Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Dedicated vet Rob always looked on bright side of life
Animal treatment pioneer hugely respected
Vet Rob Thomas was a knight in shining armour for many dog and cat owners whose pets he treated and saved during his remarkable 40-year career in practice in Canterbury.
He combined an affable, cheery character with a breadth of knowledge and skill.
But just two years after his well-earned retirement, he was diagnosed with a very rare cancer, with doctors giving him only six months to live.
His family says his strength and persistence resisted the grim prognosis for three and a half years, until his death aged 71 in a London hospital last month with his wife Madeleine at his side.
He is remembered with huge affection and respect by his former colleagues at the Barton Veterinary Surgery and the thousands of pet owners whose animals benefited from his care.
He especially developed a pioneering approach to treating heart conditions in young dogs and cats, using a scanner to diagnose problems and then operating on them.
Older cats with thyroid problems also benefited from the radio iodine treatment he developed to save them from longterm medication.
Rob went on to found the British Veterinary Cardiology Society and won national awards for his academic papers.
He later received the Melton Award for Meritorious Service from the British Small Animal Veterinary Association.
But he was also very modest about his achievements and rarely mentioned them, said Madeleine, who is a retired GP.
Rob grew up in Canterbury and went to Dover College
before studying veterinary science at Bristol University.
He first job was on the Channel Island of Guernsey, but he then saw an opportunity to return and work in his home city.
Rob and Madeleine, who lives in St Lawrence Forstal in the city, had been together for 17 years but only married last year.
The couple shared a love of gardening, narrow boating and sailing. Rob was a talented dinghy sailor and won trophies at Tankerton Bay Sailing Club,
where he was a member.
“He loved nothing better than hurtling towards the sunset with the wind behind him and a full sail,” said Madeleine.
He leaves a son, stepson and his beloved rescue dog Mr Tober.
His funeral at Barham Crematorium on September 3 was attended by more than 80 loved ones and concluded with Monty Python’s ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’ which friends say summed up his humour and attitude.