CONVICTED (2019) | veterinary surgeon Jatinder Dhami, born 16 July 1971, of Woodlands Close, Oadby, Leicester LE2 4QP – for violence towards animals in his care
Dr Jatinder Dhami, a vet with the Vets4Pets practice in Springfield Retail Park, Market Harborough, admitted attacking a Staffordshire bull terrier named Sasha after she supposedly bit him following her booster injection. A receptionist at the practice witnessed Dhami kicking the helpless dog twice and then stamping on her.
She described how she saw Dhami kick Sasha “with the front of his toes, the kick propelled her to slide along the floor to the extent of the lead, she looked up and whimpered, cowered and had her ears back.”
She continued; “She got up and the respondent then took a step towards her and kicked her again, causing her to slide along the floor again.”
The receptionist then swore at Dhami, who is her employer, before leaving in tears.
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) committee had the power to strike Dhami off the register, leaving him unable to practise.
But instead they decided that, based on good references and character witnesses, it would be unlikely to happen again and a suspension was appropriate.
Dr Dhami told the committee he had domestic and family pressures and had been working long hours. He said in his statement: “I do not, and never have, sought to defend what was an irrational and adrenalin-fuelled action, but equally my actions were in no way premeditated.”
The committee also heard Dr Dhami and his family had been receiving “hostile communications” due to the case.
The committee took that into account during its decision making. It said in its report: “As recently as yesterday, the respondent received an anonymous letter couched in clearly racist terms.
“The committee deplores the fact that the respondent and his family have been subjected to this campaign.”
The committee also said they were assured by one of his colleagues who gave evidence on his behalf that Dr Dhami would not kick another animal.
The report stated: “The committee was particularly impressed by the evidence of a registered veterinary nurse who has worked with the respondent for about 12 months.
“She had no doubt about the respondent’s professionalism and care for animals.”
The committee members decided to give him a suspension of four months.
The report said: “The committee is satisfied that a period of suspension is sufficient in this case to protect the welfare of animals, maintain public confidence and to declare and uphold proper standards of conduct.”
Two other allegations relating to a kitten and a Jack Russell dog were dismissed by the committee.
This dreadful man should never be allowed near animals again,vets are meant to help not injure our pets he doesnt deserve to work with animals ever again
This is appalling. This man should have been struck off and should certainly never practise as a veterinarian again.
I fully agree, this man should never be in any position where animal care is his position.
He should have been struck off.
What allows the RCVS to accept the statement of a colleague who says s/he “knows that he won’t do it again”? Does this person have a hotline to the future? The RCVS also decides that concerns raised about the suspended vet’s treatment of a kitten and a Jack Russell terrier should be set aside. Why? The issues around related racist attacks, whilst deplorable, should not have been used to reduce the outcome. Any professional, registered with the RCVS, should not treat any animal like this.
Exactly! I couldn’t agree more. Something not quite right here.
Yes I agree. Something not right with this
It only takes one moment to kill or hurt any animal or person. Why do the RCVS, Pets At Home and Vets4Pets want to risk this happening again? They should make an example of him. He has clearly made the worst mistake any vet could ever make. The other nurse is his employee also, so who’s to say her words are not bias to keep her job or get extra money? People only want to hurt him because he did it first to an animal that he was paid to care for. He has obviously made a disgusting mistake and I think he needs a couple kicks and a stamp so he knows what he did to that helpless animal, this is common sense, you get what you give, he needs a good lesson. Please everyone send complaints to RCVS to help stop this man hurting more animals and get PAID for it. Next time the dog might not survive his attacks, not attack, attacks. He did several things, not one. This is why it’s obvious he might again hurt animals, he DIDN’t stop after the first kick or the second. God knows how they can say he wouldn’t do this again, except MONEY. Maybe he paid them off. People will do anything for money it seems. It’s so sad, it makes me embarrassed to be a human. Imagine taking your child to the doctors and the doctor beating them up! It’s no different. You go and pay for health care and come out with injuries. Maybe RCVS paperwork doesn’t mean your a good vet at all. I would like to see them fined or charged for allowing animal cruelty, there are new laws in force that they should be subject too, just like the vet.
This is disgusting behaviour for anyone & more so for a vet who is supposed to be in a Caring Role! & Trusted to look after our animals. He should setting a caring example Not one of a abuser! The sentence he received is laughable!! What sort of message does this send!? He should be struck off. His franchise should be revoked! Horrendous.
This is disgusting to think that someone who is supposed to be looking after and helping sick and injured animals can do this . What sort off person is he and he gets payed . He should be struck off and not allowed to work with animals again . 4 months suspension is not enough .
