D. Szentimrey

"The opportunity and challenge of cancer treatment for the individual animal is the maintenance of relatively normal function and quality of life. Every dog or cat is affected by cancer in a unique way, and each deserves a carefully crafted and individualized treatment plan to meet their specific needs. Many patients require multiple therapies including surgery, radiation and chemotherapy to optimize outcome and minimize treatment side effects. A coordinated, multidisciplinary approach is therefore the best way to meet the ideal needs of the patient. At Western Veterinary Cancer Centre we strongly believe that our team approach allows us to best serve each animal that we see."

Dr. Dave Szentimrey grew up on a farm near Cambridge, Ontario. He attended the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph, Ontario and graduated with his DVM in 1990. Dr. Szentimrey spent one year in a mixed large and small animal practice in Cambridge before beginning a residency in small animal surgery at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) in Saskatoon. He completed this program in 1994, and remained at WCVM as a faculty member until 1995. Dr. Szentimrey was awarded diplomate status by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 1996.

Point of Excellence: The Art & Science of Surgical Oncology

Between 1995 and 1996, Dr. Szentimrey completed a Surgical Oncology Fellowship at Colorado State University under the mentorship of Dr. Stephen Withrow. The primary goal of this program is to provide advanced training in the surgical management of cats and dogs with cancer. Fellows also study tumour biology, methods of cancer diagnosis, and other cancer therapies including radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Fewer than 30 board certified veterinary surgeons worldwide possess this type of very specialized formal training. After completing his fellowship in 1997, Dr. Szentimrey came to Calgary and set up a mobile surgery practice. He then joined Dr. Audrey Remedios in 2001 as one of the two founding partners of Western Veterinary Specialist and Emergency Centre, and has guided this practice as it has grown into one of the largest veterinary referral centres in western Canada, employing 9 board certified specialists, 12 general and emergency doctors, and 34 certified animal health technicians.

Dr. Szentimrey provides a full range of surgical services including soft tissue, orthopedic and neurologic surgery. However, his special area of expertise and his passion is the surgical treatment of cancer in cats and dogs. His extensive experience allows him to recommend and perform whatever surgery will best treat an individual animal,s cancer, and also to recognize when other types of treatment such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy are needed.

Back to Specialists