Veterinary malpractice

[Flumpetsmummy]

Just wanted to send you and your mum a big hug. Its an awful thing to happen.

There was a vets practice near me that treated animals badly.
Quite a few clients got together and then went to the RCVS and I know it was on the local news when it came to court.
It was quite a while ago but I think the vet who was found guilty was struck off or similar.

Do let us know how you get on and Im so ssorry about Lucky x 

[bonnielass]

Whwn i lost Meg (my border collie ) last year she died of an overdose of tablets prescribed by the vet, she was on 5 times the normal dose which i didnt know at the time
I asked the vet to take her off them as i knew something was wrong but he told me if i took her off them she could possibly die 
24hrs later she died ,when i googled the tablets she should have only been on 2 x 5mg a day, M eg was on 2 x 25mg daily
When i got back to the vet he said he stood by his decision to put her on that high a dosage.
I complained to the RCVS and never even recieved a reply, i consulted several solicitors not for compo but to stop this happening again to someone else but no-one would take the case on altho they agreed with me

[mervyn7451]

Hi alenax,
  to Purrs,it was me on MSE.(A burley ex soldier who luvs cats....go figure! )
The guys here can give you good advice.
Again,I'm sorry about your Lucky,Please pass on my thoughts to your mum.
Regards,
Merv

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

  to Purrs,

I'm so sorry to hear about Lucky ... please pass on our sincere condolences to your Mum ... I can't begin to imagine how upset she must be feeling at the moment.  As you say losing a furbabe is losing a family member.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

It definately does as many on Purrs know 

[alenax]

RIP Lucky , you didnt deserve this as you had just found a loving home

Well, we had him for years and years but that just makes it worse rather than better, we picked him up from a cat shelter he was left outside of in a cardboard box so his name was Lucky because he was saved... it does feel like losing a family member.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

RIP Lucky , you didnt deserve this as you had just found a loving home

[alenax]

So sorry to hear about this and I would also ask for a copy of the vets notes for the cat....whats the cats name?

Rip little cat

His name was Lucky, he was an awesome cat... not the friendliest but incredibly smart and just generally super cool. Will pass all your comments on to my mum so she knows how to proceed as she's not the best at dealing with these problems not to mention still very upset over the whole thing.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

So sorry to hear about this and I would also ask for a copy of the vets notes for the cat....whats the cats name?

Rip little cat

[swampmaxmum]

I'm so sorry about what happened, it's just awful. I agree to complain. Can you find out exactly what it was that they have admitted doing wrong first, as that may help with an official complaint? Good luck. 

[Millys Mum]

Sorry your here under such circumstances 
Definately complain to the surgery and the rcvs and i would also ask around people in the know, eg rescue people and breeders, they will know 'previous history' on places

[Kay and Penny]

I think it's always worth making an official complaint, as it may be that there is a history with this vet which you would not know about

sometimes that one extra complaint can be the tipping point

[Michelle (furbabystar)]

  to purrs

Really sorry to hear about your Mums cat 

Contacting the RCVS is the right thing to do.

[alenax]

Thank you everyone, I'm sure I'll be on here a lot as I just got a kitten in addition to another cat so plenty of stories to share and advice to ask. I'll get in touch with RCVS then!

[Leanne]

Welcome to Purrs, sorry its on such sad circumstances though 

Defiantly write to the RCVS like Harlequin suggested.

Also write to the practice manager at the vets as well - I might be wrong but I believe thats what the RCVS suggest doing first.

[Janeyk]

Hi Alenax, welcome to Purrs, albeit in these sad circumstances.

Sorry I have no practical advice but would just like to say how sorry I am for your mum's loss 

[harlequin]

Firstly, please pass on my condolences to your Mum regarding the death of her cat. Losing a pet is so hard at any time, but seems so much worse if you do not expect it.

Yes, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) are the governing body for vets. Like you said, this kind of case would be unlikely to stand up in court, but at the very least you can make an official complaint to the RCVS, who can then make investigations of their own. Either write or e-mail them and include as much detail as possible (i.e. name of vet, practice, address), stating that this death should not have occurred and that you would like to make a complaint about the professional conduct of the vet in question. The RCVS can be e-mailed on: profcon@rcvs.org.uk or you can write to them at: Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, Belgravia House, 62-64 Horseferry Road London SW1P 2AF. I hope this helps

[alenax]

Hello, was recommended this forum by a MSE member and thought I would ask for advice, apologies if this is in the wrong forum.

My mum's cat came in two days ago looking a bit beaten up and had a problem with his tooth. They took him to the vet who said they would need to remove the tooth (which would cost £200, a separate issue!), which was fine, my mum left the cat with the vet and they said to call in a few hours' time.

So they called in a few hours' time and were told that the cat had died! When they went there in person, the vet admitted to them that they "forgot" to do something (not sure what, my mum is still pretty broken up about it so haven't got all the details out of her yet) and it was their fault that the cat died.

I've spoken to a few people who all say that no solicitor would take on a court case like this, which I guess I can kind of understand but surely there must be something done? A few people suggested RSVC (sp?), is this a viable option? I'm not after monetary compensation, as it wouldn't bring the cat back and my mum didn't pay the £200 anyway but I find it difficult to believe that a vet can admit to making an error and get away with it.

Any ideas/suggestions?