RVN suspended after admitting dog blood sample dishonesty

An RVN who made false claims in relation to the handling of a canine blood sample has been suspended from practice for three months.

An RCVS disciplinary committee said Aimee Gibbons had failed to act in the dog’s best interests and breached the trust of both her then colleagues and employer.

But the panel also described the incident as “isolated” and concluded the ongoing risk to animals was low.

The case, which was examined at a four-day hearing earlier this month, related to a bile acid stimulation test (BAST) on a miniature schnauzer at the Knutsford Veterinary Surgery in Cheshire in December 2023.

‘Anxiety and stress’

Miss Gibbons admitted five specific allegations, including four of falsely stating that a second blood sample had been taken from the dog and taking blood from the original sample before labelling it as a second.

Although she denied three further counts, which were subsequently dropped, she admitted her actions had been dishonest and misleading.

According to newly published hearing documents, Miss Gibbons described her conduct as “shameful” in evidence and claimed to have acted out of panic.

The panel was also told she had stopped working as an RVN in August last year due to anxiety and stress arising from the disciplinary process, though other matters relating to her health were heard in private.

‘Risk of harm’

But the committee dismissed pleas by Miss Gibbons’ representative for the case to be dealt with through a reprimand or warning, arguing it was “too serious” for such a sanction to properly preserve public confidence.

The report said: “Honesty is the bedrock of the profession and the dishonesty in this case breached the trust of colleagues individually and also the employer as an organisation.

“Further, the dishonesty raised the risk of harm to [the dog] resulting from an inaccurate test result or diagnosis.”

Although it found Miss Gibbons’ insight meant the future risk of harm to animals was low, the panel also noted that she had not raised concerns about her ability to carry out the BAST procedure before the incident.