Kerstin Vockert's own dogs Happy and Millie were discovered with 'horrifically matted fur' when RSPCA officers raided her home, acting on a tip off.
The RSPCA found Happy, a shih-tzu, and Millie, a cocker spaniel, had not been groomed for at least six months and the weight of their mangled coats caused them discomfort and made it difficult for them to walk.
Happy, an 11-year-old blind rescue dog, had to be fully shaved, but Millie was had already been put down by the vet by the time officers intervened.
Vockert, 55, a vet of 19 years and director of an animal treatment centre in Bournemouth, pleaded guilty to the RSPCA charges of failing to protect the dogs from pain, suffering, injury and disease by not adequately grooming them.
She was fined almost £1,000 by magistrates and told she would not be able to keep Happy, who has since made a full recovery. However, she was allowed to continue keeping animals after she told the court a ban would mean 'professional ruin' for her.
The court heard she has six other rescue dogs at her home, all of which are in good condition.
Vockert, from Sopley, Dorset, faces a further investigation from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons which could see her barred from treating animals.
She came to the RSPCA's attention in September last year when Happy was found wandering in the road near her home by a member of the public.
When officers went to Vockert's home they found it filthy with a strong smell of ammonia. Although the vet wasn't there, the officer spotted another dog, Millie, with severely matted fur.
When they returned to speak to Vockert the following day she said she had put Millie down because the dog was 'riddled with cancer'.
She told officers she only groomed her dogs every six months because they didn't like being groomed, however the court was told by two experts believed there was at least nine months of growth to Happy's coat.
Chris Devlin, a vet who examined Happy after he was seized from Vockert, said the dog had been subjected to 'chronic and prolonged neglect' as his whole body was matted and smelled bad.
Another vet David Martin said both Happy and Millie would have been in constant discomfort.
Vockert, who is from Germany, originally trained as a medical doctor but retrained as a vet in 1996 before setting up her own practice in 2008.
Bournemouth Magistrates fined her £620 plus costs of £362 and refused to return Happy to her, but said disqualification would have a 'disproportionate effect' on her life.
Matthew Knight, prosecuting for the RSPCA, told the court: 'When an RSPCA officer visited Miss Vockert's house she said it was filthy and there was a strong smell of ammonia that made her cough and her eyes sting.
'The officer saw another dog in the house, Millie, who also had severely matted fur, but when they returned Miss Vockert said she had put Millie down.
She showed the officers her other six dogs, which were in good condition, but refused them access to the property. She said both dogs disliked grooming and clipping and had to be sedated for it. Worryingly she said she believed her care was appropriate.
Happy had encrusted faeces in the matted fur and the condition of his coat was so bad it had to be cut off. Vet Chris Devlin, who examined Happy, said the matted fur covered all of the body and he was extremely smelly.
Shih-tzus should be groomed weekly and clipped every eight to 12 weeks. If they are not it can become increasingly painful. It would be normal for owners of this breed to understand the importance of grooming.
'His report said: "It is rare for me to see a shih-tzu who has even a small amount of matted fur. This shows chronic and prolonged neglect".
'When he saw Millie's body he said "I have seen numerous matted dogs but I have never seen anything as horrifically matted as this".
'It's not acceptable to leave coats to degenerate to this level. She was aware of this. As a veterinary surgeon she should have known better and she should have done something about it.'
Stephen Barnfield, defending, said: 'Miss Vockert is a successful veterinary surgeon. She runs her practice alone, seven days a week and never takes time off.
'The small proportion of her life not looking after animals professionally is spent looking after a large number of rescue dogs who would all have died had she not taken them in. So much is at stake, if she was disqualified it would mean professional ruin.
'This was not willful neglect or even careless neglect but misjudgement and she accepts the decision not to groom them was wrong, but it was made with the best intentions.
'She cares for all her dogs - walking them three times a day, worming them every three months and all the other dogs go to the groomers on an eight-weekly cycle.'
Speaking after the case, RSPCA officer Patrick Bailey said: 'I think the right decision was made. It's good for the dog not to have any further upheaval. He's happy and settled in his foster home.
'I think this case makes it clear that animal welfare is taken seriously regardless of your position in society.'
(Daily Mail - May 29, 2015)
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