MEET YOUR PETS VETERINARIANS

Veterinarian | Co-Founder, RRVSS Partners 

Dr. Fetherston has extensive training and experience in advanced orthopedic surgeries and a focus on minimally invasive techniques to aid with diagnoses, treatment, and improved outcomes. He is also a medical device consultant and educator, and a frequent instructor and speaker at home and internationally.  

 Veterinarian | Co-Founder, RRVSS Partners 

Dr. Tim Helms grew up among the mountains and beaches of San Diego, where an early fascination with the natural world—and all of its diverse fauna—set him on the path toward veterinary medicine. He earned his B.S. in Animal Biotechnology from UC Davis in 2004, followed by his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 2010.

At 16 years of experience in small-animal practice, Dr. Helms has built a career centered on orthopedic and soft-tissue surgery. Fresh off of graduation from Davis, a move to the more rural community of Ukiah, CA proved pivotal, offering not only increased surgical exposure but also the mentorship and lifelong friendship of Dr. Scott Fetherston. After four years in Ukiah, Dr. Helms relocated to Santa Rosa and continued his career in Petaluma at Central Animal Hospital. He later partnered with Dr. Matthew Carter, and together they ran the practice for many years until its sale in 2022.

During that time, Dr. Helms and Dr. Fetherston began shaping a shared vision: to create a dedicated, independently owned veterinary surgical referral center in Santa Rosa. That vision ultimately became RRVSS—Russian River Veterinary Surgical Service. After more than three years of planning, designing, and building, their dream has proudly become a reality.

Dr. Helms resides in Santa Rosa with his wife, Jessica; their sons, Jackson and Ryder; and their daughter, Maeanna. Their home is joyfully filled with a lively crew of animals, including one dog (Mo), ten koi, six lizards, and three chickens.

When he’s not in the operating room—or traveling for advanced surgical continuing education or trying to not be late for kid pickups/running them all over town for all the things —you’ll find Dr. Helms embracing the outdoors. He enjoys hiking, fishing, trail running, mountain biking, racing on two wheels or two feet, coaching youth sports, taking on creative home-building projects, exploring new financial ventures, and above all, spending quality time with his family and friends—furry, scaly, and human alike.