1970 – Peter Snook joined Jimmy Fraser and Ken Pitman to develop the small animal (i.e. family pets) side of the practice, which was rapidly developing with the expansion of Milton Keynes. Premises were purchased at Stoke Road in Bletchley. This became a thriving small animal veterinary surgery and a veterinary nurse training centre.
1977 – Graham Richmond joined the practice (and became a partner in 1982), with the retirement of Jimmy Fraser. The practice became known as ‘Pitman, Snook & Richmond’. The small animal side of the practice continued to expand as the number of farms in the region decreased whilst the city of Milton Keynes continued to rapidly grow. Graham retired from the Partnership in December 2011.
1983 – Phillip Hanlon arrived in from Australia and joined the practice initially as an assistant. With the retirement of Ken Pitman in 1989, Philip Hanlon joined the partnership and the practice became known as ‘Snook, Richmond & Associates’.
1990’s – Philip Kilkenny, being a ‘local lad’ from Hanslope, initially gained work experience from the practice whilst being a student. He joined the practice after qualifying as a veterinary surgeon in 1992, shortly to be followed in December 1993 by his wife Debbie Kilkenny. Both Philip and Debbie became partners in 1995.
2000 – We had outgrown the premises at Stoke Road, so a decision was taken to search for a location to build a purpose-built veterinary hospital. Eventually land was purchased at our site in Walnut Tree, and following months of planning, building work finally commenced.
The first Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons approved Veterinary Hospital in Milton Keynes was officially opened in June 2000 by Ken Pitman and Edna Smith. The opening of the new hospital in addition to the retirement of Peter Snook from the Partnership seemed an appropriate time to rename the practice “Milton Keynes Veterinary Group”.
2006 – Rory Burke became a partner. Rory joined the practice as an assistant shortly after qualifying in 1996. He spent several years studying for the Certificate in Small Animal Surgery, which he achieved in 2005.
2010 – Our Walnut Tree hospital became the veterinary nurse training centre for the practice, with Stoke Road still acting as one of our branch surgeries.
2012 – Andre Cilliers became a partner. Andre joined us in 2002, after qualifying as a veterinary surgeon in South Africa. He developed an interest in medical cases and achieved the GP Certificate in Small Animal Medicine in 2006.
2015 – Milton Keynes Veterinary Group Partnership converted to a Limited Company with our Partners becoming Directors
2021 – Sadly we lost Director Philip Kilkenny. Philip was a huge part of the practice and spent his career caring for pets at MKVG. His sudden death was a shock to everyone and he is missed every day by his colleagues and friends, as well as our clients and their pets.
2023 – Vickie Roberts became a Director. Part of the practice for many years, Vickie is a qualified Veterinary Nurse and the Practice Manager for the group, and forms a key part of our management team
Today, we currently work out of four branch surgeries, in addition to the RCVS approved Veterinary Hospital at Walnut Tree.
