MONTREAL -- A Montreal veterinarian has been disciplined after removing 19 teeth from a Yorkshire terrier without the consent of its owner.
Dr Myreille Gauvin, a vet at the Clinique Vetrinaire Jarry in Anjou, has been put on a three-week delisting period and has been fined $5,500 following a judgement from Quebec’s veterinarian disciplinary council.
The complainant, whose name remains private because of a publication ban, dropped off their dog, Joaquim, at the vet for dental care in 2018.
When the dog's owner returned, they were "visibly upset" to learn the vet had removed several teeth from Joaquim's mouth – something the owner hadn’t agreed to.
“I had explained to Joaquim's owner that it was probable that extractions would be required,” read a statement from Gauvin included in the court ruling. “But I admit that I did not obtain his consent before actually proceeding with the extraction of the 19 teeth.”
According to the court report, the owner returned to retrieve the dog after learning about the operation, leaving the clinic before staff could remove the catheter or prescribe painkillers or antibiotics.
The owner then reportedly brought the dog to another veterinarian, Dr. Keenan Pedneault, who wrote in a medical file that “there were only two stitches visible in the animal's mouth. All other extraction sites are left open.”
Since Joaquim’s operation, Gauvin says she now always dresses extraction sites with stiches.
What’s more, the pain relief drug Gauvin used was not up to standard, according to a report from veterinary doctor Jérôme D'Astous, who said the drug was “not sufficiently powerful” for the operation.
The owner also complained that Gauvin did not recommend performing an x-ray on Joaquim, which would have been “necessary in order to have a complete knowledge of the facts before the extractions,” according to D’Astous.
“In fact, at the time, the Clinic did not have a dental x-ray machine,” said Gauvin, who has since bought one.
“I now routinely do dental x-rays before tooth extraction,” she said, adding that she also always calls clients before performing the operation.
In addition to the fines and time off, Gauvin will also pay some court fees, and has already assumed some of the complainant's veterinary costs.
