A veterinarian has been suspended and forced to pay thousands of dollars in fines for trying to cover up an error-ridden prescription after a dog died.
Brooke Sullivan treated Lucy, a black Labrador retriever, for a leg injury at a clinic in Osborne Park, Perth, in October 2022.
The vet noticed the eight-year-old dog’s wound appeared to be an insect bite and he also had a sprained ligament, a Washington State Administrative Tribunal was told.
She gave Lucy’s owners a prescription for three medications, one of which required a 25g dose taken daily.
Despite following the prescription to the letter, the dog continued to get sicker and sicker and after vomiting continuously was euthanized nine days after the visit to the vet.
One of Lucy’s heartbroken owners, a pharmacist, then realised that the 25-gram prescription was nine times the recommended dose for her weight.
They requested a meeting with the clinic’s owners, which alerted Ms. Sullivan to the error and led her to attempt to alter the prescription remotely.
However, Lucy’s owners took a screenshot of the original medication and filed a complaint with the state Board of Veterinary Practice.
A Perth vet has been suspended and ordered to pay more than $5,000 for altering an error in a prescription days after he died (file image)
The board brought Ms. Sullivan before the Washington State Administrative Tribunal in May after an investigation found her behavior constituted professional misconduct.
The court’s decision, released on September 12, found that the veterinarian’s actions warranted “disciplinary action.”
They managed to mediate the matter and Ms. Sullivan was suspended for three months effective June 1.
He was also ordered to pay a $2,000 fine and another $3,500 for the cost of the application to the board.