Time is running out for you to get your nominations in for our Kingston's best vet competition.

With just two more weeks to go, our latest featured vet is Peter Melville of Aspen Veterinary Surgery in Tolworth. He has been nominated by Sarah Coleman who said: "He is very caring and never makes you feel like you're wasting his time. He explains things fully and we always leave feeling he is doing all he can for our pet."

Peter, 46, who qualified in Perth, Australia, is an ambitious businessman as well as a full-time vet. He owns in partnership three veterinary practices including Tolworth's Aspen surgery. "It's all a bit of a challenge at the moment, especially as we're still sorting out the new practice in Dorset and we've been so busy," he said.

Peter took over the Aspen Surgery 15 years ago after working as a locum in East Molesey for a year. He said: "I had always wanted to own my own practice, and I actually took over this one in Tolworth at the same time as I got married. Nothing like tying yourself down in one go."

After so long in the same practice Peter has certainly seen his fair share of strange and unusual cases, including a pregnant monkey and a naughty cat.

"The weirdest case I've ever had is performing a Caesarean on a marmoset monkey, and recently we had a cat brought in who had wedged its head into a glass jar.

"The glass had broken, leaving her with just the rim of the jar around her neck like a jagged collar. We had to anaesthetise her before we could pull her head free," he said.

Peter blames his childhood ambition to be a vet on one particular incident growing up with his pet dog.

He said: "We had dogs and cats in our family but there was one dog who broke two of its legs in an accident.

"The vet who treated it was a big influence on me."

It certainly looks as though Peter has been a big influence on his own family. "I have three daughters, and they all sit in and watch a few of my operations. The youngest in particular is quite keen I think and not put off by the blood."

The vet with the most votes from Kingston Guardian readers will win the title Kingston's Best Vet.

Our nominated vet from last week, Rob Willingham, is certainly attracting plenty of votes, but you have until November 13 to vote for your favourite vet or nominate a different one.