Spiritual healing charge against Brighton vet (From The Argus)
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Spiritual healing charge against Brighton vet
6:40pm Tuesday 20th November 2012 in News By Anna Roberts, Crime reporter
A vet faces being struck off for trying to “spiritually heal” a dying dog.
Marie-Louise Schlemm is accused of “disgraceful conduct” with regards to a Jack Russell terrier, named Ratzy, and the dog’s owner, who she also purported to have treated.
The incidents took place while she worked at Coastway Veterinary Group in Freshfield Business Park, Brighton, in May 2010.
Yesterday (November 19) Ms Schlemm, of Brighton, appeared before a Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons panel for the start of an eight-day hearing.
Pre-hearing papers say the vetinary practitioner repeatedly contacted the victim, named only as Ms B, between May 22 and May 25 2010.
Eastern medicine
It is stated that during this period she performed chakra – the Eastern medicine where the centres of spiritual powers in the body are rebalanced – on Ms B.
All of this contact and treatment was unsolicited and not in her capacity as a vet, the papers say.
Ms Schlemm is accused of making telephone calls, visiting the victim’s home in Hove and sending her text messages.
The papers claim that Ms Schlemm said the victim and Ratzy should move in with her.
She is accused of calling a fellow vet “a witch” in a conversation with Ms B and deliberately misleading the woman over the condition of her dog.
Ms Schlemm is said to have taken money from the victim for purposes “other than legitimate veterinary treatment”.
She also allegedly told Ms B “there was no need” for her to be ill, made comments about the amount of medication she was on and told her that staff at the animal charity PDSA had “missed something” and that Ratzy was not dying.
The hearing continues.
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Comments(16)
martyt
says...
10:57pm Tue 20 Nov 12
matlock
says...
1:42am Wed 21 Nov 12
Euly
says...
8:01am Wed 21 Nov 12
martyt wrote:Well said could not agree more
this is why i use cliffe for my dogs needs real vets for real pets
nosolution
says...
8:22am Wed 21 Nov 12
John Steed
says...
8:53am Wed 21 Nov 12
Juleyanne
says...
8:55am Wed 21 Nov 12
BornInBrighton1968
says...
9:06am Wed 21 Nov 12
Beethoven
says...
9:14am Wed 21 Nov 12
She does not need veterinary qualifications , or any other, to do it.
Of course the facts of this case are incomplete and there may be an element of fraud, but in a free society we may use "odd" remedies if we wish.
Crystal Ball
says...
9:20am Wed 21 Nov 12
John Steed wrote:Would the "horrible worm infested fleabag" be the dog, owner or vet?
a bit of spiritual rebalancing yes,I could go along with that, as to misleading about the conditionof a dog, I must remember not to say Oh what a sweetie when I realy mean horrible worm infested fleabag.
Tailgaters Anonymous
says...
12:19pm Wed 21 Nov 12
If someone wants to try something other than medication what odds?
As long as the animal didn't suffer - wonder if compensation is behind the complaint?
GIVE UP
says...
12:38pm Wed 21 Nov 12
puddingandpi
says...
4:03pm Wed 21 Nov 12
They were very, very nice whan my old puddy-tat was put down, very understanding that I'm a complete wimp. It's not Coastway's fault that this woman was a idiot. She probably didn't say that on her CV or at the interview & she's gone now.
If Ratzy had a terminal illness, the poor thing is probably dead by now, but I hope the end was painless & peaceful, as my cat's was.
elainepkils
says...
4:22pm Wed 21 Nov 12
Beats talking to the dead, who seem always to be in heaven and not hell.
Batgirl17
says...
4:24pm Wed 21 Nov 12
Very surprised to read this. There are always 2 sides to a story!
Tom V
says...
7:19pm Wed 21 Nov 12
Morpheus says...
8:33pm Tue 20 Nov 12