About Us

The Craighall Park Animal Hospital was opened in 1978 by Dr. Gerald Scott-Lyon and his wife Pedie. The corner of Buckingham and Clarence Avenue had been an empty stand next door to Larry’s Motors for many years. The practice opened as a one-man practice with one kennelman to help. On the first day that the practice opened, three people came to have a look around and one consultation was seen. A great first day the owners thought. Consultation hours at the time were from 7:30 to 10:00, after which all surgical procedures were done. Thereafter, consultations opened again from 15:00 to 18:00. If there were any after hour emergencies, clients would ring the doorbell as Gerald and Pedie lived upstairs for several years. Planet Pets as we know it now, used to be their home and Pedie would often walk into her kitchen and find a stranger with an ailing pet by their side. Life felt a lot simpler in those days…

Dr. Gerald Scott-Lyon was joined by Dr. Mark Verseput, when the Parkhurst Veterinary Clinic was opened in 1992 as a branch practice to Craighall Park Animal Hospital. This practice continued to be very successful until 2006 when it doors closed. A lot of the Parkhurst properties were being renovated from bigger family homes to homes with no gardens.

The Craighall Veterinary Hospital then functioned as its own entity and slowly as the years passed by, attracted more veterinarians and veterinary nurses, with the staff expanding quite substantially to what it had originally started out as. The Planet Pets retail shop was opened in 2006 and is the go to shop in the area for nutritional foods and pet accessories.

Sadly, Dr. Gerald Scott-Lyon passed away on the 16th of October 2021. The practice was indeed one of his biggest achievements.

Over the years, the practice has grown from strength to strength and has always held pets and their owners in it highest regard.