind words. I won't bore you with the health problems that have forced me to retire. If all goes to plan, the practice will belong to Allison Gleadhill on July 1st and Nigel and I will be available to offer advice on difficult cases. I will miss the surgery- abscesses and intestinal obstructions are very satisfactory when they recover. At least I will have more time to update my website, write some papers and video the wild rabbits that live in my field....and visit my children and grandchildren of course.

So Nigel and Frances will be available to advise on difficult cases. .... Who's going to take the P out of me when Nigel retires? :(
 
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Ahh Frances, the eternal non retirer! She certainly deserves it but scary nonetheless. It was much worse for me the first time round as no other vet would have understood Noodley like she did. For some reason I'm gutted to hear Allison will own the practice ...she is not rabbity inclined :(
 
Ahh Frances, the eternal non retirer! She certainly deserves it but scary nonetheless. It was much worse for me the first time round as no other vet would have understood Noodley like she did. For some reason I'm gutted to hear Allison will own the practice ...she is not rabbity inclined :(

Nods quietly. Though as a person I have a lot of respect for her, she's just not a 'rabbit person'. I had wondered if Ruth or Heather might become partners, but it seems not on the cards... However, I'm trying to stay optimistic as I'm under the impression she has been managing the practice for the last 2 - 3 years so I'm hoping things won't change dramatically. I'm hoping if enough of the 'rabbit people' keep going there then there will still be a good core of rabbit knowledge/focus etc.
 
Do you remember the old days, when the waiting room was always full of rabbits:love: that had often travelled far & wide?

I sometimes think about trying the vet in Clitheroe who has been on rabbit CPD. Whether they have own OOH might swing it for me. Joey & Mouse travel badly & its a long way to go for vaccs.
 
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