Kitten’s death: Vet sued for Rs25m

Kitten owner claims pet was misdiagnosed and mistreated

ISLAMABAD: A veterinary clinic in Islamabad has been sued for Rs25 million for its alleged misdiagnosis and maltreatment, leading to the death of a two-month-old kitten.

Sundas Hoorain, the pet owner, took her purebred Persian kitten to the clinic in Sector F-7/4 for a checkup and pet supplies on November 22, 2015. A staffer at the clinic examined the kitten and diagnosed her with a fungal skin infection.

According to the consumer complaint Hoorain filed later, she was assured by staff that her cat would get proper treatment. They told her to bring the kitten the next day so that it could be kept under medical observation.

On November 23, the owner brought the kitten to the clinic, where a vet told her that the best way forward for treatment would be shave the animal.

The complainant said she was also informed by the vet that the kitten could die if exposed to cold weather after being shaved, and needed to be kept in a warm environment. The complainant made an advanced payment of Rs8,000 and left for work.

When she went back to pick her kitten, she says she was shocked to find the kitten in a cage without any heating or water to drink.

The vet informed her that the kitten was not given any treatment and was only bathed and shaved. When the pet owner asked why it was not moving, the vet gave her “frivolous excuses”.

The complainant wrapped the kitten in a shawl and immediately took her to another vet in Sector E-7. This vet examined the kitten and said she was critical with a temperature of 95 degrees Celsius, and was dehydrated.

The kitten was put on a warmed intravenous infusion and was given life-saving drugs. Furthermore, the Hoorain says that the kitten was examined under UV light and no traces of a fungal infection were found.

Despite all life-saving measures, the kitten eventually died the same evening. Three days later, the complainant sent a legal notice to the Sector F-7/4 vet’s clinic, seeking damages for the loss.

When she received no response, she filed a consumer complaint in the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Faizan Haider Gilani a few weeks later.

The complainant has prayed the court order the veterinary clinic to pay her Rs25 million in compensation for the loss of the kitten and suffering caused by incident. She also requested the court to sentence the respondents to two years’ imprisonment for violating her rights as a consumer of veterinary services.

Hoorain maintained that she chose the services of respondents after seeing their Facebook page, which promised care and quality of service. Separately, the petitioner asked the court to sentence the respondents to two years in prison for false advertisement.

The respondents have challenged the maintainability of the complaint, saying that the Pakistan Veterinary Medical Council was the proper forum for the complaint.

Haider Imtiaz, counsel for the petitioner, however, says the court declared the complaint maintainable and will take up the matter on November 15.

Sundas Hoorain, the complainant, told The Express Tribune that she later learnt the person who checked and shaved the kitten was not a registered vet. “When I brought this to the notice of Faisal Khan, who is the owner of the clinic, no action was taken,” she said.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10^th, 2016.