The Taipei City Government on Wednesday said it is investigating National Taiwan Normal University Veterinary Hospital over accusations that a vet accidentally killed a dog by administering anesthesia without the owner’s authorization, with the results to be shared later this month.
Taipei City Councilor Angela Ying (應曉薇) convened a news conference earlier in the day with the owner of the dog, surnamed Chang (張).
Chang said she took her pomeranian, Micky, to the hospital’s behavioral clinic on July 24.
Photo: Tsai Ya-hua, Taipei Times
A vet surnamed Wang (王) said they would make the dog “comfortable and well-behaved” while drawing blood, she said.
Shortly afterward, Micky went into shock and died, Chang said, adding that she later discovered that Wang had administered anesthesia without her permission.
The hospital has yet to provide any surveillance footage or records to explain what happened, she said.
Another employee at the clinic alleged that the veterinarians did not take the situation seriously when Micky went into shock, and only administered first aid after an intern pointed out that something was wrong, Ying said.
However, Chang cannot claim medical negligence, as pets are considered property under the law, Ying said.
The primary issue with the case should be whether the veterinarian had Chang sign a consent form, but consent forms are not covered in the Veterinarian Act (獸醫師法), Taipei Animal Protection Office Commissioner Chen Ying-hao (陳英豪) said, recommending that vets use sample forms provided by the office.
Taipei Consumer Protection Officer Kung Chien-ya (龔千雅) said her office received a complaint about the case earlier this month and is already conducting an investigation.
The hospital in a statement said that Wang had already apologized multiple times for the unintentional error caused by personal negligence.
It also vowed to take responsibility if administrative or legal errors are discovered on the part of the hospital or Wang.
‘ANGRY’: Forgetting the humiliations and sacrifices of ‘the people of the Republic of China’ experienced disqualified Lai from being president, Ma Ying-jeou said Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday criticized President William Lai (賴清德) over what he called “phrasing that downplayed Japan’s atrocities” against China during World War II. Ma made the remarks in a post on Facebook on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Ma said he was “angry and disappointed” that Lai described the anniversary as the end of World War II instead of a “victory in the war of resistance” — a reference to the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). The eight-year war was a part of World War II, in which Japan and the other Axis
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday announced a ban on all current and former government officials from traveling to China to attend a military parade on Sept. 3, which Beijing is to hold to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War. "This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Republic of China’s victory in the War of Resistance [Against Japan]," MAC Deputy Minister and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a regular news briefing in Taipei. To prevent Beijing from using the Sept. 3 military parade and related events for "united
‘OFFSHORE OPERATIONS’: Also in Dallas, Texas, the Ministry of Economic Affairs inaugurated its third Taiwan Trade and Investment Center to foster closer cooperation The 2025 Taiwan Expo USA opened on Thursday in Dallas, Texas, featuring 150 Taiwanese companies showcasing their latest technologies in the fields of drones, smart manufacturing and healthcare. The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), the event’s organizer, said the exhibitors this year include Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (Foxconn), the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer; AUO; PC brand Asustek Computer; and drone maker Thunder Tiger. In his opening speech, TAITRA chairman James Huang (黃志芳) said he expected Texas to become a world-class center for innovation and manufacturing as US technology companies from Silicon Valley and Taiwanese manufacturers form an industrial cluster
A 20-year-old man yesterday evening was electrocuted and fell to his death after he climbed a seven-story-high electricity tower to photograph the sunset, causing a wildfire on Datong Mountain (大同山) in New Taipei City’s Shulin District (樹林), the Taoyuan Police Department said today. The man, surnamed Hsieh (謝), was accompanied on an evening walk by a 20-year-old woman surnamed Shang (尚) who remained on the ground and witnessed the incident, capturing a final photograph of her friend sitting atop the tower before his death, an initial investigation showed. Shang then sought higher ground to call for help, police said. The New Taipei