Channel Highway Animal Hospital

Don't trust these vets. Get a second opinion – Don't trust these vets, As nice as they are, they are too young and too inexperienced. Find an older vet with more experience, at least get a second opinion from another veterinarian clinic. We've considered this to be too important to ignore, So we have made a official complaint to the Tasmanian Veterinary Board No matter what the outcome of our… Read more

complaint, rather than saying nothing, we've chosen to bring it to the attention of the board. We've put off making this complaint to give us time to evaluate before reporting what we believe to be the malpractice treatment by vets, at Channel Highway Animal Hospital Kingston Tasmania, of our dog Tilli, a eight year old pedigree Rottweiler. But the time has not changed our mind. Medical doctors are 100% accountable for their mistakes but vets are admonished most of the time for all their mistakes. When an animal dies Vets say 'Sorry' and that's where it ends. Vets need to be more accountable for their mistakes.

Our Complaint below has been lodged. Recorded in chronological order: On April 18th. We attended the vet clinic because our dog was panting more than usual, The vet did an ultrasound scan but could not see an issue because he could not get a good image. He could not see anything abnormal in the ultrasound. Her temperature was taken and a normal temperature was recorded, but Panadol was prescribed (I don't understand why Panadol)

April 24. We returned to the surgery and the vet took X-rays. Later we were shown to a monitor to view the X-rays. With a swipe of her hand across the screen the vet said "There's a large mass there, it's most likely a tumour". I commented that I've seen a lot of X-rays and they are the worst I've ever seen, they are blurry with bad definition.

May 31. We asked the vet if an operation was possible, she said "No, there will be too many organs involved. She gave us steroids to ameliorate her condition with the warning that it could increase her appetite. We were also told to make her comfortable before she became too ill to treat and that we would know the time to put her to sleep. Give her palliative care she said.

July 4. I asked to see the x-rays again. She went through the x-rays again to explain what she diagnosed. I was told the same as the first time, a large mass, a tumour, no mention that it could have been anything else but a large tumour as was first diagnosed.

July 11. Weeks went by and our dogs breathing became more laboured, so we attended the clinic again to get another x-ray to see if the tumour had grown. A nurse filled out forms incorrectly requesting the dog be euthanized, we were shocked and said that we had booked in for a follow up x-ray to see if the tumour had grown. She said there wasn't time on that day and booked for the x-ray to be done one week later.

Unfortunately over that weekend our dogs laboured breathing increased and we made the difficult decision to put her down, believing she had a large tumour depressing her lungs that must have grown to a point that the time had come to put her to sleep. She was euthanized on the very next Tuesday.

July 18. An autopsy was carried out at our request. NO LARGE MASS WAS FOUND!!??- Only suspect cell growth and a very swollen lymph node. It also reported LOTS OF FLUID AROUND HER LUNGS.

We trusted the vet when she said our dog had a large growing mass, most likely cancer. We didn't know any better, we'd put our trust in her, what a huge mistake that was. We should have sought another opinion from another vet on such an important matter

After our dogs euthanasia, I met with the vet (Jessica Mackie) and said, "Since the autopsy, where you reported that no large cancer mass was found but instead lots of fluid around the lungs" we have investigated her condition thoroughly, we found easily with a search that the fluid should have been seen on x-rays and ultrasounds and should have been drained immediately, the procedure was recommended on all sites that described Pleural Effusion. I said "My dog went through a miserable two months between your diagnosis of "a large mass, most likely cancer", and her eventual euthanasia because of her suffering, when as we now know her suffering was caused by Pleural Effusion, a condition that you should have diagnosed as the cause of her laboured breathing and no treatment" I said 'all sites I read about fluid around the lungs said that you should have seen on the x-ray and the ultrasound scan that it was fluid not a massive tumour. You should have suspected that it could be fluid. You could then have extracted the fluid, allowing us time to continue our own cancer treatment' The vet said, with a shoulder shrug, and a simpering smile "I SUPPOSE SO".

In my mind that's a very serious malpractice mistake, a mistake that we have to live with through trusting a vet who did not thoroughly investigate our dogs ailment, and the fact that we didn't seek another vets opinion. Our dog may have eventually died, when not responding to treatment. But she may also have survived had treatment worked. Either way she would not have suffered a prolonged miserable two months through Pleural Effusion while being treated.

Yes, our dog did have the beginnings of cancer which caused the fluid build up. But it wasn't a huge mass as was described by the vet when viewing the x-rays, but instead fluid around the lungs, Pleural Effusion. which had it been extracted would have eased her breathing, pain and distress.

When the vet said that there was a huge mass, most likely a cancer, we started to treat our dog with natural medicines, medicines that we would use to treat ourselves should we ever experience cancer. Had fluid been diagnosed by the vet, it could have been extracted, relieving the dogs laboured breathing and suffering while we continued our cancer treatment over the advised six months. Even though she was suffering with the laboured breathing, she was bright, playful and always wanting to go for her scheduled afternoon walk. On the morning of putting her down, she trotted into the vets clinic as happy as any other time, looking forward to treats but still with laboured breathing. We were shocked at the desensitised, clinical demeanour of the vets when euthanizing our dog. When picking up our dogs ashes, we saw quite a lot of other animal ashes in bags awaiting pickup. It seems that euthanasia is an easier option for those vets when they don't know of a cure, because of their lack of experience.

Believing that the tumour must by now be huge and causing the laboured breathing, we had our beautiful dog euthanized, well before what was necessary had she been diagnosed and treated correctly by the vet.. We put our trust in inexperienced vets instead of a second opinion from a more experienced older vet, this is something we will have to live with forever.

A video was taken an hour before putting her to sleep. She was happy and looked good, she didn't need to die so soon, if only the vet had known to drain the fluid. The video can be seen on Google reviews for Channel Hwy Vets and product review at this address https://www.productreview.com.au/reviews/19c4164d-4402-566d-bf16-a2d5e67a7fcd

The following statement is from the site Pet MD. Every other site describing fluid around the lunged advised the same. Fron the site Pet MD (It is important to note that for all causes of pleural effusion, if the fluid causes any breathing issues (increased respiratory rate/effort), the fluid must be drained to give relief and to see improvement.). https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/respiratory/pleural-effusion-dogs