On Wednesday, August 12, at the Municipal Spay Center in La Calera, Córdoba, a poodle died during spay surgery. Before the procedure, veterinarian Daniel Gómez Rojas had explained the risks associated with it to the dog’s family for about 20 minutes, and the animal’s owners signed the informed consent form.
After the surgery, Gómez Rojas went out to the waiting room to tell the family that the dog had not survived. The owner’s reaction was violent: first he hit a table, then a wall, and finally lunged at the veterinarian. The first punch caused a cut on his head and knocked him to the floor; according to Natalia Elstner, president of the Córdoba Veterinary Medical College, Gómez Rojas could barely shield himself with his arm as the blows continued. Three people who were there had to intervene to pull the attacker away.
The veterinarian ended up in the hospital and received several stitches in his head. According to his own account, he was “knocked out”. The attacker left before the police arrived and has not been arrested so far, despite the criminal complaint filed the following day. While the investigation must determine what happened during the spay surgery and whether there was any professional negligence, Gómez Rojas says that he now wonders whether he wants to continue practicing the profession.