A BULGARIAN vet employed at the Barry practice owned by struck-off veterinary surgeon Maurice Kirk has been found guilty of disgraceful professional conduct.

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons brought the case against Romeo Raykov Tonchev, who worked at the Boverton branch of the Barry Animal Health Centre.

The RCVS disciplinary committee reprimanded Tonchev after finding against him on four charges, surrounding the attempted euthanasia of a Yorkshire terrier named Tingah on October 25 at Boverton, then in Barry.

The RCVS proved that, having made two attempts to carry out the euthanasia before sending the dog from the branch surgery to the main surgery in Barry for the procedure, Tonchev was guilty of disgraceful conduct in a professional respect on the following grounds:

* He failed to examine the dog properly to determine her clinical condition

* He failed to give his clients sufficient advice on the care of Tingah between then and the afternoon appointment (at the Barry surgery)

* He failed to address sufficiently his clients' distress

* He failed to retain professional responsibility for Tingah until the completion of the procedure later that day

Tonchev is no longer employed at the practice.

Kirsty Kirk, principal of the Barry Animal Health Centre, said: "I wrote a letter in support of him to the RCVS, and I found him to be a competent and caring professional.

"To the best of my knowledge no other complaint was made about him other than this one."

The disciplinary hearing follows a decision in January by the RCVS to refuse an application for restoration to the register by vet Maurice Kirk, of St Donat's, Llantwit Major.

Mr Kirk had been convicted of 11 criminal offences, and the committee found him unfit to practise veterinary surgery at a hearing in May 2002.

He was struck off the register in January 2004.