If you are in the unfortunate position of having to question the standard of care your pet has received, the guide below will help you navigate the complaints procedures available to you.


This 'How to..' guide is based on my experiences only and should not be used as a substitute for or constitute legal advice. If you are in any doubt, you should contact a specialist lawyer.

If you believe that your pet has been the subject of veterinary negligence, or you are unhappy with the service you received you are entitled to complain.

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons state that in the event of a complaint you should exhaust the in-house complaints procedure before submitting a complaint to them. 

Whether you intend to bring the matter to the attention of the RCVS or not, it is important that you maintain a clear record of everything you and want to achieve.

Stage 1

1. Keep a diary, record names telephone calls times of the calls, dates you sent letters and/ or received letters with a brief outline of what they contained;

2. File all correspondence as you may need to refer to correspondence at a later date;  

3. Telephone the Head Office or the practice manager and formally lodge your complaint.  Ask for the relevant names to whom you should address your complaint. Advise them that you will be following up with a written letter stating your intentions.

5. Write a letter formally requesting all paperwork generated for your pet whilst in the veterinary practice's care:

  • Admission form (consent to treat);
  • Clinical notes;
  • Observation records (if appropriate post op care);
  • Blood test result(s);
  • Anesthetic chart;
  • Copies of any x-rays performed;
  • Hand over notes (if appropriate);
  • Itemised breakdown of your bill;

6. Once you have received all the information you can then draft your complaint.  I suggest that you work through the notes and complete the complaint step-by-step, from your pet's admission through to their discharge.

7. If you wish to have a subsequent meeting with the veterinary professional responsible for your pets care, you must also state it in your letter.

8. Above all you must include the key questions that relate to your complaint. It is best to avoid speculation or accusations at this stage. Remember, you are simply trying to establish the full facts before taking the complaint further, if appropriate.

9. Once you have drafted your questions, you should ensure that you either hand deliver your letter to the veterinary practice or dispatch it by recorded delivery. Remember to give the veterinary practice sufficient time to respond - usually a deadline of 10 working days is adequate.

Stage 2

1. At this point, you will have received the letter from the veterinary practice in response to your queries.

2. If you remain dissatisfied with the content of their reply, then your next point of recourse is a complaint to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Stage 3

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

The RCVS have produced a guide to lodging complaints. The link is

http://www.rcvs.org.uk/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=89916&int1stParentNodeID=89644

Regrettably, however, they have no jurisdiction to consider complaints where vets may be guilty of 'negligence', hence this campaign. They can, however, adjudicate on matters that have the potential to be regarded as 'serious professional misconduct.

In addition, they have no power to consider fee disputes nor award any kind of compensation even in proven cases.

Stage 4

If you have exhausted the above options, and you still wish to take matters further,you have the option of pursuing a civil claim through the courts. Before embarking on any kind of litigation you should be aware that the law makes no specific provision for the value of your pet. This means that even if you win, you are only likely to receive a nominal award from the courts and you will still be liable for your own legal costs which can amount to several thousand pounds. The situation is compounded if you lose as not only will you be liable for your costs but those of the other side too.

The situation is slightly different if your pet has a clear and demonstrable commercial value that exceeds £5,000, for instance a Show Champion, Stud Dog or racing greyhound. If any of these apply to you, then it might be worth pursuing through the courts. In these circumstances we recommend that you call a solicitor who specialises in veterinary negligence cases. There are relatively few specialists in the UK, but a quick internet search will identify the main players. 

For everyone else, your best course of redress lies with your local Small Claims Court. You do not need legal representation to appear before this court and if you lose, you are not liable for the other side's costs and vice versa. We all acknowledge that this is a far from satisfactory situation, but until the remit of the RCVS Disciplinary Panel is expanded to include veterinary negligence, this is the only realistic option available to most pet owners.

Whichever of the options described above you elect to pursue, you should seek the opinion of an independent expert witness on veterinary matters. Receipt of an expert witness report will cost you money but it will provide you with an objective an unbiased opinion on the merits of your claim. It might not be what you want to hear but it any event it will save you a great deal of stress and money in the long-run. Specialist expert witnesses cannot usually accept instructions from a lay client, so you will need to engage a solicitor briefly so that he/she can formally retain the expert's services. After that, you can dispense with the solicitor and take matters forward yourself. There are several such specialists in the UK and they are easily identifiable through the Society of Expert Witnesses or the Expert Witness Institute.

Trading Standards

Each county council has a Trading Standards team. Trading Standards do not generally intervene on individual cases. They are primarily concerned with the investigation of criminal offences, which can include such things as misleading fee structures. Pet owners who believe that they have received negligent treatment or have been overcharged by a veterinary professional should contact Consumer Direct on 0845 404 0506.  If sufficient numbers of people highlight the same veterinary practice, then Trading Standards have stated that this would cause them to look at that practice in greater depth. So if you have a concern you must, in addition to pursuing the normal in-house complaints procedures call Consumer Direct.

We are planning a free advice line to help pet owners who believe that their animal has suffered at the hands of veterinary negligence. We hope to have this up and running shortly.