doggie-site

'From Great Evil, Must Be Made to Come Great Good' . . . Announcing the Harry Homing Mission

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 03:46:58 GMT

Harry's Story Can't Be Left At What Was Done to Him. Out of the Senseless and the Cruel, Has to Come the Sensitive and the Compassionate: A Home for Every Pet. A Legacy Worth Living.

Hi Readers.

Doggie Mamma here . . . Jordan Kelly, the human behind doggiemamma.com . . . also Harry's mamma.

Or I was, until a veterinary teaching facility - albeit of which Harry was a full fee-paying private patient (and who had entered for a simple rehydration procedure) - decided Harry was more important as a live student experimentation opportunity and filming project for the day (which he wasn't intended to emerge from alive, and they made sure of it), than he was to his deeply loving owner.

I've gone forward to found the International Institute for Improvement in Veterinary Ethics ( IIIVE.org ) and will from hereon create a close link between Doggiemamma.com and IIIVE.org so that I can bring you, my DoggieMamma.com audience, the best of both worlds . . . the heartfelt and the head-driven.

Thus, the following IIIVE development, which I feel sure will be of interest to you, is the subject of the below announcement, as published on IIIVE.org .

______________________________________

When the International Institute for Improvement in Veterinary Ethics (IIIVE) was founded in the aftermath of the cruelties suffered by treasured pet, little Harry Kelly, at the hands of Massey University's "Companion Animal Hospital" staff and the unnecessary and senseless death they premeditated for him , its purpose was clear: to document, expose, and drive improvement in veterinary ethics internationally.

Aside from the obvious need for an overhaul in the way veterinary teaching facilities apparently view private clients' pets as teaching resources to do with as they please , the need for improvement becomes more and more evident every day . . . in multiple ways across the veterinary landscape:

Large purely profit-driven commercial groups, for example, are buying up small, independent, vets all over the Western world, resulting in significantly increased prices and, at the same time, lower and genericised standards of "care". Vets working for the big chains are being asked to be salespeople first, vets second, recommending high-end and often unnecessary, or unnecessarily frequent, procedures.

Pets Before (Obscene) Profits . . . NOT (Obscene) Profits Before Pets

Vet bills are rising out of all proportion to the commitment to genuine "care" . . . which is one of (although far from the only) key drivers of animals being surrendered to pounds and rehoming centres all over the world.

At the same time as new generations of veterinarians are being trained in profit maximisation , including outright fraudulent billing practices , IIIVE is committed to tackling the problem from both ends: campaigning for vastly improved ethics in veterinary practices (used here both as a noun and a verb, by the way) to greatly reduce the number of pets surrendered regretfully by their owners simply because they can no longer afford the often quite unjustifiable fees across the sector at large . . . and then at the other end, where the problem has already manifested by way of new homes needed. And usually, urgently.

No Hypocrisy Here

Every pet IIIVE's founder and Executive Director, Jordan Kelly, has owned in her adult life has been been a "re-home" . . . a better term for which is probably, an "adoptee".

Harry was, arguably, the exception . . . in that he did come from a breeder, but was that breeder's "own dog", and had never been bred from. One day Harry (then called Harris) needed a new home. And he found his new home waiting eagerly for him at the Kelly household, where he joined his big brother, Vette, an earlier adoptee - a cheeky papillon / border collie cross who lived to be 19.5 years old.

Massey's Companion Animal "Hospital" and its staff had plans to ensure Harry, however, didn't have the opportunity to experience similar longevity .

' . . . Out of Great Evil, Great Good Must Be Made to Come . . . '

Harry's legacy has to be more than just a case study . His death was senseless, cruel and without justification or excuse.

It was without truth and it was without compassion . . . not withstanding the very institution that "trains" each new generation of veterinarians it dispatches into veterinary clinics around the world should, conversely, be a bastion of high ethical standards - not the reverse .

