this is just about the most arrogant piece I have read in a long time.

[Needtoretire]

Her rudeness to anyone who doesn’t agree with her is probably the only thing that is a legitimate reason for complaint. That does go against the code of conduct. Do I think she should be struck off? No I don’t, but I think a warning about her language would be appropriate.

There is a serious shortage of large animal vets in the UK and I doubt anyone would want to see a vet struck off for anything less than serious misconduct in a clinical or criminal setting. But, this lady appears to have a huge influence on social media which is a concern for many.

 

[IrishMilo]

For me I think it is the professional vet taking money from random people for vet treatment for a private horse (not say a charity) which I find uncomfortable.

I'm not excusing it and I also don't 'do' the Just Giving things either, they're cringy as hell. But no one is forcing anyone to donate anything, and is it specifically written anywhere that just because you're a vet you are unable to accept money through one?

 

[moosea]

There is a serious shortage of large animal vets in the UK and I doubt anyone would want to see a vet struck off for anything less than serious misconduct in a clinical or criminal setting. But, this lady appears to have a huge influence on social media which is a concern for many.

So ... there is no evidence of serious misconduct in a criminal or clinical setting, so what exactly is your concern?

 

[paddy555]

Yet, there is evidence, open to all to see, that her own horse is not receiving appropriate care. It is not ethical or appropriate to, as you say, 'leave her to it.

but the horse is receiving care. The problem for some people is that he is going to receive far too much care. The vet hospital he has been to and who are going to treat him have not refused to treat him on welfare grounds. This is simply the case that some people on HHO think it would be fairer to PTS and that is what they would do if he was their horse. Others who have not posted on here may think they would give him another chance and that is her view. (and before anyone comments otherwise I am not a friend and I personally would either PTS or would have PTS by now)

Many may not agree with box rest, short times out in a pen and any number of other things but if any vets in an enquiry arrived to examine the horse and look at his treatment, care etc I have little doubt they would say it was exemplary. I expect she has done sufficient research to demonstrate to them that the proposed treatment could be effective. I cannot see any grounds for complaining on the grounds of her horse welfare of Harry.

There is lots about her FB situation to make me feel uncomfortable but that simply says a lot about her, her negativity towards anyone who dares to comment differently, her rudeness etc . If people want to donate there is no law against that.

 

[shortstuff99]

I'm not excusing it and I also don't 'do' the Just Giving things either, they're cringy as hell. But no one is forcing anyone to donate anything, and is it specifically written anywhere that just because you're a vet you are unable to accept money through one?

That's the thing, I'm not sure. My work does have rules around fundraising etc and it would be against guidelines.

 

[I'm Dun]

And what is it exactly that you are complaining about?

That you don't like what she posts on social media?

That someone other than her appears to have set up a go fund me?

That you think she should prs a horse you have never seen in the flesh and have no access to its medical records?

Or something else which you think justifies you right to put someone's career at risk?

I clearly stated what I'm complaining about. The numerous breaches to the RCVS code of conduct for behaviour on socual media. Someone else even included a link.

Its not up to me to decide what if any action should be taken, complaining just brings it to the attention of the RCVS so they can decide.

If as you claim shes done nothing at all wrong then how is it putting her career at risk? Even if she has done things wrong its her putting her career at risk, not me.

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

So she's put he will have everything he needs regardless, which suggests she can afford it or has plans to finance it

So what will happen to the donations? Just means she won't need to fork out as much or what?

We are over 3k of gullible people now

Edit just looked and the post before she says she doesn't currently have the funds, so guess she was going to use a credit card or something

Interesting, just reading the comments on the one where she was saying she doesn't currently have the costs, she says she got a lot of abuse over one a client set up for her, so this isn't the first one someone has done for her wonder what the previous one was for

ETA - it was for an Arson on her stables, ok maybe that's more reasonable, although isn't that what insurance is for?

