Vet accused of causing death of $141,000 dog

A vet has been accused in Tongzhou District People's Court in Beijing of being responsible for the death of a Tibetan mastiff worth 880,000 yuan ($141,000), during a plastic surgery procedure on the animal, Beijing News has reported.

A representative of the breeding farm that owned the dog, surnamed Yu, has sued the vet for the value amount.

The farm sent the mastiff to an animal hospital owned by the vet, surnamed Li, on Nov 9 last year for the surgery.

But 20 minutes into the procedure, the dog's condition deteriorated and despite emergency treatment, it died.

Yu said a third-party appraisal has suggested the mastiff died of cardiac arrest from the anesthetic, which he claims was induced using an imported, uncertified drug.

It is also claimed the vet did not follow the correct instructions during the procedure and used the drug along with another which is known to cause potentially serious side-effects.