It is out of the spirit of genuine compassion that the Harry Homing Mission is born, to bring light into the darkness that prevailed when New Zealand's Massey University veterinary teaching hospital (aka "Companion Animal Hospital") decided to teach their students in the lowest level of "ethics" imaginable .

The Harry Homing Mission will start small - it's a big pet rescue world out there - but IIIVE aims to gradually build up a substantial international directory of rescue and re-homing organisations across the globe.

Because every pet deserves the love and care of their own pet parent.

Someone who will love them as Harry was (and still is) loved and cared for.

This is to be Harry's legacy . . . for all the good things that can be given out of what was taken.

If you know of an organisation that should be listed, you can suggest it directly through the directory page. If you are a rescue organisation that would like to be included, we welcome your submission .

You'll find a dedicated form at the bottom of the Directory section.

Your 'Baby’s' Missing. You're Staring Down the Barrel of Your Worst Nightmare. What Do You Do?

editor@consumeraffairswriter.com (Jordan Kelly) — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 04:43:42 GMT

Your 'Baby’s' Missing. You're Staring Down the Barrel of Your Worst Nightmare. What Do You Do?

(This is an advisory article on what to do, in what order to do it, and what not to do, in the event your worst nightmare becomes a reality, and your beloved dog goes missing. But first, bear with me, while I relate my own horrifying experience . . . which includes all the things that should have been done, but weren’t.

Further into the article, you’ll receive frontline advice from a seasoned animal control officer that will maximise your chances of getting your “baby” back – and as quickly and safely as possible.)

Suddenly realising your precious fur baby is missing, is one of the most terrifying moments in a dedicated, and otherwise highly responsible, pet parent’s life.

I never thought it would happen to me. Until the day it did.

I had left my precious little Harry in the “care” of a seemingly “lovely” retired English couple here in Masterton, New Zealand, for an afternoon while I had a dental appointment in Wellington (our capital city, a four-hour round trip).

I had found this couple after advertising for occasional care for instances just like said dentist appointment, where it wasn’t appropriate to take him and where he couldn’t be left in a vehicle – not for that amount of time, and, of course, not ever, in the warmer months.

I had visited the home and yard environments of a shortlist of potential carers, and this couple seemed to be the ideal candidates. Their own little dog had died just prior, and they said they wanted part-time canine company but without the full-time commitment.

Returning back late that afternoon – armed with British brand-name biscuits and cakes from a UK specialty products store, as a gift of gratitude for "looking after" my precious Harry – I found not only that no “looking after” had been done . . . but far, far worse than that, here’s what I actually found:

As I approached the couple's open patio door, I saw both of them sitting watching television. They barely looked up. As my eyes scoured around their lounge for Harry, they finally looked up at me, each with a scowl on their face.

I thought they were playing some silly trick, and so I said, “OK, where is he?”

Harry Was GONE

It was at the moment of their unconcerned response that I realised the awful truth: Harry was GONE.

They had no idea where. They had no idea when. And they had done NOTHING about it! (Except to claim that “we’ve been driving around looking for him” . . . which they certainly weren’t doing when my arrival had interrupted their TV-watching.)

Fear, terror and complete confusion took over in equal proportions – and at a scale I had never experienced before in my life. To the point where, in retrospect, I don’t even know what happened to the armful of British goodies I came laden with to their door. I assume I must have just dropped them on the patio.

What I DO remember is – at the moment of realisation that this wasn’t just some silly, or cruel, joke, and that I was in a completely unfamiliar geographic territory (having moved to Masterton only weeks earlier) - letting out a blood-curdling scream, which met with chastisement from the couple, but still nil concern for Harry's whereabouts.

When Neighbours Care, It Makes A World of Difference

A young couple in the neighboring house rushed out to investigate with great concern, and immediately set about searching their own property (something the “lovely English couple” had who knows how many hours to ask to do).

While they were searching their yard, I then did the only thing my completely unprepared and not clearly thinking brain could do: Run up and down the street screaming “Harry, Harry” at the top of my lungs.

