A dog owner in Värmland sought care for his twelve-year-old male dog because the dog started urinating and drinking more than usual. The samples taken indicated that the dog’s liver values were too high.
The vet recommended the dog owner start with a special food, which she did. It partially helped to lower the liver values, but the dog still showed symptoms that were perceived to be getting worse.
After several contacts with the vet, the dog owner finally turned to another vet. By then eight months had passed and the dog was diagnosed with, among other things, diabetes and began to be treated with insulin. The values got better – but by then the dog had time to go blind.
The first veterinarian is now being criticized by the Animal Health and Medical Responsibility Committee, which believes that the veterinarian “obviously confused” two different blood values several times and should have investigated the dog, or referred it for investigation.
The veterinarian in question states that the dog’s illness could not have been detected earlier with the conditions that existed at the clinic, and that he asked the animal owner to apply to another clinic to do an ultrasound and get a diagnosis.