A veterinarian was reprimanded yesterday for poor communication with staff and clients, and ordered to attend a client management course, after he was found guilty of one count of professional misconduct by the Veterinary Surgeons Board.
Veterinary surgeon Ivan Leung Yau-kwan had been the subject of a complaint by Wong Shan-shan, who alleged misconduct resulted in the death of her chinchilla, 'BB'.
The chinchilla died in November 2004, less than a week after it was sterilised at Dr Leung's clinic.
The board heard that Ms Wong tried to contact Dr Leung for advice when the chinchilla would not eat following the surgery, but the lay employee who answered the phone told her the chinchilla would resume eating within a few days, and did not refer the call to the vet.
A few days later, Ms Wong took her pet to another vet, who said it was unable to eat because of a medical collar put in place after the surgery.
Despite the late intervention, the chinchilla died.