It’s a good job he does not live near me because I would not keep my hands off him and I mean that.
I hope he still does not work there because I’m ringing them up tomorrow to give them a piece of my mind for keeping him on if they have.
If I lived in Leicestershire, I’d be in prison now!!
The RCVS committee has quite clearly misjudged the strength of public opinion in this case. Their idea that a four month suspension is ‘sufficient in this case to protect the welfare of animals, maintain public confidence and to declare and uphold proper standards of conduct.” is a huge mistake, made it seems, because they don’t want to appear ‘racist.’ People entrust their beloved pets to these people with what should be the sure and certain knowledge that they will be safe and treated with at least basic humanity. If it had been a child that had been so appallingly abused the prison door would be slamming shut behind him, and rightly so; so why is vilely abusing an animal entrusted to his care, any different? I would urge the RCVS committee to review its decision. I would also suggest that the good people of Leicester boycott his practice.
Should have been sacked when found guilty. Disgusting that he wasnt. I wouldn’t have him treat any pet of mine, would definitely use a different veterinary practice.
All complain to the RCVS let them know that as animal owners we will NOT tolerate their laxity in this case. Plaster this across social media and email them.
Total lack of backbone and care for animals.
Disgusting decision. Should have been a lifetime ban.
If he done that to my pet..he wudnt be working for a very long time..due to foot and hand injuries…utter prick
This man should never be allowed to be near another animal again. He has abused his position of being a vet.
He should be struck off .. no excuses ..how many other times has this happened .I congratulate the receptionist that reported this excuse of a human being. How can anyone trust this so called vet to care for their animals. Hope he has been sacked from this practice and will find it impossible to get another job as a vet.
Absolutely… I’m looking to see if there’s a petition to have him struck off
I’m Sasha’s owner and the whole story hasn’t been told.
I got sasha at 6 weeks after finding her advertised on a well known site. I was looking for a dog as my 16 year old staffie had passed. I went to see her and the house and conditions were clearly less than desirable but this little creature crawled up me and hid in my hair..
What can I say ? I’m a sucker for an animal in need , so I parted with £250 and took this little mite home. Upon taking her to Ash tree vets . Market Harborough, the vet and I both agreed she was younger than her given age and so postponed vac for 2 weeks.
By 3 months she was scratching incessantly so I took her back to the vets who after doing a skin scrape found dead demodex for which she was given bravecto.. twice !
The itching continued, her skin was scurfy.
More skin scrapes and nothing found so although the vets thought she was too young, they finally decided it must be allergies. By this time, sasha had developed a fear of vets ( Ash tree Vets in Market Harborough are wonderful btw ) so I switched her to vets 4pets as its above the shop so I could reward her with treats for seeing the vet. By this time, sasha had scratched her ears and flanks bald . She saw jatinder for a skin scrape ( clear) and blood panel. Both done under SEDATION. Her allergies were revealed on panel and we tried cyclovance. Didn’t work ! I tried everything! Colonial silver, coconut oil, oil of evening primrose, fish only diet, raw food diet. I was counting down the days till she was 1 year so I could give her Apoquel. Sasha hated the vet by now so on her booster app, I requested muzzle. Booster went fine then jatinder said he wanted to do ear wash. Again I requested muzzle, he ignored.
She bit.
You know the rest
Natalie how old was your puppy at the time she was violently kicked across the surgery but this vet?
Also three further questions if you dont mind
1 what do you think about vets4pets not even suspending this vet following incident
2. Did the RSPCA get involved and has a criminal prosecution been considered for this crime?
3. Is it true that the allegations were initially denied by this vet contrary to the claim of immediately coming clean?
I am currently in debate with vets4pets over this.
She was 1 year old.
Yes I did speak to the RSPCA but they said they need a vet to prove abuse and unfortunately he’s a vet.
When I was made aware of what happened, I contacted vets4pets and was given short shrift as they stood by jatinder against testimonials from their own staff. I recieved an apology dated 26/7/2019 strangely enough…. the date of the RCVS decision lol
Thus proving that it was his fault and not your dear, frightened little doggie. I hope you take legal action against the wicked bastard….
If this us how he treats animals un his care discusting, he should be struck off !!!!!!????????????
Absolutely disgusting. He needs to be struck off. Has anyone started a petition yet, or contacted the rspca?
Poor girl .. she has obviously been through so much in her short life already without suffering the abuse dished out by this excuse of a vet. Knowing of her fear of vets it makes the situation unbelievable when it could have easily been avoided after your request for her to be muzzled ..this is purely his own fault but your girl was the one that got the kicking… should have been him. I hope you have complained to the practice and to the RCVS and given them the full story … Hope all goes well for Sasha in the future and you find a cure for her skin problems. she is so lucky to have you .