A trio of several wonderful, and much clearer-thinking, retired ladies came running out of a house and coaxed me inside, whereby one of them got on her mobile phone to the local Council, one of them got on the local town Facebook page, and the other was trying to get hold of an IT guy who had taken my own mobile phone to attend to an issue with it, had not yet returned it, and who appeared in no particular hurry to answer it.

One of the women decided to brave going across to the unconcerned English couple’s house to ask for some indication of what time (during the full afternoon and thus far evening) they at least thought might have been his time of disappearance. They had no idea, of course . . . despite the fact that their stated intention for him was to have had him in their lounge with them all day.

Just as I was on the verge of completely losing my mind and getting back into my vehicle to drive around the streets in search of him, a woman who was now talking with the young neighbours of the “lovely English couple”, called out to me, “Have you lost a little white dog called Harry?” (Thankfully, the “lovely English couple” hadn’t taken off Harry’s harness, to which was attached his name tag, my address, and his Council ID tag.)

Thank God (Literally) for A Happy Ending

To bring the story to a gratefully happy and successful ending:

The woman’s daughter had seen Harry sitting in the middle of the road outside her (the daughter’s) son’s daycare centre earlier in the afternoon.

As she approached him, Harry had scarpered. But the quick-witted and quick-moving young woman managed to get herself and her young child into her car while not losing sight of him. She drove after him, before alighting and running after him into someone’s property. Said property owner had cornered him, handed him to her, whereafter she’d embarked on a search for me . . . all while I was searching for Harry.

How did her mother know to go knocking on the young couple’s door? Because the young woman had taken a photo of Harry, uploaded it to the local Facebook community page, and some sharp-eyed resident had linked their own sighting of Harry earlier in the day to the “lovely English couple” . . . whereupon the young woman had sent her Mum door-knocking in the surrounding area.

I have no words to express the depth of gratitude I feel to that young woman, and to her mother. The emotional rollercoaster of that hour or so, and the trauma of the memory of the initial terrifying moment, are something only another similarly devoted pet parent could comprehend.

I wanted to tell this story – and to tell it in detail – in order to impress upon readers just how important it is to be diligent to either avoid such a circumstance, or to be appraised of what steps to take, and in what order, to minimise the odds of the worst outcome and maximise the chances of the best.

Intuitive Reactions vs Counterintuitive (but More Strategic) Practicalities

Who better to tell a doggie mamma or a doggie pappa exactly what steps to take and in what order, than an animal control inspector of 27 years’ experience “on the beat”?

Gordon Crawley is the “Team Leader of Animal & Bylaw Services” for Masterton District Council. He presides over a small team of three in the animal control section of his overall department. He, however, is the main “feet on the street” . . . or, rather, the guy driving around on patrol and taking care of most of the “hands on” duties.

Says Crawley:

“When a dog owner first realises their pet is missing, it’s an incredibly stressful moment, and people go into high levels of distress,” he says.

“Their mind is spinning: Is it lost, is it stolen, whose fault is it . . . ?

“As hard as it is, the key is DON’T PANIC . This is a moment when you need to both think and communicate clearly, if you are to enhance your chances of getting your dog back.

“Your natural reaction will almost always be to go out and start looking for your dog. But, in fact, (speaking from the perspective of the New Zealand situation, at least) , the very first thing you should do is let your local Council know.

“Because what might have (and often, has) happened, is that your dog got out four hours before you realised his or her disappearance, and we might well have it safely in the Council animal shelter. And all the while you are in high stress mode running around the streets looking for him or her.

“There’s an after-hours or emergency option on the outgoing voicemail options of most local councils’ main phone number. Don’t delay in using it. It doesn’t matter what time of the night it is. After hours call centre staff will take down the details of your situation, and the animal control team will be notified as soon as they come online first thing in the morning.

“We’ll either have the dog (assuming you give us a sufficiently detailed and workable description), or we’ll convey the details to the appropriate team member/s at that time.”

