THanks guys, Honey sadly passed away at home with me a couple of weeks ago (the morning of the day I was going to have her put to sleep anyway). JM2K - I requested a copy of her recent medical history - and from what I can see, no pre-op bloods were taken (Is this normal?) The Lymphoma was only diagnosed via a biopsy of a lump that I noticed, a week or so after the operation.

Agreed - to prove negligence is going to v.hard, probably impossible. I have yet to query with vet - still trying to digest the bad news... this is obviously the next step; I just wanted to clarify where I stand and best course of action before approaching the vet. Not really sure what I'm hoping to achieve here (sounds dumb I know). Certainly some kind of reduction in bills if its apparent that he should have picked up on the Lymphoma before operating on Honey's leg (if not a complete refund!!)

Thanks for your reply postmn - yes, situations sounds similar (though not identical). I guess in my case, I feel that the vet either 1) knew about the Lymphoma, but failed to tell as I was obviously never going to spend £1500 on leg surgery for a terminally ill dog 2) didn't know about Lymphoma, but should've picked up on it when conducting pre-op tests In my mind, case 1) amounts to gross professional conduct (but how would I prove this??) case 2 ) amounts to professional negligence (but how would I prove this??!!)

Sorry, should have included this in original msg. Have got in touch with RCVS, who have sent me the stock complaint form. If i'm understanding the role they play/powers they have, they only really get involved with matters of "disgraceful conduct in a professional respect". I would not say that my situation suggests 'disgraceful conduct', rather negligent conduct, something that the RCVS appear to consider something of a grey area and advise contacting the Vet in question. Now, call me a nay-sayer, but I'm fairly sure said Vet would not readily acknowledge professional negligence to me, and refund the £1500 cost of the ligament surgery (plus associated costs - petrol for vets visits, time of work etc). This considered, whom should I approach for further advice on this (potential) situation? Any advise gratefully received.

Hi guys.... Hoping someone can offer me some advice. I am a little confused over my rights during a recent series of unfortunate events regarding my 8yr old bitch, Honey (mixed breed). Some months back she tore her cruciate ligament. It took me a while to decide how best to proceed, considering costs involved. Having decided to go ahead with surgery to fix the problem, surgery was duly carried out and the recovery process proceeded without complication (including a check-up 7 days post op). 12 days post op, I noticed a large (child fist-sized, approx.) lump near her left hind leg. Assuming this to perhaps be a hormonal/stress reaction to the surgery/post-op medication etc, I wasn’t immediately or overly worried by this. 14 days post op, I took Honey in for stitches removal. I pointed out the lump to the vet, who proceeded to take a biopsy from the lump, and from other swollen lymph glands running down her neck. He called the next day to confirm that she had lymphoma, with a prognosis of 4-5 weeks left to live. Distressing/shocking to say the least. Am I correct in assuming that a thorough pre-op check would've been conducted on Honey, to ensure she was fit for surgery? Surely if this was undertaken thoroughly, concisely and accurately than this, obviously advanced-stage cancer surely should have been detected? My point is that I never would have undertaken the expensive leg surgery had I been aware of the existence of such an advanced-stage terminal disease. Is there a case here of professional misconduct, and if so, should I be in the least refunded for the leg surgery which I would never have agreed to given the knowledge of the cancer?