 

[paddy555]

That's the thing, I'm not sure. My work does have rules around fundraising etc and it would be against guidelines.

but she isn't fundraising. She hasn't done anything. I think the options are that her supporters have decided to set up a just giving page she didn't know about and she is simply thanking them or, more likely to my mind, she worded her posts to give one of her supporters the chance to set the giving page up and that was what she intended.

 

[moosea]

I clearly stated what I'm complaining about. The numerous breaches to the RCVS code of conduct for behaviour on socual media. Someone else even included a link.

Its not up to me to decide what if any action should be taken, complaining just brings it to the attention of the RCVS so they can decide.

If as you claim shes done nothing at all wrong then how is it putting her career at risk? Even if she has done things wrong its her putting her career at risk, not me.

I'm sorry I can't find where you said exactly what you are complaining about?
I have read through the link and can't see any clear breaches? Perhaps you would be k8nd enough to point them out to me?

Oh she has breached quite a lot of that. I'm going to write a complaint this evening, I'd encourage others to do the same.

 

[shortstuff99]

but she isn't fundraising. She hasn't done anything. I think the options are that her supporters have decided to set up a just giving page she didn't know about and she is simply thanking them or, more likely to my mind, she worded her posts to give one of her supporters the chance to set the giving page up and that was what she intended.

If it was me I would just be worried it is straying into some slightly wooly financial areas that I'm not sure I would want to risk. But to each their own I guess.

 

[meleeka]

.

 

[suestowford]

I can't find the post (it's a long thread) but she told one person who is on this thread to 'bore off you old bore', on one of her facebook posts. I'd say that breaches the guidelines but it's up to the person insulted to make a complaint if they feel it necessary.
As far as the old horse goes I think it's a difficult one. I hope that the vet hospital have got it right in agreeing to try this one more time. I know we've had similar discussions on here before about ethics (I think in relation to the Supervet) - I expect the hospital also have an ethics policy. We have to remember that we have not seen the horse in person, most here are not vets, so we don't know all the clinical details. We can surmise, but we don't know.
I don't like the fundraising at all. Ageing horses cost money. I have two aged ones here and their meds bill is huge, it's the reason I don't ride any more. I can't afford it while I'm paying for their care. I would feel very uncomfortable about accepting money from strangers to help with the costs, in fact I would refuse to take it. It's not for some random person/people to pay for my life choices!

 

[Needtoretire]

I don't like the fundraising at all. Ageing horses cost money. I have two aged ones here and their meds bill is huge, it's the reason I don't ride any more. I can't afford it while I'm paying for their care. I would feel very uncomfortable about accepting money from strangers to help with the costs, in fact I would refuse to take it. It's not for some random person/people to pay for my life choices!

This exactly.
And, in relation to the person benefitting from the donations, who seems to be a person running an impressive string of competition horses from an impressive yard (which of course could be rented, and not owned) together with all the very substantial costs of keeping and running event horses. This person is happily accepting money from people who have actually stated they can only afford to give the price of a cup of coffee or bottle of coke to the go fund me request. Those words made me cringe, has the woman no shame or moral conscious.

The beneficiary is a professional, holding a position in a respected profession which is based on trust. Is accepting money to pay for her privately owned horse appropriate or moral. For me, it is not. If she was fund raising for a good cause that she was involved in, lets say The Brooke or veterinary research, grass sickness for instance, then her efforts would be admirable, but she is taking money for her own gain. That is wrong on many counts. She claims she did not set up the fund raising, maybe she didn't, but she can certainly stop it.

 

[nutjob]

If the procedure is unethical, then the complaint should be about the vet who is carrying it out not the owner, whether she is also a vet or not. Owners have different limits on what they will put a horse or any animal through, or what they are prepared to spend, I doubt this is a unique case.

I hate the begging thing but it seems to be a normal part of life now for anyone who thinks they can get away with it - look at Donald Trump, always begging for money from supporters who are less well off than him to pay for his abhorrent activities. I doubt RCVS even has a policy on begging, particularly if it is via a third party.

