Texas vet suspected of keeping sick dogs alive for blood

A Texas veterinarian has been charged with cruelty to animals after several dogs that had been brought to his clinic to be euthanized were kept alive in squalid conditions for use in blood transfusions, Fort Worth police said on Thursday.            

Millard Tierce, who operates Camp Bowie Animal Clinic in Fort Worth, turned himself into authorities on Wednesday and was released on a $10,000 bond, the police said.           

An owner of one of the dogs, Marian Harris, told the Fort Worth Star Telegram she believed her dog Sid had been euthanized last fall after Tierce diagnosed it with a degenerative spinal disease.            

The dog was found alive and covered in filth. It was then returned to its owner.        

“The biggest hurt in all of this is the deception and what it means with something that means so much to you,” Harris told the newspaper.             

Local media said investigators have found five dogs that were supposed to be euthanized and which Tierce is suspected of keeping alive.                

Tierce was not immediately available for comment.        

The Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners will hold a hearing before May 14 to decide whether Tierce's license will be revoked. The license is currently suspended.


REUTERS