Crawley says that while the Council’s animal control personnel don’t go driving around looking for a lost dog, if they are aware of a missing dog, the details they’ve been given will help them keep a firm eye on the area while on general patrol – which they often are, for example, in certain areas known to be problem territory.

Council is the First, but Only the First , Port of Call

After calling your local Council, the inspector says, your next move should be to get photos of your dog and a detailed description of him or her, on your local community’s social media pages (or that of the local area in which he or she was lost). Every local community has a Facebook page or something of that ilk, he says. (Indeed, that was the catalyst that led to Harry’s return.)

“Many, if not most, dogs get returned through this route, before we even get involved,” says Crawley. “Community social media pages are incredibly powerful. Don’t under-estimate them. People are always on those pages doing something.”

If your dog goes missing locally, go and knock on neighbours’ doors, he advises.

“I’d be inclined to visit neighboring properties up to seven or eight doors away in all directions, including off of side roads.”

Detail, Detail, Detail

The key here, he says, is to give a highly detailed description :

Not just breed, but other identifiers, primarily, colour and secondary markings e.g. brown ears, brown dots above the eyes, colour of collar, and, of course, the name the dog answers to.

Crawley says the degree of detail regarding the dog’s physical appearance is especially important in the case of mixed breeds and the new “hybrid” breeds.

“Labradoodles, by way of an example, and most of these new, emerging hybrid dog breeds don’t put any specific picture even in my mind, even as a seasoned dog control officer, so you have to consider how little the name of some new type of breed would mean to the average householder.

“I know all the basic breeds – fox terrier, alsatian, labrador, heading dogs, all the standards, of course, and most people do. But when it comes to mixtures of different breeds or these new hybrids – I have no idea what I’m looking out for, let alone the average resident trying to work out what mixed breeds or the increasing number of new mixed breeds look like.

“ Having a very detailed description of what your dog looks like is critical. Including when you ring your Council pound – for the same reason.”

Put It In Print

My own suggestion in this regard, would be that – if your pet hasn’t been found after doing all the above and your first round of door-knocking, then - print out a clear photo of your pet, with the above level of detail in easy-to-read wording and print size.

Do a second door-knock exercise, delivering this notice in the form of (either A4 or A5) flyers around your neighbourhood, or the neighbourhood where he or she went missing (and also your own, if it’s a reasonable assumption that they could have tried to make their own way home).

Do that drop at least within the inspector's full recommended radius.

An actual piece of tangible paper with your dog’s description greatly increases the sets of eyes and ears you’ll potentially have on the case. When you do a verbal version of the door-knock, you’re talking to one person at the door, but later on, that householder's whole family comes home – and hopefully, sees your flyer.

A No-Brainer but It Doesn’t Go Without Saying

Back to the animal control inspector:

“I can’t stress enough how critically important it is to make sure your dog’s registration is up to date, and to ensure that it is microchipped . That massively increases your chances of getting your dog back.”

Also on the note of the obvious, but worthy of a big and regular reminder:

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” says Crawley. “ Make sure your property is properly secure; fully dog-safe.

“Good fencing has no gaps . And always make sure people shut gates. It’s very advisable to have a clearly visible ‘PLEASE SHUT THE GATE’ sign.

“And put this in the delivery instructions when you order anything by courier .”

On the Note of Couriers

In closing, I’ll add to the inspector’s final point:

Unbelievability, my local New Zealand Post courier has left my large (but easily-closed) driveway gate swinging open, despite knowing full well that I have a little dog.

I promptly got onto the national call centre, who equally promptly didn’t give a stuff. It took for me to actually post a photo and an article and send it to the Government minister in charge of New Zealand Post, for them to actually bother to advise the courier against repeating his tardy actions.

However, just as unbelievably, I've seen him still leaving the gate open when he comes through it, until he goes back out of it . . . and it was only by sheer good fortune that I was outside and saw, and prevented, Harry from taking off through it. Had I not been outside and seen this, the outcome would NOT have been good for a little dog who has no road sense and is blind in one eye.