(which of course could be rented, and not owned)

It's owned, she's posted about it several times. Also been a subject of begging after a fire there.

has the woman no shame or moral conscious.

No.

The fb account is a bit unusually, most vet practices I've seen have a business account which sticks to information about veterinary issues, vaccinations, laminitis awareness, outbreaks of communicable diseases in the area, and practice info like opening times over xmas, phone lines out of order etc. The same with other professionals like the physio. They don't share their personal life on a business page unless it's something exceptional/relevant like gained another qualification or spoken at a conference.

 

[Miss_Millie]

I don't want anyone to lose their job, but I don't think she is doing herself any favours by constantly posting deliberately provocative posts, calling people names in the comments and telling anyone who politely disagrees with her a 'Karen' or 'Troll!'

There must be hundreds of horse vets in the UK, so why is it that her page has attracted so much attention to people who aren't even local to her? Could it be because her posts are shared by a fair amount of people in disbelief that a vet is behaving in such an unprofessional manner on her business page?

As a vet, she has a duty of care not only to the animals she treats, but to promoting good welfare in general. With great power comes great responsibility, especially in the day and age of social media, where is it so easy to spread misinformation. She has a large following, most of which I assume are horse owners or people who ride horses. As a veterinary professional, her words carry more influence, and are perhaps even viewed by many as closer to 'fact' than 'opinion' - indeed, most vet social media pages (which conduct themselves professionally) will post fact-based information which clients may find useful or interesting, e.g. 'Did you know that you should vaccinate your cat against X Y and Z?'

Telling a follower in the comment section that it is okay to punish your 'dramatic' horse by spurring, shouting at and draw-reining them is promoting abuse, not good welfare. The commenter said they 'felt vindicated' to do the same to their own horse. Let's just imagine for a second that this is a small animal vet page telling someone to put their dog in a shock collar for 'misbehaving'...

As a veterinary professional, she has a duty of care to PROMOTE GOOD WELFARE, which she is failing to do. Being verbally abusive towards and blocking anyone who disagrees with her on her business page paints her in a very bad light indeed (didn't she call someone on here an 'old bag'?)

I think this thread was born because she repeatedly behaves in a way which provokes outrage and disbelief - several people at the start of the thread said they guessed who it was about before they even read it. I may be wrong, but I don't see this thread as a witch hunt. I think there is cause to be upset that someone who is meant to be an advocate for good welfare is behaving in such a way, repeatedly.

She is very open about her conduct, therefore it is open to discussion. If she ever does get in trouble for anything she says or does, I doubt it will be as a result of a thread on a forum. More likely it will be because another professional higher up sees her conduct on one of her posts doing the rounds, given FB is a platform which the majority of people use on a daily basis. The horse world and indeed the vet world isn't that big of a place, which makes it all the more surprising that she isn't worried about being reprimanded for being so rude to strangers on the internet.

 

[Needtoretire]

Lets hope Ms McGoldrick takes a moment to acknowledge the ethics and drive of a fellow veterinary surgeon Ms Paris. Ms McGoldrick could learn a lot from Ms Paris. Humility would be a start.

 

[Ambers Echo]

I don't want anyone to lose their job, but I don't think she is doing herself any favours by constantly posting deliberately provocative posts, calling people names in the comments and telling anyone who politely disagrees with her a 'Karen' or 'Troll!'

There must be hundreds of horse vets in the UK, so why is it that her page has attracted so much attention to people who aren't even local to her? Could it be because her posts are shared by a fair amount of people in disbelief that a vet is behaving in such an unprofessional manner on her business page?

As a vet, she has a duty of care not only to the animals she treats, but to promoting good welfare in general. With great power comes great responsibility, especially in the day and age of social media, where is it so easy to spread misinformation. She has a large following, most of which I assume are horse owners or people who ride horses. As a veterinary professional, her words carry more influence, and are perhaps even viewed by many as closer to 'fact' than 'opinion' - indeed, most vet social media pages (which conduct themselves professionally) will post fact-based information which clients may find useful or interesting, e.g. 'Did you know that you should vaccinate your cat against X Y and Z?'

