“It is barbaric and frightening that a vet would put a dog to sleep without running tests or doing anything to find out the extent or reason for an animals distress. But then again this was Vets Now!
The BBC's Rip Off Britain programme starts a new series in the Autumn, so if anybody has had any bad experiences with Vets Now, extortionate costs etc., please contact: ceri.isfryn@bbc.co.uk Tel No: 0161 244 3940. Ceri is currently researching Vets Now and it would be great if it was given some air time to expose this company.
I had a horrendous experience with Vets Now which resulted in my beloved dog suffering for many hours before she died. I have never got over it. I now use a different vet who provides their own out of hours service.”

“these are the same vets that advised me to put my dog to sleep after an acciednt 12 months ago and shes still here now.. we rushed there as it was a sunday, the vet we saw could harldy speak a word of english and after an xray ( of which was terrbile quality and they didnt mentioned broken and cracked ribs on it to us) they advised it best to put her to sleep, we took her somewhere else who operated and 12 months on she is a happy little dog, if i had listened to them i wouldnt have my dog..they then charged me £500 for the privalage!”

“I am horrified that a vet would put down a dog obviously not suffering from an acute trauma. Roxy should have been kept safely for a day ot two to give her owners the opportunity to claim her. The fact that she was a Staffie seems to have sealed her fate - a cute-looking spaniel may have been treated differently. Dogs do slip their collars and microchipping is not always an option for those with certain conditions. Just because an older dog is not 'perfect', it doesn't mean it is not dearly loved. Too many wrong assumptions about Roxy were made!”

“If the professional indemnity insurers get burned with a claim ,a condition of continual cover will be a change in the corporate policy on dealing with strays , back to that recommended by the RCVS . The corporate practices employ alot of new graduates ,so indemnity insurance is really important to them . Its now a statutory requirement in the RCVS guide.”

“Like Roxy - and, I am sure, many other dogs - my dog does not wear her collar in the house as it irritates her and if she ever got out and got lost, she could possibly suffer the same fate as Roxy. I would also be out searching for her in the area till late at night and would be checking all possible places that a stray could be taken. I would not for one minute believe that a vet would put her down just because she was geriatric, without a collar and because the dogs' home is full of unwanted dogs. Roxy was obviously distressed by finding herself away from her home without her owners , in a vet's surgery, where many dogs exhibit signs of anxiety, and surrounded by total strangers. I think that many humans would feel similarly upset if they were in the same circumstances. How many dementia patients wander off from their homes and how many of them are disposed of because they are geriatric and ill? Roxy was well loved and very well cared for by a young couple who had been prepared to take her on, not as a "fun" and "cute" pup but as a more mature dog, and then were prepared to pay for expensive medication for a condition that was under control. Compensation will not bring back Roxy but an admission that they had not followed correct procedures and allowed James and Rachel a chance to claim their pet, would go a long way to improving the now tarnished image of a practice which is supposed to care for animals.”

“They will be insured with the VDS or a similar company , better to go down that route and burn the corporation rather than the individual who was just a nodding donkey . You could claim negligence in electing for euthanasia in a none emergency case without making adequate attempts to provide ****gesia or a definitive diagnosis . And failure to allow the rightful owners reasonable time to locate their pet . Stay away from incompetent because if you try that ,the law tends to take the attitude that choosing an incompetent Vet is actually your fault ,in the same way that choosing a naff solicitor or barrister is hard luck.”

“Thank you obeonek for your info. That's very interesting. You seem to have some professional knowledge and that is very useful to how we decide to proceed. We will persevere with the official complaints but we are now considering other lines of action - such as "Criminal Damage" for the *killin g of a dog without lawfull reason" through Police channels. If all these efforts fail at least the media attention has drawn attention to this issue - and to the comanies responsible. Letters have also gone to Dog Magazines and other media outlets.

Debrahell - Maybe you knew Roxy???? She was lovely. She had a wonderful time recently - we have two black labs and she played with them on the beach in Whitby on an 8 mile walk in Feb and has been on other long walks recently. James and Rach gave her a good time.”

“Roxy was on vectoryl capsules. 1 a day, it was being treated and had regular check ups at the vets, her behaviour had never deteriorated it was purley just appearence,she had two big walks a day and on that photo she does look quite swollen but i think its just because she had quite a loss of fur on that area. we arent attacking the company were just making them aware that this must happen on more than this occasion and to me its not fair on the animals and owners. we just feel that that particular vet acted quickly with no thought, which i think should be addressed.”

“Most other vets in the city would have caged and treated the dog until the owners came forward , it can take 2-3 days but often its the same day ,certainly within 24 hours. Chips are useful ,but its surprising how many dogs still turn up without them . Its a waste of time complaining about a corporation or corporate practice to the RCVS they only deal with individuals ,in this case the individual will be following practice policy , a bar tender or waiter following instructions .The RCVS has hundreds of complaints about vetsnow on record and to date no one has been disciplined.”

“r i p rox you didnt deserve that so sorry for james and rach, roxy would of been so distressed by just been locked in a cage she was a loving dog”