Think about it, New Zealand Post. And CARE a bit, eh? And instruct your local courier accordingly.

And while you’re at it, New Zealand Post, instruct ALL your couriers against such sloppy laziness that stands to very easily have heartbreaking and irreversible consequences.

Indoor Air Quality Expert: Mold Can Harm Your Pets, Too

editor@consumeraffairswriter.com (Jordan Kelly) — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 20:23:07 GMT

Mold Remediation Pro Explains the Dangers of Mycotoxins to Your Pets

Mold is an organism that’s prevalent in the environment, and always looking for the opportunity to take root in your home and reproduce through its spores.

These spores can attach themselves to dust particles that are already in your air, says Indoor Air Quality Expert, Michael Rubino (popular blogger and podcaster, ‘Never Been Sicker’ ).

They then become part of your home’s natural dust.

“Now, let's think about this: A cat or a little puppy is very, very close to the floor where the dust obviously collects . . . so they’re more likely to inhale dust particles than actually you and I are.

“If your furry loved one is scratching and licking excessively, has nasal discharge, or labored breathing or any breathing difficulties at all, fur loss, lethargy, vomiting and diarrhoea, or on the increasingly serious end of the scale, tremors, seizures, or nose or mouth bleeding, these can be attributed to potential environmental exposure – and the first thing to suspect and investigate, is the likelihood of mold . . . after first immediately r ushing your dog to your vet . ”

Rubino provides extensive and detailed advice in this YouTube video on how to minimise your pet's risk related to mold exposure.

A Mini Railway, A Driver, A Conductor, A Ticketer . . . & A Very Excited Little Doggy

editor@consumeraffairswriter.com (Jordan Kelly) — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 22:12:24 GMT

My Little Boy, Harry, Having His First 'Train Ride'

Harry and I were accorded VIP status last weekend by the three friendly operators of the Masterton Miniature Train Society's 'rolling stock' . . . the little red and black choo choo that circles the lake in the town's picturesque Queen Elizabeth II Park & Gardens.

Jo, the uber-friendly ticket booth manager, insisted on making sure that I and my little guy had safely seated ourselves in a carriage. Nice.

David the Driver (the Engineer?) did the honours on his own mobile phone, making sure the moment was captured (his photographic handiwork is featured here on this page).

And Brendan the Overseer organised a second round of photos when the journey was complete. That's the photo you see on the front page.

These three volunteers are gold. The throughput of excited kids that sunny Sunday afternoon was massive. They worked their tails off. Thanks, special people, for taking the time to make my little boy's afternoon exciting, too. And for ensuring I had a photographic reminder of it.

Warning for Pet Parents: Be Alert to Toy-Related Dangers

editor@consumeraffairswriter.com (Jordan Kelly) — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 02:21:51 GMT

Dogs Are Like Kids in Many Ways . . . Swallowing Things They Shouldn't Is One of Them

When you buy toys for your dogs, check them over to make sure they're dog-proof, in the same way you would if you were checking for their kid-safe factor.

Pictured is one of my dog's soft toys, the eyes of which suddenly disappeared from its face . . . and I thankfully found them before he did.

Don't be shy to have a pull, a poke and a prod, and to remove things like treat toys from their boxes for a thorough inspection. I once lost my precious little Maltese, Timmy, to a choking accident. (Admittedly, it was my own fault. I gave him a chunk of hard cheese, unthinkingly, and he tried to down it without chewing it.)

My dear little Timmy died on the front seat of my vehicle before I arrived at the vet clinic. I don't wish that on anyone. But it could so easily happen, and above are examples of how that could be.

So take extra care when buying toys or treats for your fur-children.

From All 'Mr Furry Bums' & Pet Parents, Thanks, Housing Minister Bishop

editor@consumeraffairswriter.com (Jordan Kelly) — Thu, 23 May 2024 09:25:24 GMT

At Last, Maybe People Who Rent Will No Longer Have to Make A Choice Between Keeping Their Beloved Pet and Having A Roof Over Their Family's Head

For too many years, in recent decades, New Zealanders-who-rent have - increasingly - had to make the choice to either stay hunting for a home for a prolonged period, or live without a pet being part of their family.

