Why I'm ashamed to be a vet: a shocking exposé of the profession that puts pets through 'painful and unnecessary treatments to fleece their trusting owners'
For eight years Matthew Watkinson worked as a vet. But are vets really the saints they are made out to be? Here, Matthew, 32, now an author, exposes the uncuddly truth about vets that every animal lover should read. . . 
 Matthew Watkinson says treating family pets has spawned a whole industry...

The greyhound's soulful eyes seemed to plead with me to help him. His thin tail tucked between his legs, he stood still with fear on the examination table as the posse of fellow veterinary students listened to the chief lecturer.

Aged 12, he had bone cancer in a hind leg and it was advanced, we were told. Looking at the dog, I imagined he'd had a good life. Obviously, from the condition of his brushed coat, and his muscled body, he had an owner who knew how to care for him.

As a student vet who in a year was to graduate to work in my own practice, I knew what I would recommend if I were this dog's owner  -  and that was a loving and peaceful death. 

 But putting the greyhound to sleep and out of his misery was not the correct answer, the lecturer told me quite sternly.

A humane death would not be the course of treatment offered to its owner. Well, at any rate, not yet. After all, didn't I realise the advances that had been made in veterinary medicine? There were 'options' that could extend this old dog's life.

No, instead, its leg was going to be amputated and then a course of chemotherapy would be tried to ensure that 'all was done to save the dog's life'  -  at a cost of £1,000 to £2,000, or even more.

I have no idea what the owner thought of this. But, as the majority of pet owners want to do the best by their beloved dog, I can only imagine he or she took this 'chief' vet's expensive advice to try to 'save' the pet.

And even if it did give that greyhound an extra year or so of life, how could anyone explain to it that the suffering was for a reason? That lying in a small cage, surgically maimed, and hooked up to a drip for weeks, perhaps months, would be 'worth it'.

Today I look back on that lecture and realise that already I had begun to question the role of vets in animal 'welfare'.

Of course, back then I avoided becoming embroiled in ethics. I was just thrilled to be one of the lucky few to have made it into the most prestigious vet school in the country  -  London's Royal Veterinary College.

Having had a comprehensive school education, I went into the job because I was fascinated by biology and genuinely wanted to help animals. And although my parents had good jobs  -  my mother was a nurse and my father a radiographer  -  I was the first person in my family to go to university, and understandably my family was incredibly proud of my achievement.

So, despite the doubts already beginning to form in my mind, I ploughed on. A year after the greyhound incident I graduated and took my veterinary oath, which all vets swear to, promising 'to ensure the welfare of animals committed to my care'.

Back then, I had no concept that far from the saviours of animals they purport to be, the blame for much animal suffering in the UK can be laid so firmly at the door of vets.

I had no idea that I would ultimately be driven to confess that I am ashamed to be a vet and that, eight years after qualifying, I would find myself so disgusted at the moneymaking practices that I would leave the profession altogether.

Police have advised veterinary practices to be on their guard following a spate of break-ins in the South East, linked to the theft of controlled drugs (CDs).

“Criminal elements in the South East are targeting practices in Surrey, Hampshire and East Sussex. They may well have targeted, or will target, other practices in all of the neighbouring counties,” warns PC Steve Doswell, Controlled Drugs Liaison Officer in the East Sussex police area.

“Methadone, Ketamine, Alprazolam and Diazepam are all commonly-abused by drug users, and nationally there have been a lot of problems with users buying street heroin that has been cut with Alprazolam,” he added.

PC Doswell offered the following advice to practices:

• The premises where drugs are held should be alarmed, preferably with direct connection to a central alarm control that alerts the local police for prompt attendance.
   
• Schedule 2 or 3 CDs (with safe custody restrictions) must be in a purpose-built cabinet or have a valid exemption certificate (issued annually).
   
• The responsible/authorised person for that practice is he or she who holds the CD cabinet key. The key’s use should be controlled at all times: leaving it in a pot/drawer near to the cabinet is not good practice.
   
• Up-to-date CD standard operating procedures should be in place, and understood by all staff.
   
• A current Controlled Drugs Register should be kept, with the correct sections/headings and up-to-date entries.
   
• A list of police Controlled Drugs Liaison Officers (CDLOs) can be found on the Veterinary Medicines Directorate website. CDLOs are authorised to destroy out-of-date drugs, which should be promptly destroyed to limit potential risk. When visiting to destroy such drugs, the CDLO would be able to give advice to individual practices about their security, and other related issues.
   

More detailed information about the correct storage of controlled drugs can be found in the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme Manual.