Guinea pigs died after vet's house call
A veterinary surgeon who castrated three guinea pigs during a house call in the South West then left the unconscious pets, two of which died, has been found guilty of unprofessional conduct.
The State Administrative Tribunal also gave a second finding of professional misconduct against Kurt Alexander after he administered a potentially lethal drug to another pet guinea pig named Nibbles, which died after a separate incident in April last year.
Dr Alexander faces penalties after the tribunal upheld Veterinary Surgeons Board allegations, which described his conduct as inexcusable, deplorable and substantially short of expected professional standards.
In a decision published this week, the tribunal found Dr Alexander fell substantially short of the professional standard reasonably expected of a veterinarian when he injected Nibbles with a drug which was detrimental and potentially lethal to guinea pigs.
The decision said Dr Alexander, who had done an online search for notes on the drug after a label warning about guinea pigs fell off the vial, should have appreciated the risk.
The tribunal found that during the house call in Cowaramup in December 2012, Dr Alexander "clearly breached" professional guidelines by castrating three guinea pigs over two hours when the surgery should have been referred to proper facilities at a veterinary hospital or clinic.
It said Dr Alexander, who left the home while the guinea pigs were unconscious because he needed to euthanise a dog in Busselton, should have stayed to supervise the animals' recovery.
Veterinary Surgeons Board of WA acting registrar Chris Lloyd said submissions on penalties, which can range from fines to deregistration, would be lodged with the tribunal.
"In these two matters, the board regards it as extremely serious," Mr Lloyd said.
Dr Alexander, who will also file submissions on penalties, could not be contacted.
