Injured - caused by my vet? Should i Sue?

OP I'm very sorry to hear about your injuries, I can see why you are upset.

I wouldn't sue but I would speak to the vet practice to make sure they were aware of the incident, making it clear I wasn't blaming anybody. I think any accident like this where someone is injured needs to be reported so that there is an opportunity for people to consider whether or not any lessons can be learnt.

My vet is very cautious and always advises me to stand back, get hat and gloves etc. if he thinks a horse might start to play up, he has also told me to get out of the stable once when I called him to report a colicking horse who was very unsettled.

I think talking to the vets and letting them know your thoughts of what might have contributed to the situation would make you feel better, and if done in the right way should be useful feedback to them as professional people. If I was the vet I would want to know your honest experience.

I hope you feel better soon and your injuries heal quickly :)
 
I don't see why you couldn't seek advice on this. People take personal injury claims far too personally IMO. Insurance is there for a reason and the Vet would be heavily covered for 3rd party.

Why don't you ask advice from a claims company who have "no claim no fee" and see how you stand.
 
We sadly live in such a letigious society now and it makes you consider the boot on the other foot ....


One of mine is a s*** to have teeth done and vets have always heavily sedated in the past. I now have EDT who was happy to have a go with him and has managed to do him last couple of years. Hasn't been easy though, the boy puts up a bit of a fight! After I tried to "help" and was lifted off my feet and swung around the stable was ordered out of stable out of harms way. EDT is big, burly guy compared to my 8 and a half stone wet through and I think relishes the challenge :D Hope to God he doesn't decide to sue me though if Foxy gets particularly lairy and causes him injury :eek: Think we all have to consider that any of these professionals that attend our half tonne animals (vet, farrier, EDT) put themselves at risk of injuryt. I know my horse can be a wimp and therefore difficult to deal with so I advise vets to sedate if I think necessary
 
OP sorry to hear you've been injured, I hope you make a speedy recovery from here on in.

Whether you choose to sue is totally your choice. I'm not a fan of this "sue happy" culture that has been created over the past few years but if you're legitimately injured and have suffered a loss of earnings, then you do have a right to seek compensation for that.

I used to work in a small animal vet practice and we never allowed clients to hold their own animals where a situation may arise for the owner to get hurt (such as taking bloods etc.) Our practice manager explained that as the client is on our premises and we are dealing with their animal (and they are paying us for this service), it is our responsibility if they get hurt even though it's their pet, the owner shouldn't be put at any risk at all.

I don't know where you stand legally when you are on your own property however as things are obviously rather different between small and large animal veterinary practice.

Did they have a nurse present? Or was it just the vet on their own?
At the very least it would be worth writing to the practice to explain the situation and that you feel they should have taken more precautions against you getting injured, such as sedations or at least an extra pair of hands to assist you. Writing a complaint may help it not to happen to anyone else in the future.
 
Last edited:
Top