While I readily accept that a small percentage of irresponsible pet owners "ruin it for others", the fact is this: A larger percentage of Kiwi households own a pet than those that don't have a pet.

According to research undertaken in 2022 by Companion Animals New Zealand (CANZ), 64 percent of our homes have a furred member of the family (I mean, a real one, the actual, literal, original, four-legged type).

So it's especially gratifying to finally see a politician with the power to do so, make a difference for all those households who both own a pet and rent - whether they be people on their own, large families, or anything in between.

According to an article in 'Inside Government New Zealand' , a new pet-friendly tenancy Bill has just passed its first reading.

The article's author quotes Housing Minister Chris Bishop:

“We’ve heard from many renters that it’s far too hard to find a rental home when you have a pet or want to get one. Pets are important members of so many Kiwi families, and we think it’s only right to make it easier to rent a home with your furry friend.

“The Bill makes it far easier to have a pet in a rental property in two ways: it requires landlords to only withhold consent for their tenants to have a pet on reasonable grounds, which might include things like whether the property has suitable fencing for a dog, for example.

“It also allows landlords to charge an additional two-week bond in case the pet causes damage to the property, giving the landlord greater reassurance that they won’t be left out of pocket through allowing Mr Fluffy Bum to move in with his person,” he said.

Your Choice of Vet Could Be A Life or Death Decision

editor@consumeraffairswriter.com (Jordan Kelly) — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 04:04:44 GMT

Vet Practice Dispenses Potentially Fatal Double-Dose Heart Medication

Here’s how it went down.

I had just moved to Masterton (in the weeks leading up to Christmas). My regular vet practice is actually Totally Vets in Feilding – and I’m a huge fan of my dog’s actual veterinarian there, one Julia Giles. Unlike other experiences leading up to bringing my precious pooch into her care, she is diligent, thorough, caring – and while she’s a fully conventionally trained vet, she is not mentally closed off to holistic / natural treatment possibilities and efficacies. So, in short, regardless of the distance I must travel for consultations, my dog is staying in her care.

Notwithstanding, I sought to establish a secondary relationship with a local vet practice in Masterton for the purpose of (a) having a local point of dispense for my dog’s heart medication, and (b) having immediate access to a vet for emergencies.

While I experienced certain instances of incompetence in my attempts to do so with the local practice I chose to contact, these pale into insignificance in light of the most egregious of them all: the errant dispense of a double dose of my small, 6kg dog’s all-important heart medication.

Having gone through some rigamarole revolving largely around my insistence that I would NOT be changing my primary vet, I finally got this local practice to agree to the simple request of fulfilling a repeat prescription for my dog’s heart medication – a prescription duly forwarded to the practice by my primary vets i.e. TVG in Feilding.

I then visited the practice to collect my dog’s heart medication prescription.

Although I normally would not have done so, “something within” (and maybe the other lesser displays of incompetence) prompted me to open the bag and check the label on the box.

What Part of '2.5mg is NOT 1.25mg' Don’t They Understand?

To my concern, I could clearly see that the box itself read “ Vetmedin 2.5mg ”, despite this Masterton vet's print-out label showing the prescribed Vetmedin 1.25mg . In other words, despite the box containing double the strength of the heart medication that my own vet had prescribed (and which he has been on for several years), it had been labelled errantly as though the box contained the correct/prescribed strength of the medication. Which it did not. It contained TWICE the prescribed strength of capsule.

To be additionally noted, in an earlier phone call prior to my own vet emailing this repeat prescription to this local vet practice, I had actually been asked by the local vet practice’s receptionist which strength my dog was on, and I’d told her to wait for the prescription to arrive and to read it carefully and please ensure that I was being dispensed the correct dosage of capsule.

