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Vets
in the dock
THE ROYAL College of Veterinary Surgeons has been accused of running
a cosy, secretive "closed shop" which tolerates serial
malpractice by "Harold Shipmans of the vet world".
Amid harrowing claims of animal suffering, a pressure group that
claims to have 4,000 supporters is demanding that the college,
veterinary medicine's ruling body, strengthen its disciplinary
procedures.
Campaigners want it made easier for pet owners to complain and
for bad vets to be struck off. It is feared that hundreds of pets
a year die from unauthorised surgery and cruelty by vets.One
man saw his greyhound, which had a broken back, being dragged
into a courtyard by a vet who insisted the animal was faking its
injury. "I wanted to punch the vet," said David Baines,
the owner. "My wife was so overcome by the dog's suffering
that she just fainted on the spot. The vet merely laughed, just
as he laughed when my complaint against him was thrown out by
the college."
A wire-haired dachshund was "carved open like a slab of meat
at the butcher's", even though its owner had expressly not
given consent for such surgery. A Middlesex woman's border collie
was operated on with little or no anaesthetic.
Critics say the college's failure to act firmly in these and similar
cases represents a medical failure on the scale of the recent
scandals in human health care.
Pet lovers who bring complaints to the college have found it disdainful
of laymen and "institutionally favourable" to accused
vets.
A national action group has been formed to force the college to
alter its ways. It is seeking an independent ombudsman for pet
complaints and an inquiry into past cases of neglect.
"Vets themselves are judge and jury when complaints are made,"
said Mr Baines. "Guilty is a word seldom used in the college's
vocabulary."
Mr Baines claims to know of "Harold Shipman-scale neglect"
by one particular vet who has been cleared to continue practising.
In many of the complaints, animals are "euthanased"
(the profession's preferred word) without the owner's knowledge.
Vets rely on the dumb good nature of their patients, said Janet
Mahoney, a founder of the action group. "The animals can't
speak, of course. So some vets get away with terrible neglect."
She says the action group has 4,000 supporters. "We have
had to stop taking personal testimonies because the stories were
too horrific."
Next year the Government is expected to bring a veterinary surgeons
Bill to Parliament, reforming the 1966 Act that currently legislates
for animal care.
Elliot Morley, a minister at the Department of Environment, Food
and Regional Affairs, will meet anti-college protesters in May.
David Lidington, shadow environment secretary, indicated that
the Conservatives will press for greater rights for pet owners.
"For this number of people to be protesting suggests that
there are real grievances that need to be addressed."
Avril Critchley, a pet owner from Sheffield, said: "Most
vets work tirelessly for the animals placed in their care. They
should not have their reputations tarnished by bad vets who are
shielded by a weak system. The college has shown that it is incapable
of disciplining its members. Its powers should be removed."
Mrs Critchley, 68, a retired head teacher from Sheffield, has
raised the issue personally with David Blunkett, the Home Secretary,
who has a guide dog. "He must understand the sorrow of losing
an animal from ill health or old age. When the loss occurs through
the negligence or incompetence of a vet, it is unbearable. Vet
cruelty causes terrible distress not just for animals but also
for bereaved owners."
The college was established in 1844 by Royal Charter. Its president
is Stephen Ware and Martyn Jones, Labour MP for Clwyd South, is
a member of its disciplinary committee.
The college said it was "confident all complaints have been
investigated fully and fairly" and argued that a quarter
of its disciplinary committee were non-vets.
"It is often the case that one of the parties is left feeling
unsatisfied after a complaint. This is inevitable. All surgery
to animals involves an element of risk and an unexpected outcome,
including death, which does not necessarily mean the vet was at
fault."
Last year the college received 717 complaints. There are 11,549
general practice vets in Britain. In the past five years, only
one has been struck off for malpractice involving pets. |
