[/floatr]Yomiuri: Vet fined 1.15 mil. yen for deliberately killing dog
The Tokyo District Court has ordered a veterinary surgeon to pay 1.15 million yen in reparations to a woman after ruling he pushed a plastic bag down the throat of the woman's dog, which led to its death. According to presiding Judge Wataru Murata, the miniature dachshund died in July 2006 on the day the vet treated it. The vet had originally claimed the dog simply died suddenly and unexpectedly, but an autopsy found a ball of plastic in its throat. In June, the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry ordered the vet to suspend his practice for three years, after finding he had lost five lawsuits brought by pet owners seeking compensation for damages. The vet also has been found guilty in district and high courts of causing injury to his customers. The dog's owner is a 26-year-old part-time worker from Hachioji, Tokyo. The vet, 41, is from Tama, Tokyo. The woman had filed a lawsuit against the veterinarian seeking compensation for loss of the dog.