Standing at the counter now, I drew this double dosage being dispensed (as clearly showing on the box for anyone caring to actually read it) to the receptionists’ attention and asked for an explanation, stressing the potential implications of this act of gross incompetence i.e. dispensing a double-dose of a small and fragile dog’s prescribed strength of heart medication.

The response was that “it wasn’t me who dispensed it”. I responded that it didn’t matter to me what staff member dispensed it, the mistake was made by the same practice and stood to have the same ramifications for my dog, had I not noticed this error.

The explanation finally offered, without due concern, was that they “only had chewables in the prescribed strength”. Thus, some incompetent had taken it upon themselves to decide – since capsules had been prescribed – to simply dispense the strength of capsules that they had in stock (and label them incorrectly, as though they were as prescribe d, despite the fact that they were double the prescription strength).

I pressed the issue of the (potentially fatal) consequences of this uneducated and unwarranted “judgement call”.

‘Just’ Human Error (like, No Biggie)

The response was a defensive and dismissive, “It was human error.” The inference was “just” i.e. “just” human error. No biggie.

There was a refusal to give me the box (reason: it had to be “returned to the supplier”; why?), but I reached over and took the now-empty box (as evidence) off the counter anyway and promptly left.

You’ll see from the photograph illustrating this article, that the printing on the box shows abundantly clearly that its contents are “2.5mg” capsules. That’s right there in large, bold type on the box. However, immediately below it, is the vet practice’s applied print-out label, showing 1.25mg. You will also see that the frequency of dosage is as per the prescription i.e. twice daily. Thus, had I not noticed this dispensing error, I would have been giving my dog a double-dose of the medication twice daily.

It was a dangerous act of incompetence that – if not detected by a diligent owner – could have cost my beloved dog his life.

Several Prompts to the Vet Clinic Later . . .

Returning home, I thought about not only the potentially fatal dispensing error (and the several pre-prompts to this vet clinic regarding the importance of accuracy), but also the casual, seemingly unconcerned nature of the way in which this, again, potentially-fatal act of incompetence had been treated.

In the interests of other unsuspecting pet owners and their treasured and defenceless pets, I therefore decided to make a formal complaint to the Veterinary Council of New Zealand.

I wrote a full account of the matter, attached to my email a photograph of the plainly mis-labeled heart medication (i.e. showing the printing on the box as 2.5mg, and immediately below it, the vet's own labeling of "1.25mg" i.e. in accordance with my own vet's prescribed strength but NOT in accordance with what was actually IN THE BOX, as per the box's own clear print. See the photo accompanying this article).

I emailed this to the Registrar of the Veterinary Council and his deputy, along with my own vet, my dog's cardiologist, and (of course), the local vet clinic itself.

Several days later, no response from the local vet clinic. Nada. Not a skerrick of even an acknowledgement of my email. I did, however, receive a reply from the Veterinary Council, asking me to request of the local clinic the name of the vet involved with the dispensing of the errant prescription.

So I rang several phone numbers for the Group without result, and finally - upon trying one final branch/clinic's phone number - I found myself speaking to someone who actually understood the gravity of the matter. She provided me with several (assumedly, senior management) email addresses, asked me to send a further email, and advised me that she'd be calling those recipients immediately to tell them to read my forthcoming email - and with the appropriate urgency.

So I wrote again, as per the above instruction:

"It is concerning that no communication has been received following my sending the below email on Tuesday of this week (nor even any acknowledgement thereof).

"This matter is not a small one. You have staff who are either sloppily dispensing the wrong medication OR who are taking it upon themselves to change the prescription of a prescribing vet, and doing this without any communication to the owner of the pet in question.

"The Veterinary Council has responded with the following instruction to me:

“We’ll need you to name the specific veterinarian that you’re concerned about from (this practice).”

"I look forward to some communication that demonstrates that your practice’s ownership and managerial team are actually giving serious attention to a matter of this gravity.

"In the meantime, as evidence, please see the attached photograph of the box, its actual contents, and the labeling applied by you. NB: This is the box that your reception staff did not want me to take away with me, as you will read below."

