Greyhound Leo died  6th June 2017. http://www.greyhound-data.com/db.php…

Before I relate how poor Leo fared under the care of Kew's Vets Harlow, UK, it is once again the disgraceful behaviour of the senior staff at this practice that comes very much to the fore.

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My interaction with Kew's goes back to the very early 80’s when I was a naïve greyhound owner, who thought a vet was a vet, but very soon that evaporated as my trust in the veterinary profession was put under a great strain after I took my greyhound girl, Kizzie to have a toe swelling checked over by a Kew's vet. They didn’t really do a lot other than pain control, and some ointment. Very soon I was forced to go elsewhere when the condition worsened. Who I see was Bruce Prole a very eminent greyhound vet, who soon chastised me for going to Kew's as it had now had been left too late, and he could only pin fire the joint to hold it stable. (Now illegal in the UK)

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Sometime after that my Glen began limping, and although I again took him to Kew's where they x-rayed him, their opinion was he had Arthritis in his wrist. Out they came with their pills again, but to no avail. So I then took him to greyhound veterinary author David Poulter. As soon as I walked up to his surgery, David stepped out and very bluntly told me that this was very serious as he had a tumour in his shoulder, not anywhere near his wrist. After x-rays to confirm, I had to have put to sleep immediately.

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You may wonder why I again went to Kew's? It’s mainly, because it was just up the road to me. But it was to get worse.

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I again had to take my greyhound Vincent to see the vet as he was off colour and had been eating grass, but not too much. I will say at this point this practice never appears to employ experienced vets as they all seem so young, so much so I always ask them how long they have been qualified to allay my fears. I must say though they weren’t often allayed. So there I was at Kew's in the evening out of hours with a young girl veterinarian giving me her opinion. This turned out to be open him up and clear his stomach out, which they did. However, they told me they had removed two quarts of grass, but I knew that couldn’t be true as my garden was paved all over, so the only grass he could have eaten was while he was on a walk with me, and believe me it wasn’t a lot, so my doubts were aroused with what they were telling me.

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Vincent was kept in, and they wouldn’t let me see him. However, they did tell me if I didn’t pay up front I couldn’t have my dog back. The truth is I could buy any of them up there so there was no question I couldn’t pay. I steamed up to the practice and corralled the practice manager in a consulting room and let rip my feelings of why a jumped up veterinary nurse could tell me I couldn’t have my dog back. It was like talking to a brick wall. I paid the £1496.00 bill and took Vincent home. It was after this incident that I began to write up my experiences of using this God forsaken practice. It didn’t go down to well with the authors of my misfortune. I’m under the impression think they think their clients should be seen, but never heard? I also had a nasty meeting with another inept vet at this practice when my Lucy lost her battle with cancer and had to be put down. The young vet was so dire, that when she left the surgery to find some more anaesthetic, the veterinary nurse apologised profusely for what had just happened.

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The final straw for me came in January 2016, when out on one of our walks my hound Fonzie began to struggle to breathe, and began dying before my eyes. I was near my car so I managed to get him in with my other two and took him to the nearest vets, which just happened to be Kew's. At the back door I wrung the bell and a veterinary nurse appeared, and I told her my dog that was in the car and was dying so I needed to have him put to sleep quickly as he was badly suffering. She went back inside, appearing in a few minutes to ask me to go around the front. There was no way I could do that as he was a dead weight, and weighed close on 80lbs. So she went in again but I collared another nurse who bought out a blanket, and between the two nurses we got poor Fonzie into the surgery where he was very quickly euthanised. One nurse took care of my other two dogs which I greatly appreciated. It was the delay in in them actually seeing Fonzie in the first place I deplored, as I could only watch his struggle for life as it ebbed away. The decision to go to the front came obviously from higher up than a practice nurse which I can only assume was implemented to cause me much more distress.

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Fonzie had already gone through enough before he came to me so I was not amused. I wrote extensively on that which appeared on our Spotted in Harlow, which gives the small man a chance to get their story across, especially any injustice you may feel. It’s a boon to anyone in Harlow who feels aggrieved. So this is the background to what happened yesterday as I approached the K*** veterinary van where they had just put Leo after the accident, and they knew exactly who I was as I was addressed by name..

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I was there with the blessing of the owner, as I had taken Leo out many times with my gang, I loved the old dog as he was such an old character. I wanted to see just how bad he was to see if the correct choice would be my greyhound vet, or for Kew's to be in charge of his care. I didn’t have a chance, because every time I tried to see him she thrust her rear into me stopping me getting close, it was akin to trying to get round a barrage balloon being buffeted by the wind followed by her accusing me of assaulting her. The only saving grace it was luckily videoed.

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Leo’s owner appeared very soon after, and we followed the van back to Kew's, where this gargantuan woman banned me from going in the building. Leo’s owner went in, and after a while came out with the news all was not well with the old boy.

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I cannot comment on Leo’s care as they wouldn’t let me in. However Toni was constantly on the phone to me, and it was decided if there was any kind of hope he should be given a chance, however slim. It seems that Leo had been hit slightly off straight damaging his back legs. There were no breakages, but an obvious chance of nerve damage, which sadly was the case. However, it was worth giving him 24hrs to let him settle down a bit to see if there was any improvement, but it was just minimal I’m afraid, so very reluctantly Toni decided the time had come to let him go.

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Toni’s mum, sister and daughter were there to see the poor boy off, but once again their animal and customer care took another nose dive. Instead of using the kindest way of passing him on to his maker by putting him to sleep in the cage he was in, they also decided to not carry him into the consultation room where the family waited, but literally dragged him in which caused not only Leo distress, but the family too.

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So the poor old dog has gone, surrounded by his families love, but not their anger at what they had just seen. You want good memories, but I know it has left a bitter taste in their mouths at what they had just seen. The sad thing is of course it will stay with them forever.

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I will just add here that people who say Kew's did well by their pets, must remember that is what they are supposed to do, that is what they are paid for to treat you and your pet with respect. It is when this respect goes out of the window you have a problem as they appear to have no realisation of what the owners of the animals are going through, which to me is the travesty of going to Kew's of Harlow UK.

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The woman who hit Leo and then drove off I hope is the recipient of Karma at its most vengeful. Bryan HG Leach.

 

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