She is nearly 3 now and doing great. She is on fresh food diet and will have to take Apoquel daily for the rest of her life. Yes the practice were very well aware of her problems and I have to point out that the rest of the staff there were wonderful ( apart from jatinder). I I know Amelia has left over this which is a terrible shame because her happy smiley face and willingness to come out from her desk to make a fuss of the animals and put them at ease is a terrible loss. I gave evidence last Wednesday at the RCVS about her history but unfortunately they found a 4 month suspension adequate. Sasha is now with town and country vets in market Harborough who are also aware of her problems. She sees the most chilled out vet I have ever met lol. He pushes the table away to the corner and gets on the floor with her and would never do anything invasive without discussing with me first and using sedation. So sasha does have a happy ending but that awful man should be struck off!
It seems the RCVS are not doing their job correctly, or just don’t care. Can they not be reported for false advertising, misleading information to trading standards, Which? …etc. Surely it is common sense that the Vet failed in every way several times on several occasions and chose to ignore the owners advice to use a muzzle for the injection. He chose to be un-protected, that’s his stupidity completely. I am so glad that Sasha is fine now! Maybe we need to start a site that recommends good vets. We should all report him (the more compalints, the higher a chance to change their judgment on him and hopefully revoke his license). It’s amazing that the only good person lost their job, where the company that checks standards has allowed the criminal abuser to stay in work. I wish Amelia all the best in her future, it’s so sad she has had to leave for protecting customers animals as you would expect.
None of the original staff that were initially employed at either sites where Jatinder was working are still there now, all left as were no longer able to work with him, there were many many cases of poor care and mishandling of animals by him, but only 3 were aired at the disciplinary committee hearing for lots of reasons. It’s a shame it took so long for these cases to be heard.
Hi Amanda, I hope you’re doing well. People can’t get their heads around the fact that vets actually behave like this. I’m still finding it hard to swallow even now, 20 months later. When the RCVS sent me the trial transcript on Friday, my blood ran cold because reading it in black and white was far worse than I had imagined.
I believe that vets4pets have severed their contract with him and as for the RCVS ? They won’t even talk to me now because as far as their concerned, the matter is over
This is a vile, cruel coward of a man ! Hurting the very animals he’s supposed to be helping. He should be struck off FOREVER, then be put through a good kicking….. I’d happily volunteer !
Hi Natalie,
I feel really bad for you and Sacha, it’s horrendous. Our pets were registered there before we read this, obviously no more! Were you there when it happened?! It must have been terrible…I have no idea what I would have done if i’d seen one of my two being assaulted tbh…
I was in the waiting room. After he did her first ear and she nipped him he said he was taking her into the treatment area at the back of the practice to muzzle her and get a colleague to help him do the other ear. He obviously thought no one was around when he kicked her. I wasn’t actually informed of the incident until 3 months later. Vets4pets bosses told the staff not to talk about it to anyone. Investigators told him he needed to tell me and I got a phone call from him out of the blue 1 day. He obviously played it down . I rang the surgery after his call and spoke to Amelia who gave me the truth of what really happened.
He is a wonderful man been my bet for over four years nothing too much bother a lot of you do not understand the law and how things go in court often being told to admit something as other people’s words and statements can be misconstrued who knows if they were telling the truth?
As I said wonderful vet and as soon as he is back working I for one will find where he is and go back to him.
Great ! He can become your personal vet then. Cos you’ll be the only 1 left on his list
So when he called me 3 months after the attack to admit what he had done it was cos someone had a gun to his head while he gave me a misconstrueing account?
And to members of staff misconstrued a kicking for petting?
Well bugger me !
It’s all been a terrible waste of time and miscarriage of justice…. * rolls eyes
Your on your own with that view, he’s been sacked now also. I think we need to keep an eye on you Ruth Sutton and your animals safety also if you think an animal abusing vet is a good vet. We love animals and will watch over them no matter what. It’s not false words and statements without evidence, whwere there has been an ABUNDANCE of solid evidence of his animal abuse several times over the years. Maybe you were just one custoemr on his good days. Nobody says he does this to every dog like you seem to be falsley assuming. Don’t assume.
TWAT! !!!
Vets4Pets emailed me today in response to my concerns with confirmation that they have terminated their partnership with Jatinder Dhami.
Apparently they were inundated with concerned clients who promised to take their pets elsewhere otherwise.
What a wanker.
He best not be having a job after of this makes me feel sick.