A dachshund died in agony on the operating table after a vet botched a routine procedure in front of the pet’s traumatized owner, an inquest has heard.
Dr Leo Cantwell has been found guilty of five counts of gross unprofessional conduct following surgery on seven-year-old Oska in Melbourne in 2022.
Oska’s owner, Sofie Giuiri, had taken her dog to Dr. Cantwell for an enema, in which fluid is injected into the rectum, but after just 30 minutes, Oska died on the table.
The enema was performed so poorly that a “rapid stream” of poop began coming out of Oska’s mouth before she went into cardiac arrest, according to a formal disciplinary investigation. The Herald of the Sun reported.
Dr Leo Cantwell has been found guilty of five counts of gross unprofessional conduct while operating on seven-year-old Oska in Melbourne in 2022. Pictured are Oska and her owner Sofie Giuiri.
Dr. Cantwell had not given Oska any painkillers and persisted with the procedure even when he seemed “distressed and uncomfortable.”
Ms Giuiri lodged a complaint with the Victorian Veterinary Practitioners Registration Board, which suspended Dr Cantwell’s registration in 2022.
No further action was taken until now after the Board fought to keep the details of Oska’s death secret.
‘My dog was my best, best friend. He was very active, he was very cute… and very, very affectionate,” Mrs Giuri told the Herald Sun.
Mrs. Giuri was in the room next to her pet while Dr. Cantwell performed the procedure.
A three-member disciplinary panel established following Ms. Giuri’s complaint concluded that Dr. Cantwell’s conduct was “a substantial deviation from professional veterinary standards.
“The departure was neither trivial nor had a momentary effect and placed Oska’s health and safety at significant risk,” the panel concluded.
Dr. Cantwell only stopped the procedure after Giuiri yelled at him because Oska had stopped responding, the panel found.
He added that Dr. Cantwell’s attempts to resuscitate Oska were unsuccessful and deficient.
Dr. Cantwell had not given Oska any painkillers and persisted with the procedure even when he seemed “distressed and uncomfortable.”
He had also failed to adequately communicate with Ms Giuri, had failed to obtain proper consent and had failed to keep adequate records of Oska’s death.
Dr Cantwell only told the panel that his record-keeping “could have been better” when asked for an explanation.
Ms Giuiri is now making sure other pet owners hear Oska’s story after spending the last two years waiting for the Veterinary Board to publish its findings..
The Board spent approximately $25,000 in legal fees trying to prevent any documents regarding Dr. Cantwell’s suspension from being made public.
The Veterinary Board says it is an offense to disclose any information relating to Dr Cantwell.
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal will now determine whether the Board acted lawfully in refusing to disclose documents relating to the case.
Dr. Cantwell’s clinic has since been sold to new owners.
