Hundreds of alleged malpractice complaints filed, but long delays in investigations by Veterinary Surgeons Board have upset both pet owners and vets
3-MIN READ3-MINLo Hoi-yingPublished: 5:30pm, 26 Jul 2026When Hongkonger Tara Fung brought her eight-month-old Munchkin cat, Yuen Yuen, to a clinic to get spayed in March 2025, she was told two hours later that her pet had died from an allergic reaction to a sedative.
Fung pressed the clinic for explanations and surveillance footage but said she did not receive a proper reply.
“The way the clinic’s vet and nurse answered our questions, their handling of the situation and the whole process was truly baffling. I strongly suspect that this incident was a case of medical malpractice,” she said.
She lodged her complaint with the Veterinary Surgeons Board of Hong Kong (VSB), but the statutory body said it did not consider the case an instance of malpractice.
“I felt very powerless,” Fung said. “But sadly, it seems pets aren’t treated as a big deal in Hong Kong. It feels like vets do not have to take it seriously, even if an animal dies during treatment.”
