Animal cruelty alleged by local vet practice
A serious allegation of animal abuse has been levelled against the Windhoek Veterinary Clinic (WVC) by one of its customers, Christo Brandt.The dog owner is convinced that a combination of abuse by the clinic’s staff along with the use of sedation that was applied in contradiction to a specific instruction by Brandt, ultimately led to the demise of his beloved Labrador a month later.
The allegations led to him laying a charge of animal cruelty against the clinic on 1 October (CR/30/09/2023).
According to Dr Sias Cloete, WVC is currently looking at and investigating three separate cases, not all relating to inappropriate conduct. The clinic remains convinced that Brandt has it all wrong in the matter that relates to his dog, leading to financial and reputational damage to the clinic.
The clinic issued a public statement yesterday saying: “We, Windhoek Veterinary Clinic, have recently become aware of concerns raised regarding the treatment of two dogs at our grooming parlour. We take these concerns extremely seriously and are committed to addressing the issue with transparency and responsibility. We disapprove of the way the animals were treated and do not endorse such behaviour. Consequently, the staff members involved have been suspended and disciplinary procedures have been initiated.”
Far from over
In the meantime, Brandt says the case is far from over. He forwarded video material to NMH, which he obtained from WVC, in which the abuse of two dogs (one of which he believes to be his Labrador) is evident in terms of pushing and pulling them around mercilessly and hitting them with hairdryers, clearly leaving the animals under extreme stress. After arriving to collect his dog, Brandt insists that instead, he ended up having to care for a dog that apparently had a heart attack at the clinic. His beloved Lab died died a month later.
The coming days will show what happens next, but it is quite possible that the case will not only be heard by the Veterinary Council of Namibia (VCN) but may end in court after the clinic had previously – through its lawyer – sent a letter of demand to Brandt, in which he was instructed to stop causing the clinic harm, especially after he had posted the incident and subsequent findings on the internet.
In the meantime, Brandt is consulting his lawyers.
According to Dr Janneke Kirchner, the Registrar of the VCN, she is unable to provide any comment at this point as the complete set of allegations by Brand has been sent to WVC, which currently has 30 days to respond. “Once both parties have submitted their arguments, an investigative committee will be appointed to look into the case, which might result in a disciplinary hearing or end up being dismissed on the grounds of irrelevant or insufficient proof. But that remains to be seen,” Kirchner said, who assured the public that the Act is quite clear about what is acceptable or not, in terms of unprofessional or disgraceful conduct.