A Cape Breton veterinarian is giving up their license after a healthy dog was mistakenly euthanized last summer.
Dr. Sietse VanZwol of the Highland Animal Hospital in Port Hawkesbury will not be allowed to practice after 5 p.m. on Friday.
This comes almost one year after a complaint was filed with the Nova Scotia Veterinary Medical Association.
Registrar Dr. Frank Richards says the association takes complaints seriously and an audit of VanZwol showed a history of inaccurate record-keeping.
“Our mandate is to protect the public, not the veterinarians. For any regulatory body in this province, the mandate is to protect the public interest,” Richards told our newsroom. “I hope we do that in the best way possible.”
Richards says the complaints committee and Van Zwol agreed he should forfeit his licence, which also means he must sell his practice within one year as he no longer holds a licence.
He adds during that time, VanZwol can have discussions with potential owners, but he will not be allowed to practice veterinary medicine.
