Today at 07:30 • Updated today at 08:05
The name of one veterinarian from Sint-Oedenrode keeps popping up when it comes to alleged rogue puppy trade, Omroep Brabant discovered. Maleficent dog trafficking is a major problem in Brabant. Every day, advertisements appear from traders who earn hundreds of thousands of euros from it. The consequences are far-reaching: puppies that are sick, have hereditary conditions or behavioral problems or animals that are kept in poor conditions.
Without the cooperation of veterinarians, such as the veterinarian from Sint-Oedenrode, the rogue dog trade could not exist. By incorrectly issuing health certificates, vaccinations and issuing passports, they make it possible for many hundreds of puppies to be sold every year by rogue traders.
Hereditary heart disease not noted
Patricia Kerssens from Den Bosch bought Matcha, a five-month-old maltipoo, which seemed perfectly healthy when purchased. That’s what the breeder said she was and she was duly given a Dutch passport. But when Kerssens came to her regular vet, she was shocked. Her Matcha turned out to be seriously ill. Without medical intervention she would not grow old. It is remarkable that the hereditary heart condition was not detected during an earlier check by a veterinarian in Sint-Oedenrode.
Kerssens asked the vet. “When it turned out that Matcha had a hereditary condition, I called him. He indicated that he had checked Matcha outside and that due to all the ambient noise, it was quite possible that he had not heard the associated heart murmur.”
Veterinary specialist in cardiology Niek Beijerink explains that the hereditary condition of Matcha normally causes a clear heart murmur early on. “This is almost always audible during a regular puppy check,” says the specialist. “Missing such noise is possible, but the chance of this happening is small if you listen carefully.” According to experts, it is very unusual to do a first puppy check outside.
‘All alarm bells are ringing’
The Matcha case does not appear to be an isolated incident. The veterinarian from Sint-Oedenrode is no stranger to various animal organizations. A fellow veterinarian from Utrecht already openly reported on X in 2021 that the name of this veterinarian always sets off alarm bells for him. Dozens of puppies passed by in his practice where there is a very strong suspicion of puppy trafficking and where the name of this veterinarian is in the passports.
No registration option
Anyone who tries to approach the practice in Sint-Oedenrode will encounter a remarkable silence. There is no indication online that pets are treated here. There is no website and no registration option. Yet his name appears on dozens of dog passports from different breeders. Regarding the lack of a website, the veterinarian says that his practice works exclusively through word of mouth. “People cannot just approach me, I want to know who I am dealing with.” The vet’s full response is at the bottom of the box in this article.
In addition to Patricia, Omroep Brabant spoke to several victims of the veterinarian from Sint-Oedenrode. They report serious conditions in their dogs, from epilepsy to a missing hip socket, brain problems and behavioral problems. According to the owners, the animals had previously been declared healthy.
Signals of malicious trading
It is striking that the puppies of the owners that Omroep Brabant spoke to always come from the same breeder from Best. Dog owners share their experiences in a Facebook group about the breeder with almost two hundred members. They talk about seriously ill puppies and puppies that are malnourished when picked up. The veterinarian from Sint-Oedenrode is the regular veterinarian of this breeder.
Several buyers claim that they were misled during the purchase. According to them, the breeder says that these are occasional litters and that the puppies are raised in a home environment. However, several advertisements on Marktplaats show that this breeder regularly offers multiple litters at the same time and ‘reuses’ photos of puppies in multiple advertisements. Markplaats indicates that reuse is prohibited. In one case, a DNA test showed that the breed specified at the time of sale was incorrect, even though this breed was included in the passport.
According to animal welfare organization House of Animals, offering multiple litters at the same time, misleading buyers about the origin of animals and discrepancies in passports are clear signals of fraudulent dog trading.
Antibiotics sent
In addition to doubts about the health declarations, buyers are also concerned about the way in which the vet in question prescribes medication. For example, someone bought a puppy that got diarrhea on the way home. The dog turned out to have Giardia, a common intestinal parasite in young dogs. When the dog owner contacted the breeder about this, he was advised to administer antibiotics. Normally antibiotics are only used if other medications do not help sufficiently. This medication would then have been sent by post, without the puppy having been examined by the vet.
According to the Royal Dutch Society for Veterinary Medicine, a veterinarian may only prescribe antibiotics after an extensive medical examination. According to them, simply relying on an owner’s story is not a sufficient assessment.
Veterinarian response
The veterinarian from Sint-Oedenrode disputes that a heart murmur should be noticed at the first check-up. According to him, he only does a ‘global health check’ and then you can miss something like that. He says he always discusses deviations with the breeder, and believes that his responsibility ends there. He emphasizes that he is not a controlling body and has no influence on breeding policy. He says he sees no signs of poor care at the breeder in question and he says he does not know of any rogue trader. He denies sending antibiotics without testing.
Breeder response
The breeder from Best said in a response that he does not know how many puppies he sells annually and that he cannot indicate how many mother dogs he owns. According to him, Omroep Brabant is welcome to view the puppies, but it is not allowed to see the mother dogs. Regarding the breed, he states that there was no deception towards buyers about the breed purity of the puppy, but that an incorrect entry in the passport may have been the result of a mistake because he had several litters at the same time.
After questions from Omroep Brabant, the breeder appears to have adjusted his Marktplaats advertisements. He explicitly states that unhealthy puppies can be returned free of charge after purchase.
Accountability
Omroep Brabant spoke to several dog owners and checked their stories against medical records.
This is the first story in a series about the role of veterinarians in fraudulent puppy trade.
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