'Vet let our dog suffer' (From Barry And District News)

'Vet let our dog suffer'

A BARRY woman says she was left distraught after a vet refused to treat her dog who died of cancer hours later.

But Barry Veterinary Hospital have hit back at the suggestion, saying they suffered verbal abuse.

Ann Hopkins, 38, of Riverside Place, a health and safety manager, took her 14-year-old dog Prince to the hospital on Tynewydd Road on Sunday, June 13.

Ann said: "On Sunday morning we realised Prince was extremely poorly. He was in tremendous pain.

"I called our vet in Cardiff Bay but they weren't open, so I took Prince to the Barry Veterinary Hospital as it was the nearest practice to us. Prince is such a big dog it took two of us to carry him down there in a blanket.

"Mr Williams, the vet at the practice who came out to look at Prince was so rude to us it was disgraceful.

"He kept asking us why we had taken the dog to him when we had a vet of our own. We pleaded with him to treat the dog.

"Through gritted teeth he kept saying 'ask me nicely' but refused to provide treatment.

She added: "Later in the day Prince was put down by our own vet. He had a tumour on his spleen that had ruptured. We had to wait until our own vet opened to have him put down."

A spokesman for the veterinary hospital said: "Requirements of client confidentiality prevent our commenting on a specific case. We take pride in the service that we offer our clients during the normal working day and out of hours. Our staff provide an emergency service and in-patient care that includes a clinic on Sunday mornings to give our clients access to a veterinary surgeon every day.

"It is usual that clients not known to us are asked by whom their animal is normally treated. There are sound reasons for this: the animal may be receiving medication or have important relevant clinical history.

"We appreciate that people sometimes visit us in distressing circumstances but where our staff suffer verbal abuse or feel physically threatened we regrettably have to withdraw our services.

"If anyone is dissatisfied with our services phone Mrs Kirk or Practice Manager Mrs Holland on 01446 733406."