Telling a follower in the comment section that it is okay to punish your 'dramatic' horse by spurring, shouting at and draw-reining them is promoting abuse, not good welfare. The commenter said they 'felt vindicated' to do the same to their own horse. Let's just imagine for a second that this is a small animal vet page telling someone to put their dog in a shock collar for 'misbehaving'...

As a veterinary professional, she has a duty of care to PROMOTE GOOD WELFARE, which she is failing to do. Being verbally abusive towards and blocking anyone who disagrees with her on her business page paints her in a very bad light indeed (didn't she call someone on here an 'old bag'?)

I think this thread was born because she repeatedly behaves in a way which provokes outrage and disbelief - several people at the start of the thread said they guessed who it was about before they even read it. I may be wrong, but I don't see this thread as a witch hunt. I think there is cause to be upset that someone who is meant to be an advocate for good welfare is behaving in such a way, repeatedly.

She is very open about her conduct, therefore it is open to discussion. If she ever does get in trouble for anything she says or does, I doubt it will be as a result of a thread on a forum. More likely it will be because another professional higher up sees her conduct on one of her posts doing the rounds, given FB is a platform which the majority of people use on a daily basis. The horse world and indeed the vet world isn't that big of a place, which makes it all the more surprising that she isn't worried about being reprimanded for being so rude to strangers on the internet.

I agree with every word of this. Her posts are grossly irresponsible in so many ways:

1) Labelling unwanted horse behaviour as 'dramatic' and then punishing it is a dreadful message to send out, even if she is right about her own horse. It will lead to so many other people viewing their horses as 'drama queens'. It would be like a parenting professional advising punitive and invalidating responses to children, on their professional page, or a mental health professional saying people need to get a grip - - Totally wrong messages even if they sometimes make the judgement that their own child is taking the mick and needs be told to grow up, or their own kid is not struggling with mental health but normal ups and downs of life.

2) Being an apologist for other professionals mistreating their horses, and criticising/belittling those calling it out is equally unhelpful in promoting good welfare.

3) Silencing debate and not being accountable is unhealthy. She CHOOSES to put her training online on a professional page. As such, it is not 'hate' or 'trolling' to question her methods or the rationale behind those methods. Any professional should be willing to answer questions about their approaches, non defensively and transparently - and only remove comments that are actively abusive.

4) Insulting members of the public is against any professional code of conduct.

5) Taking money from people, many of whom are likely to earn less than her, and have less disposable income than her, is not acceptable in my view. I can't afford to event this season because my income has dropped. But my horses are my responsibility, and she has the means to simply make different choices if she wishes to keep the horse going. )The rights and wrongs of that decision are not for me to comment on. I don't know the horse).

I am astonished that her page is so popular when it is just so utterly unprofessional in so many ways. I stopped following her years ago and yet I knew immediately who the OP meant. As Miss Millie says, so did many others. Not something I'd be proud of if I were her.

 

[splashgirl45]

I only know about her as her posts started coming up on my Facebook page. I have never followed her but have joined various horse and dog groups so maybe that’s how it’s got to me… I find it very odd that she posts so much and it seems to be public..

 

[Dave's Mam]

I only know about her as her posts started coming up on my Facebook page. I have never followed her but have joined various horse and dog groups so maybe that’s how it’s got to me… I find it very odd that she posts so much and it seems to be public..

Yeah, I don't follow her either but I must have clicked on one of her posts once, as the slgorithm now show them to me often.

 

[mug]

Yeah, I don't follow her either but I must have clicked on one of her posts once, as the slgorithm now show them to me often.

