The Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights strongly condemned an incident involving a pet in need of urgent veterinary care, which resulted in the tragic passing of the animal.
The statement was issued in the wake of an incident on the early hours of Thursday after a woman found herself unable to get urgent care for her pet dog (pictured above).
“I spent the early hours of Thursday dialling vet after vet, but no one picked up. Our dog lost her life because no one was there. This so-called emergency service left us with nothing but trauma. The system has failed us, caring more about money than about animals,” Stefanie Axisa said in a Facebook post on Friday morning.
The government launched a new scheme offering a 24/7 emergency vet service from various clinics after the country’s only animal hospital shut its doors in 2023. But Axisa found nobody to treat her dog: many clinics either didn’t pick up the phone, and one even told her that they only open for emergencies for their own clients.
“This serves as a stark reminder of the importance of accessible and reliable emergency veterinary services,” the Ministry said of the incident.
The Ministry said that it has engaged in multiple consultations with the Veterinary Surgeons Association to address the ongoing concern regarding emergency veterinary coverage. The Ministry added that it has repeatedly reminded the Association and its members of their strict duty to meet their legal obligations.
As part of these efforts and to ensure that pet owners find the necessary emergency services, the Ministry offered financial support per night shift, to ensure clinics remain open to see to emergencies. An Expression of Interest was issued to facilitate this process.
“Despite these initiatives, clinics who are legally and duty bound to provide such emergency services, keep on failing patients and pet-owners, a failure which has contributed to the circumstances that led to this tragic incident,” the ministry said.
According to law, specifically Article 9(3)(b) of S.L. 437.106, veterinary clinics are legally obligated to provide, or be part of, a twenty-four-hour emergency service. This legal requirement aims to ensure that animals in critical condition receive timely medical attention, regardless of the time of day, the ministry said.
It said that it is currently conducting a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding this incident to assess compliance with existing veterinary laws and regulations.
“The Ministry is committed to ensuring that veterinary clinics uphold their legal obligations and that animals’ health remains a top priority. The Ministry warns that all legal steps and actions will be taken against those clinics that are found in breach of their legal obligations,” the statement ended.
The Ministry urges all veterinary service providers to review their emergency protocols and ensure full availability to prevent such tragic outcomes in the future.