This is a real-life case study of a vet claim, in which we recovered a £30,000 payout for a vet after her employer failed to warn her of a dangerous dog.

Dr S was working as the sole Vet at the Defendant’s Veterinary Practice. A Mr Jones attended for a pre-booked appointment with his dog, an American Bulldog complaining about problems the dog was having going to the toilet. Dr S called up the dog’s records on the computer system. There was no warning noted regarding possible aggressive behaviour. She carried out a physical examination of the dog.

She asked if there were further concerns and Mr Jones mentioned the dog’s eyes. She knelt to examine his eyes when suddenly and without warning the dog lunged and bit her face and arm. Dr S suffered multiple bites to her forearm and a deep laceration to her upper lip and face. She also suffered psychologically  and was fearful when carrying out examinations of dogs.

Following the incident, Dr S learned that when Mr Jones had visited the vets to book the appointment he told the nurse that he had not had the dog long and the dog had shown some behaviour issues; being very possessive of him and snapping at his girlfriend. He was advised by the nurse to ensure the dog received training and was muzzled.

Mr Jones was uninsured and therefore was not in a position to pay Dr S compensation. However, we were able to argue that the incident was caused by the negligence and breach of statutory duty of Dr S’s employers. We argued that details of the conversation between Mr Jones and the nurse were not passed to Dr S and the dog’s records were not updated accordingly. We said that if they had been then Dr S would have been made aware of the dog’s behavioural problems prior to the examination and could have acted accordingly, for example taking steps to muzzle the dog.

Liability was initially denied on the basis that Dr S was a qualified vet, was fully trained, and had been given an induction which included the need to assess and potentially muzzle unknown dogs. The insurers denied any negligence on the part of the practice.

We were ultimately able to negotiate an 80:20 split on liability in Dr S’s favour. Expert evidence was obtained from a Consultant Plastic surgeon and Psychiatrist and also from a Cosmetic Camouflage expert who was able to detail exactly what products would help Dr S cover up her scars and how much it would all cost.

Agreement was finally reached for settlement of Dr S’s vet claim. The total award was £37,500.00 gross, which equated to £30,000.00 net based on the 80:20 liability split.

Vet claim: £30,000 payout after employer failed to warn her of dangerous dog