Some of the posts appear with ‘sponsored’ so I think they are paid advertising posts

 

[lannerch]

I think this post is an extreme bitch fest far worse than any of her posts have ever been , it is an example of everything this forum has a reputation for and why professionals stay well away.
I am not one of her devoted fans , some thing she posts are really useful and some things not . If you don’t like it scroll on.

I have no problem with her fundraising page , it does not promise or offer a service on anything it can not deliver and she did not set it up someone else did. But this shows that many people do have great respect for her and from a Quick Look of the donors many of her customers. No I would not donate myself.
Waiting to get fleeced for this post as forum can be really useful but it can also be really cruel and cliquey .
But I had hard shoulders as I expect Natalie does .

 

[meleeka]

I think this post is an extreme bitch fest far worse than any of her posts have ever been , it is an example of everything this forum has a reputation for and why professionals stay well away.
I am not one of her devoted fans , some thing she posts are really useful and some things not . If you don’t like it scroll on.

Perhaps take your own advice there. Just a thought.

 

[Upthecreek]

I think this post is an extreme bitch fest far worse than any of her posts have ever been , it is an example of everything this forum has a reputation for and why professionals stay well away.
I am not one of her devoted fans , some thing she posts are really useful and some things not . If you don’t like it scroll on.

I have no problem with her fundraising page , it does not promise or offer a service on anything it can not deliver and she did not set it up someone else did. But this shows that many people do have great respect for her and from a Quick Look of the donors many of her customers. No I would not donate myself.
Waiting to get fleeced for this post as forum can be really useful but it can also be really cruel and cliquey .
But I had hard shoulders as I expect Natalie does .

Whilst she didn’t set up the fundraising page, she could have put a stop to it. Do you think it is ethical for someone (anyone) that owns 7 horses to accept donations for a vet bill that they have said they have the means to pay? Do you think it is responsible to own that number of horses if you can’t afford it? Do you think it is morally acceptable for a practicing vet to be doing both of those things?

 

[tristars]

i have two close friends who sponsor my horses, one part owns one of my horses, and one is owed a debt of gratitude

now i don`t like talking about my business in public really but

i get shavings, hay and money [which i found very hard to accept] but as they always say `its for the horses` so eventually i kind of got used to the idea, and it makes them happy! so it seems, they are both rolling in it,[ money not shit,] i do not need the help but accept it for the horses , thinking how lucky they are to have many people caring for them, i get all sorts of help, previously i got sponsored by a business for a lorry.

five times i have sold my house to fund the horses, not myself i do very nicely from my own efforts, so i think i get sponsored for two reasons, people see when you are dedicated, and perhaps a bit of karma came along to help

however its often mentioned i should be breeding more horses but i have now stopped, i really think its important to restrain yourself and think ahead of all possible eventualities, scenarios financial and other, the existing horses needs must be the priority

is she wants to take money i think its her affair, but the promotion of brutality when training a horse is where it ends for me, she is a vet, people will watch and listen and follow, so a grey area where money is concerned, black and white when wrongly putting up videos of bad training, how very unfair on the horse

 

[meleeka]

i have two close friends who sponsor my horses, one part owns one of my horses, and one is owed a debt of gratitude

now i don`t like talking about my business in public really but

i get shavings, hay and money [which i found very hard to accept] but as they always say `its for the horses` so eventually i kind of got used to the idea, and it makes them happy! so it seems, they are both rolling in it,[ money not shit,] i do not need the help but accept it for the horses , thinking how lucky they are to have many people caring for them, i get all sorts of help, previously i got sponsored by a business for a lorry.

five times i have sold my house to fund the horses, not myself i do very nicely from my own efforts, so i think i get sponsored for two reasons, people see when you are dedicated, and perhaps a bit of karma came along to help

however its often mentioned i should be breeding more horses but i have now stopped, i really think its important to restrain yourself and think ahead of all possible eventualities, scenarios financial and other, the existing horses needs must be the priority

is she wants to take money i think its her affair, but the promotion of brutality when training a horse is where it ends for me, she is a vet, people will watch and listen and follow, so a grey area where money is concerned, black and white when wrongly putting up videos of bad training, how very unfair on the horse

I think there’s a big difference between taking money from someone who can easily afford it and genuinely wants to give it, than begging from people who are less well off, or even on benefits (I appreciate it isn’t her asking directly but she’s still going to take it).

