Dr Tom Greensmith
BVetMed MVetMed DipACVECC DipECVECC FHEA MRCVS RCVS Recognised Specialist in Emergency and Critical Care
Senior Lecturer in Emergency and Critical Care
Department: Clinical Science and Services
Campus: Hawkshead
Clinical Groups: Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care
Tom graduated from the RVC in 2010 and, after a one year internship at Langford Veterinary Services and four years in a busy emergency service in Cardiff, came back to the RVC before completing his residency and becoming a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care in 2018. Tom became our Cardiothoracic Perfusion Fellow in October 2018, before becoming a lecturer in Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care in 2019. Tom became a Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical care and an RCVS recognised specialist in the field in 2021, as well as gaining his FHEA status the same year.
Tom achieved his Bachelor's degree in veterinary medicine from the ·¬ÇÑapp in 2010. Following graduation, he spent several years in a busy emergency centre in Cardiff before completing a rotating internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery at Langford Veterinary Services in 2013. After another few years in emergency practice, he completed his residency in Emergency and Critical Care in 2018, achieving a Master's degree in veterinary medicine and becoming a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care. In October 2018 Tom became the Cardiothoracic Perfusion Fellow at the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals, RVC before becoming a lecturer in Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care in 2019. Tom became a Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care in 2021, as well as being awarded RCVS Specialist status the same year. He also completed a post-graduate certificate in Veterinary Education and obtained his FHEA status in 2021. Tom has an active role in providing clinical perfusion (using a cardiopulmonary bypass machine) for patients undergoing complex open heart surgery in addition to other extracorporeal therapies, including dialysis and therapeutic plasma exchange.
Cook, S., Greensmith, T., Humm, K. (2021), Successful management of aspiration pneumopathy without antimicrobial agents: 14 dogs (2014-2021). Journal of Small Animal Practice. 62(12):1108-1113.
Greensmith, T.D., Chan D.L., (2021), Audit of provision of nutritional support to mechanically ventilated dogs and cats. Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, 31(3):387-395.
Greensmith T., Cook, S. (2021), Extracorporeal therapies in veterinary medicine: what is currently performed in the UK? In Practice. 43(2):71-76
Cook S., Greensmith T. (2020), Supporting the intoxicated patient: toxicants affecting the gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary systems. In Practice. 42:384-393. doi: 10.1136/inp.m3152
Humm K., Greensmith T. (2019), Intoxication in dogs and cats: a basic approach to decontamination. In Practice. 41:301-308.
Birkbeck, R., Greensmith, T., Humm, K., Tinson, E. (2019), Haemoabdomen due to suspected anaphylaxis in four dogs. Veterinary Record Case Reports 7: e000734. doi: 10.1136/vetreccr-2018-000734
Greensmith, T. D. and Cortellini, S. (2018), Successful treatment of canine acute respiratory distress syndrome secondary to inhalant toxin exposure. Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, 28:469-475. doi:
Greensmith T. D., et al. (2013), Validation of a point-of-care creatinine analyer in dogs in an ICU setting. Abstracts from the International Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Symposium and the European Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society Annual Congress. Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, 23(s1):S24–25. doi:10.1111/vec.12088
Tom's teaching activities centre on post-graduate education of the Emergency and Critical Care Specialists-in-training, along with ad hoc teaching and seminars provided to other clinical departments. Tom's primary role in undergraduate teaching is that of acid base analysis, and he also has an active role in nurse education being the deputy module leader for systems based critical care nursing on the Diploma of Advanced Veterinary Nursing (ECC).
Tom's primary clinical interests involve extracorporeal therapies such as cardiopulmonary bypass and continuous renal replacement therapy (dialysis, therapeutic plasma exchange). From 2018 until 2024 he was the clinical lead for acute post-operative cardiothoracic critical care. Tom is a senior member of the extracorporeal therapies programme and has specific clinical interest in advanced blood gas and acid-base disorders, electrolyte disturbances, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome and mechanical ventilation. Tom strongly advocates the "book-to-bedside" approach of direct application of physiologic principles to the clinical patient especially in the context of transvascular fluid dynamics and the endothelial glycocalyx.