An experienced vet has been reprimanded for taking home a patient\u2019s cat that she was told to euthanise and charging nearly \u00a3500 for the animal\u2019s care in Suffolk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Janine Parody decided against putting down the ill eight-month-old feline named Shadow in 2021 and, contrary to the owner\u2019s wishes, treated him.<\/p>\n

The vet, who had an \u201cexceptional\u201d reputation, told a disciplinary tribunal that she had put down three or four animals that morning and could not face euthanising another.<\/p>\n

Parody, who worked at a surgery in Framlingham, Suffolk, said she had deemed the pet to be \u201chappy\u201d and curable.<\/p>\n

She sedated the male cat and castrated it without obtaining consent from the owner, before replacing its microchip and taking it home, the tribunal heard.<\/p>\n

The owner told the hearing that she \u201cgrieved for his little soul\u201d before she was eventually told the truth and was asked to pay \u00a3480 for the treatment.<\/p>\n

Referring to Shadow, Parody told the tribunal: \u201cThe drug Pentoject had already been drawn up. Upon entering the room I was greeted by a sweet young cat, which appeared healthy apart from his skin condition.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had already done back-to-back euthanasias that morning \u2026 and upon seeing a happy young cat, I just could not face another euthanasia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parody added that despite having been a vet for 10 years, \u201ceuthanasias are never easy\u201d.<\/p>\n

A Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons tribunal reprimanded the vet for \u201cdisgraceful\u201d professional conduct.<\/p>\n

It ruled she had made a \u201cseries of very poor decisions\u201d, although it recognised that at the time the vet was working under \u201cextraordinarily stressful circumstances\u201d because of the pandemic.<\/p>\n

Parody, who has subsequently moved to a practice in Hereford, was described by colleagues at Castle Veterinary Group as an \u201cexceptional vet\u201d who was \u201cvery fair\u201d.<\/p>\n

In December 2021, a woman who regularly rescued cats and who was referred to at the tribunal only as SM took ownership of Shadow.<\/p>\n

The owner decided to have him put down as he was \u201cvery sick\u201d with methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a bacteria which causes lesions on the skin.<\/p>\n

SM consulted other vets and Shadow was scheduled to be put down by Parody five days before Christmas.<\/p>\n

Parody consulted a dermatologist after a colleague raised a question over whether cats with MRSA could be treated. Two days later, she shaved Shadow, castrated him and directed a colleague to remove his microchip.<\/p>\n

The owner was eventually told Shadow had not been put down and was \u201cshocked and elated\u201d. SM was told she would have to pay \u00a3480 to have it returned and she accepted.<\/p>\n

Two months later, Shadow\u2019s condition deteriorated and he was put down. Parody resigned and an investigation was launched.<\/p>\n

The panel noted that owing to confused communications the vet had wrongly believed the cat did not have an owner, but it said in its ruling that she \u201cshould be under no illusion of how serious it is to have a finding of disgraceful conduct in a professional respect made against her\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Source: www.theguardian.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An experienced vet has been reprimanded for taking home a patient\u2019s cat that she was told to euthanise and charging nearly \u00a3500 for the animal\u2019s care in Suffolk. Janine Parody decided against putting down the ill eight-month-old feline named Shadow in 2021 and, contrary to the owner\u2019s wishes, treated him. The vet, who had an…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":92527,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"WB4WB4WP_MODE":"","WB4WP_PAGE_SCRIPTS":"","WB4WP_PAGE_STYLES":"","WB4WP_PAGE_FONTS":"","WB4WP_PAGE_HEADER":"","WB4WP_PAGE_FOOTER":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-92526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy"],"yoast_head":"\n