 

[Clodagh]

I think there’s a big difference between taking money from someone who can easily afford it and genuinely wants to give it, than begging from people who are less well off, or even on benefits (I appreciate it isn’t her asking directly but she’s still going to take it).

If people are stupid enough to give her money I think they kind of deserve to get fleeced.
But the beating, spurring and yanking really pees me off.

 

[Goldenstar]

A vet is just a vet ,not the Archbishop of Canterbury .
She has no employer she is a free agent while I think her online presence does not show her in a great light that’s her choice and it’s her right to express herself .
She broken no guidelines they mainly cover interactions with clients .
The horses old age may or may not being approached as others would but again he’s her horses not for one moment do I think what’s going on is unlawful .
As for the Go fund me page any right minded person in my option would have nipped that in the bud pronto all she had to do is say that was kind but no thanks and get whoever set it up to close it down .
It’s not a good look for her .

 

[tristars]

I think there’s a big difference between taking money from someone who can easily afford it and genuinely wants to give it, than begging from people who are less well off, or even on benefits (I appreciate it isn’t her asking directly but she’s still going to take it).

yes thats what i mean, for me its a grey area, no one is forcing the givers, its the taking

 

[paddy555]

I think this post is an extreme bitch fest far worse than any of her posts have ever been , it is an example of everything this forum has a reputation for and why professionals stay well away.
I am not one of her devoted fans , some thing she posts are really useful and some things not . If you don’t like it scroll on.

I have no problem with her fundraising page , it does not promise or offer a service on anything it can not deliver and she did not set it up someone else did. But this shows that many people do have great respect for her and from a Quick Look of the donors many of her customers. No I would not donate myself.
Waiting to get fleeced for this post as forum can be really useful but it can also be really cruel and cliquey .
But I had hard shoulders as I expect Natalie does .

I think that if you post on the internet, here, your own FB page or wherever , you open yourself and your post up to discussion. If you then close down all discussion and delete all the posts of people whose comments you don't like they are going to discuss it somewhere else. If you go on to belittle people then they are going to be unhappy and continue to discuss points affecting horse welfare which they think are wrong.

If you post about your horse going to have very expensive treatment and post in such a way that it opens it up very nicely for a friend to open a just giving page then people also have the right to comment. If rather than say thanks but I can't, my horses, my responsibility, you accept an awful lot if money then people are going to look at your very expensive stable yard, horses, training costs etc and discredit it very publicly. Some will say "haven't you got any pride"

You say scroll on if you don't like it. I opened this thread in response to her comments about top dressage riders, how they horses were restricted, their bridles etc etc. and how she considered ordinary people had no say as they couldn't do it themselves. To my mine a lot of that dressage stuff is simply cruel. It needs bringing out into the open far more and seriously controlling (not just in dressage)

I did that because she allowed no discussion on her FB page. Her way or the highway however much it impacted (to my mind) horse welfare.

If someone, as she did, brings up a point concerning horse welfare should we just all "scroll on" in the future?

 

[ecb89]

I think this post is an extreme bitch fest far worse than any of her posts have ever been , it is an example of everything this forum has a reputation for and why professionals stay well away.
I am not one of her devoted fans , some thing she posts are really useful and some things not . If you don’t like it scroll on.

I have no problem with her fundraising page , it does not promise or offer a service on anything it can not deliver and she did not set it up someone else did. But this shows that many people do have great respect for her and from a Quick Look of the donors many of her customers. No I would not donate myself.
Waiting to get fleeced for this post as forum can be really useful but it can also be really cruel and cliquey .
But I had hard shoulders as I expect Natalie does .

This forum is nothing compared to others