Sincerely
Jordan Kelly

A Response . . . But Some Serious Concerns, Notwithstanding

Finally. the next day, I received a response from management - acknowledging "this incident" and assuring me that "we are currently putting in place a double-checking system on all our medications dispensed by our practice.

"This will involve every prescription to be checked by two veterinary staff members (one of whom is a veterinarian or senior staff member). The medication will be checked for the type, the strength and the dose of the medication and that the medication is for the correct patient.

"We are also sorry that the communication of the staff regarding the prescription error was not satisfactory. We have spoken to all the staff including those involved and outlined the importance of our customer care."

Well, I'm still not all that impressed, and here's why:

1) If there was indeed an appropriate level of concern, this would have - or should have - resulted in some immediate (even if interim) acknowledgement of my correspondence, without prompting that involved copying the practice in on emails to the Veterinary Council, my own vet, my dog's cardiologist, and even Consumer New Zealand.

2) How was such a serious and potentially fatal set of circumstances allowed to eventuate in the first place? Certainly, both the fact that it did, and the clinic's management advising me that they had now put appropriate and supposedly fail-safe dispensing practices in place, would indicate that they have long been operating without any such safety measures. To say nothing of the casual responses of the clinic's frontline staff.

3) I note that the eventual reply from management avoided mentioning the name of any vet - the specific item of information requested by the Veterinary Council.

CUSTOMERS OF VETERINARY CLINICS SHOULD NOTE:

Don't assume that there is any point or path of recourse against a veterinary clinic per se. Unless you can get the name of a specific vet, you - the client, and your pet - are on your own.

From a communication by the Veterinary Council of New Zealand:

"Under the Veterinarians Act 2005, VCNZ is responsible for regulating individual, practicing veterinarians. We don’t regulate veterinary clinics or veterinary support staff; therefore, we are unable to consider a complaint about a veterinarian clinic generally."

So, my advice, is to not be reticent in asking questions, or in questioning the advice or practices or conduct, of any veterinarian or veterinary clinic . . . Don't be lulled into some false sense of security that you'll have any overseeing industry or professional body to look into anything on your behalf (or that they will); no matter how serious. Even if your pet dies. It'll be too bad for you, basically. To put it baldly, you have no guarantee that anybody will give a flying F-K, much less execute any disciplinary action. (It's the same 'ol, same 'ol. In both my opinion and in my experience, the "industry watchdogs" are more concerned to protect their own, wherever they can. It's the same in almost every industry across the board. The only difference is that in the veterinary and medical industries, the result could be fatal.)

4) So much for management's claim that: "We have spoken to all the staff including those involved and outlined the importance of our customer care."

Their accounts department certainly didn't get the memo. On the morning of the 25th of January, I received a very terse phone call telling me that I had an outstanding invoice for my dog's heart medication.

In no uncertain terms, I advised the staffer (I have her name, if management gives a stuff and wants it) that not only had the practice acted in a manner that could have had fatal consequences for my dog, but they had not exactly been "best practice" in their communications, and now - to add insult to injury - she was ringing me in a most unfriendly manner to demand payment for a product that (mercifully) I never took possession of (aside from the empty box, as evidence of the mis-labeling incompetence).

Said staffer responded that "I haven't heard anything about it". I suggested her employing organisation "get your shit together" and that "I'll leave it with you", and hung up. A very short while later, I found an "Overdue Invoice" in my email inbox.

Highlighting their continuing incompetence, check out the fact that the invoice claims to have dispensed the correct dosage i.e. 1.25mg of the heart meds - when, in fact, as this article and the photographic evidence illustrating it, demonstrates, they actually dispensed the outlined potentially fatal double dosage (2.5mg) you see on the box, and that my copious correspondence to them has detailed.

I mean . . . could it get any worse? I'd call it a prime clown show, but this degree of incompetence and the potentially fatal consequences such could have, is FAR FROM FUNNY .