Dr James Guthrie is one of the most highly qualified veterinarians in Europe and the only veterinarian in the UK to be a diplomate in both small animal surgery (orthopaedics, soft tissue and neurosurgery) and canine sports medicine and rehabilitation.

James practices as an Orthopaedic Surgeon at Fitzpatrick Referrals and his clinical passion is to maximise patient outcomes with minimally invasive surgery coupled with regenerative medicine and rehabilitation therapies.

James graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2010 and was awarded as the best student of his class in veterinary orthopaedics. He then completed a one-year rotating internship at Northwest Surgeons; a veterinary referral hospital in Cheshire. Following this, he spent two years working in a small animal hospital in Berkshire where he obtained the RCVS Advanced Veterinary Practice Certificate in Small Animal Surgery.

In 2013, James joined Fitzpatrick Referrals as a duty vet and completed a one-year surgical internship. Following this, James stayed at Fitzpatrick Referrals to pursue his goal of becoming a specialist surgeon and completed a three-year residency programme in small animal surgery in connection with the VRCC.

James became a diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2018, and shortly afterwards was recognised as a specialist in small animal surgery by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

On the day James completed his surgical residency he began a residency in canine sports medicine and rehabilitation. James completed the residency and became a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation in 2021. In 2021, he also became certified as a canine rehabilitation therapist by the Canine Rehabilitation Institute. James became a diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation in 2022.

James is involved with the training of residents and interns at Fitzpatrick Referrals to help develop the specialist vets of the future. He is also a guest lecturer and clinical instruction mentor for the veterinary students at the University of Surrey. James has published multiple research papers and presented his findings at international conferences. James is Education Co-chair of the British Veterinary Orthopaedic Association and on the Examination Committee of the European College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation.