My fox terrier is dying of hemangiosarcoma and we will soon have to put her down. This is not the first time I have heard of a vet not putting down an animal as requested by an owner, so my husband and I have decided that when Trinny's time comes, we will be there with her and stay until she is gone. It is not that we don't trust our vet but...well, I am sure these other people trusted their vets and their dogs suffered for it.

It will be difficult, but I think she deserves to go peacefully when her time has come, and not be kept alive...and suffering...for other purposes.

Oh my word that is horrible! That veterinarian should be used as a bloody blood bank himself! Scuse my french, I get so po'd!

I cannot, CANNOT, believe someone can be so cruel!!!

They sould look him up and throw away the key!!!!!!!!!

This is a person who trained as a doctor for animals who must have taken some sort of
oath to protect the animals in his care..they should ban him from being a vet

OH MY WORD!!!!!!!!! my mom told me this story because their cat had been at this vet after being mauled to death by a neighbour's dog and the people concerned had taken him there.

When I got Taylor, as many of you might know, she was in a bad way and very ill and suffering from high white blood cell count and stress. The vet in question is called Ashburne Veterinary Clinic and they are a 24 hour clinic and I had no choice but to rush my dying puppy in there at 9pm. I never saw Klaus, I saw the after hours vet from the SPCA who helps out there. He saved her life pretty much...without him she would be dead.

But since then I have taken her back to the same clinic and ignored my mother's horror story. their fees are lowest in the area and I figured they know Taylor so well now. She now sees Klaus.

However I was less than impressed when I took her in about a month ago with a possible bladder infection and all this Dr. Klaus Schoeman did was feel externally for swelling and discomfort and sent her home without testing and no treatment and told me to monitor her for 2 weeks. R260 later...the previous vet (dont know who he was) gave her an innoculation and jabbed her so hard she yelped and still has a lump from it. he told me I must control my dog...when the needle is almost as big as she was. I was very upset and next time I demanded to only see Klaus. But hearing this now has made me think twice.

im in 2 minds about this vet. I normally see Dr. Vlok or Dr. Carey in the same area who has treated my animals all my life but his fess are excessive. I no longer live close by and yet i have still driven the full 40 kilometers from home to take her to Dr. Schoeman. I did my work experience at school with Dr. Vlok and he is wonderful.

I decided last week to take my new Yorkie puppy to Dr. Vlok instead...I dont know why. something inside me just said i should...

But in Dr. Schoeman's defense (and i cant believe Im saying this) he loves the animals and the vet's rooms are clean, friendly and helpful at all times. and they do a lot of rescue work with the animal anti-cruelty league and SPCA and adoptions of all animals.

Our family has been at the animals side every time one of them has been put to sleep - it is traumatic and painful but I believe they need us at their sides. I couldnt imagine dropping my dog off at the vet to be put down and leaving him/her there in a frightening situation with strangers.

I really am in 2 minds about this vet now. he has such good points and then goes and does one rotten thing like that...my brain is spinning...

By the way - this is an old post so does anyone know what the outcome of the probe was and if he was fined etc? because he is definitely still practising...

That is a shocker!!!! I would also be worried to take my doeg back there, but like you said, the other treatment was good.

Maybe there is a valid reason for that, but it is still not right that the people paid him to pu their dog down and he was using the dog for blood. Our dogs are part of our families and very precious to us. I would hate that to happen to me.

Did you think of asking the Vet urself?

I think I would be too nervous to ask him directly what happened!

I have given it some serious thought and decided to take my dogs there for the simple things like innoculations if need be, but any serious issues I will take them back to my original vet who I know and trust. I certainly would not leave either one of them there without me! I am also going to look at the vets in the new area I am living in to see what their reputation and prices are like. As humans we tend to fall into a routine and have our likes and dislikes...I mean I drive 45 minutes to take her to that vet because I have always liked them and there are numerous vets 5 minutes from my home!

This same vet was the reason I found my lost Jack Russell many years ago - so they do have a lot of good things about them and Im very fond of the ladies in reception etc. When Taylor goes there they let of her leash to run around the room (if there are no other dogs) and she steals treats off the shelves and they just smile and say she can have it...my dog's a bum!!!! lol!

