The goal of the Surgery Department at the Animal Cancer and Imaging Center is to provide the highest quality of care available for surgical patients.  We strive to give every patient comprehensive anesthetic, surgical, and postoperative care and to do so in an atmosphere of excellence and compassion.  As part of ACIC, a strong focus of our surgical department is surgical oncology.   Peri-operative pain management is a critical focus for the surgical team at ACIC.

  Dr. Richard Walshaw
 Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons

We are exceptionally proud to announce that Dr. Richard Walshaw has joined the staff of the Animal Cancer & Imaging Center as Chief of Surgical Oncology.  Dr. Walshaw is originally from England and a graduate of the University of Glasgow School of Veterinary Medicine.  He completed a surgical residency in 1976 at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine and was board certified by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 1980.   He served as Professor of Small Animal Surgery at Michigan State University from 1976 until 2002.   From there, he moved to Prince Edward Island, Canada and was on staff as Professor of Companion Animal Surgery at the Atlantic Veterinary College (University of Prince Edward Island).  Dr. Walshaw has the prestigious distinction of being a professor emeritus, Michigan State University.  Dr. Walshaw’s interest and expertise in oncologic surgery has spanned over 2 decades and as a result he is internationally known as one of the leading oncologic and soft tissue surgeons in North America.  He has also been extensively involved in the practice of medical oncology for over 25 years.  Dr. Walshaw has been responsible for the training and resultant board certification of countless surgical residents, including many of the board certified surgeons in Michigan.

In addition to his many publications in the area of vascular and reconstructive surgery, he has published numerous articles relating to cancer including a landmark paper co-authored with Dr. Joyce Obradovich about prostate cancer in dogs that initiated her career in veterinary oncology.  It was Dr. Walshaw who diagnosed and treated Dr. Obradovich’s dog for lymphosarcoma while she was a veterinary student at MSU.   Dr. Walshaw was her first oncology mentor and played a pivotal role in her decision to pursue a career in veterinary oncology.   

At ACIC, Dr. Walshaw has put together an experienced, well trained surgical staff of four veterinary technicians:  Susan Holland, LVT-VTS (Anesthesia), Joe DeBoe (Surgical, CT, and Clinical Trials Technician), Taylor Denton, LVT (Surgical/Patient care technician; Director of Blood Bank), Debbie Fisher, LVT (Surgical/Patient care technician; Blood Bank Assistant) and offers state of the art surgical monitoring, surgical equipment, and pain management. 

Debbie Fisher, L.V.T

Debbie graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Veterinary Technology. She previously earned a B.S. in Anthropology from MSU in 2000 but decided to return to school to pursue her interest in veterinary medicine. She was attracted to the specialty of Veterinary Oncology during her externship with ACIC, and is excited to be part of the surgical oncology team.

She shares her home with her husband Jeff, and their two cats, Tamu and Guiness.

Susan Holland, L.V.T, VTS (Anesthesia)

Susan Holland is a 1986 graduate of the Macomb Community College Veterinary Technician program, a member of Academy of Veterinary Technicians Anesthetists (AVTA) since 2004,a member of the AVTA credentialing committee (2008), Michigan Association  of Veterinary Technicians (MAVT) and National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) with over 15 years of specialty medicine experience. 

Susan worked for nearly 10 years at Michigan Veterinary Specialists (MVS) in their Surgical Department with Dr. Daniel Degner, first at their original Southfield, Michigan, location and later taking a leadership role as head of the Surgical Department in their new Auburn Hills, Michigan, location in 2003.  In May 2007, Susan joined the new surgical staff of Animal Cancer and Imaging Center (ACIC) as head of the Surgical Department working with Dr. Richard Walshaw.

As the head of the Surgical Department at ACIC, Susan has worked with management to raise the level of care that each patient receives through the advancement of continuing education programs.  She shares both her experience and knowledge with both the surgical and medical oncology staff of ACIC, as well as initiating continuing education programs for ACIC

As part of her emphasis on education, Susan is a member Michigan Ferret Rescue and Adoption Network (MFRAN) and the Great Lakes Obedience Club of Michigan (GLOCM), both 501c3 organizations committed to the education of pet owners and community municipalities.  Through these organizations, she has had opportunity to educate pet owners, the general public and veterinary technician students.

Taylor Denton, L.V.T

Taylor graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Veterinary Technology. She has been in the veterinary profession for 10 years working in private practice, physical rehabilitation and now oncology. Taylor spends her free time with her fiancée Austen, who is an equine veterinarian, and their two yellow labs "Gunner" and "Beeker" on their miniature donkey farm. She is very excited to be back at ACIC after participating in an externship here while in school at MSU. Taylor is enjoying working in both medical and surgical oncology here at Animal Cancer and Imaging Center.