Click on the audio player below to hear this story. It lasts for about two and a half minutes. It is a surprising story and it concerns a veterinarian. It is a UK story concerning a dog but it could just as well have been a cat which is why I cover it. On first hearing about it I immediately came to the conclusion that the vet acted far too hastily and not in compliance with his/her oath and guidelines.
If you find an audio version of what would otherwise have been text unhelpful then please tell me in a comment. I believe audio articles will become more popular as smartphones and small devices take over from standard computers. Also in a busy world it requires less effort to listen than read. Audio books are increasing in sales after a decline and I believe it is because of the above reasons.
Completely unacceptable. Even here, any “stray or lost” animal is kept 72 hours. And, because this was involving an independent vet, it’s appalling. Three hours? Really? May be a bow and arrow vet time to the brain!
Surely, no one can see this 3 hour situation as “normal”.
Thanks Dee, I remember the 72 hour rule now. Most shelters keep animals who have no known owner for a set time before euthanasia. I can remember several articles on shelters in the USA who did what this UK vet did and there was an outcry.
It does seem that the vet acted hastily in putting Winston the dog down shortly after he was brought in to the clinic. However, without knowing anything about the health status of the dog, we may be judging the vet unfairly.
It’s a very sad story and I feel for Winston’s owners as they must be heartbroken. If we can learn anything from this incident, it is to have our pets microchipped and registered on a database. In the U.K. I’d recommend Petlog because when pets are reported missing to them, they send out an alert to vets and rescues within a 30 mile radius of where the pet was last seen. Some of the other U.K. microchip registries, do not offer this service. Dog owners now have 8 months left to get their dogs microchipped, otherwise they will be fined when the new law comes into effect in 2016.
I agree that we have conflicting information about the health of the dog but judging by the story I think that the evidence provided by the owners is more credible than the evidence provided by the vet because the veterinarian killed the dog and he is more likely to protect his actions by distorting the facts slightly. The owner said that the dog was in good health for reasonable health despite his age.
Also, I would have thought some other actions could have been taken before the ultimate one of killing the dog such as one of the staff members at the clinic doing a bit of research. For example they could have asked the person who brought the dog in some questions about where he found the dog. Perhaps they did do that and did not get a satisfactory answer which would have helped them locate the dog. I think it comes down to effort.
I feel fairly confident that I would have be able to locate the owners under those circumstances but it might have taken some time and it may not be acceptable to a vet who has to make a living. Perhaps there was a shelter not that far away who could have taken in the dog.
Is this a case of a vet lacking in behavioural understanding? Perhaps he assumed the dog’s distress was due to ill health, rather than stress from being lost and then taken to a vet clinic with all those dreaded scents.
I agree that unless the dog was suffering extreme physical trauma, that he could have made the dog comfortable and asked one of his staff to contact local rescues or gone on-line to report a lost dog being handed in. If he didn’t have the facilities or room to board another animal, he could have asked the local dog warden or any of the rescues to take him in.
If the couple can provide evidence from their own vet to confirm the dog was in good health for his age, then they should lodge a complaint with the R.C.V.S. I would imagine that staff at the clinic and the person who found Winston, would have their own opinion on the condition of the dog.