I will research the topic and see if there was an outcome to the case...stay tuned!

I think that just the fact that he did it without permission from the owners is bad enough. I had to put a little rescue boy down once and I held him in my arms until he crossed over.

You're right - it was not his decision to make.

Our family also always stays with our pets during the procedure, mainly for their sake and to make them feel as safe as possible

You all know this was MY vet...last night i decided to go somewhere new.

Not only was i 100% happy with the service and advice I got from the new vet (who is older and wiser in my opinion) but he also made a good point.

He asked me which vet I have been using and I told him. there was an awkward moments silence in the room and then he broke it by saying "I hope you dont mind if I dont pass judegement or comment but just tell you that Im glad you have made this move for the sake of yourself and your precious little dogs"...he went on to say he felt the "bedside Manner" of a vet is important as well as his experience.

Im still not going to bad mouth Dr. Schoeman because he has always treated my animals with lots of love and affection but I DO feel he gets himself a little distracted and blows issues off without finding a cause. such as Taylor urination issue that he charged me R270 for and sent me home with nothing and no conclusive answers.

Im glad I have made the move to this new vet...his name escapes me though!!!!

Glad you found a trustworthy vet!!!!

My Khloe died in my arms but my Dominique, I just couldn't stay there when they put him down! But I should have! At least he wouldn't have died alone!! It breaks my heart to think about them!!

If I may ask Jeanique, what happened to them? I know how you feel. When I put Muffy out i could not stay in the surgery after the injection. I could not handle it!!

Our family has always gone in with our pets as heartbreaking as it is.

a few years back my boyfriend and I had to take our landlady's Staffie in to be put down becasue she was riddled with cancer to the point where it had broken through the skin and was rotting and she would sit outside our door and I could smell death eventually I couldnt take it anymore and just told her we were taking her in. I couldnt bear to stay with her but my boyfriend did and he came out in tears which is something he NEVER does. crying for him is a sign of weakness but he was devastated and it wasnt even OUR dog

Id rather be there with them though. although I say that but i have never been faced in my adult life with that decision yet so I dont know how I would do it.

Jeanique, I don't know how you did it!!
I was there when we put my rottweiler out, it was so heartbreaking, even the vet shed a tear. I just held her until she was gone and the vet gave my mom and I some time with her but I just couldn't bear to see her like that and ran out Last year November we put the other rottweiler out (she was very old and ill). She was my mom's dog and it was very hard to let go. I'll never forget the look she had on her face and she just stared at my mom until she was gone
I prefer to be there with them, as hard as what it is, at least you were the last one to hold them

Ja it's so sad hey!

Val, my Khloe got sick at 10months old and they treated her but nothing helped! Her pancreas got infected and she wouldn't eat! She just didn't react to the medicine! She went to the vet on a Sunday, he gave us medicine but she didn't get better so I took her back on Monday. They admitted her. I went and visited her twice a day. Then on Wednesday, Marius went in for a nose operation. I sat with him until he was discharged but all I could think of was Khloe and I just wanted to go see her!!! So I just dropped him off at home, showing no pity to him, (Shame!) and raced to the vet. When I got there I took her out of the little cage with her drip and just held her for a while. Then her head fell to the side so I put her back in. She made a poo and then she lied down and just pull stiff! I was devastated!!!!! I was crying so much while they tried to revive her and praying but ja....
They even sent me flowers a few days later because they knew that was the love of my life!

Dominique was sick since the day we got him! I was in and out of the vet with him! We thought he had hypoglycemia. We tried everything to get him better but it just got worse and worse. He wouldn't eat so I was force feeding him with a syringe. Then he just got weaker and weaker where he couldn't even move so we decided to end his suffering! He was about 5 and a half months old.

I am truly sorry to hear what you had to go through!!!!

I would never have survived something so traumatic...

You have really been through alot. I admire you for the strength that you have. I suppose one has to be strong and keep a level head so that you do what is right for your pets.

I wish you everything of the best with all you other doggies and trust that it will only get better fo you!!!!

Thank you so much Val!! I have been through a lot yes! But what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger!