Vet admits allowing cat medicine for human use

Dr Emma Evans admitted to falsely recording blood test results for a cat

A vet was guilty of "disgraceful conduct" after she admitted allowing prescription medication for a cat to be ordered for a human, a disciplinary hearing found.

Dr Emma Evans from Shropshire admitted she allowed fungal medicine, Fluconazole, to be ordered for a colleague.

The vet at Medivet Sutton Farm in Shrewsbury also admitted to falsely recording blood test results for a cat who attended the practice after the test failed to run correctly.

A professional conduct committee of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons found her actions to be "dishonest and misleading". It found her registration should not be suspended and she received a reprimand and warning.

After a Medivet investigation, Dr Evans reported herself to the college over the medication but "stated that she had not known at the time that this was illegal", the committee heard.

In November 2022, Dr Evans allowed a veterinary nurse working at the practice to order Fluconazole from a practice supplier.

She noted the order on the clinical history of a cat who belonged to the nurse.

Fluconazole is a prescription only medicine used to treat fungal infections. It may only be given to humans if prescribed by a GP.

A second incident, in May 2023, saw her falsifying test results for another cat seen by the practice. Dr Evans stated that she had taken blood samples from the cat but, when she had tried to test them, they had "failed to run".

She said that instead of telling the owner that the test had not run successfully and asking her to bring her cat back to try again, she was "dishonest and created some results based on results previously obtained."

No disciplinary action was taken by Medivet. The committee said while it gave serious consideration to suspending Dr Evans' registration - the panel felt that it was unlikely the incidents would occur again.

A report on the outcome said: "The committee was satisfied that a reprimand and a warning not to behave in this way again, would provide adequate protection to animals, as it was satisfied Dr Evans was most unlikely to ever make such a flawed set of decisions again."