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An American couple whose beloved Pomeranian dog died after a visit to a vet were later horrified to discover that the doctor who treated him was a convicted fraudster.
Jared Manhein and his partner Danielle, US citizens living in Kensington, west London, had been in the Cotswolds for a weekend when their dog Rory started having difficulty breathing and they rushed to the nearest vet.
It was Dragon Vets in Cheltenham where 48-year-old Matthew Morgan saw Rory, but to his surprise, as his pet had been treated for the condition before, he ended up dying that night.
It was while they were investigating to report the death of their beloved pet – whom they had taken on a trip around the world – that they discovered Morgan’s criminal past.
Jared Manheim and his partner Danielle (pictured) were on a weekend trip in the Cotswolds when their dog Rory started having difficulty breathing.
Matthew Morgan, 48, (pictured) had been jailed for two years at the Old Bailey for defrauding insurance companies of £225,000 by making up pets and giving them non-existent treatments.
Rory, 48, was seen by the vet, but to the couple’s shock, as their pet had been treated for the condition before, he ended up dying that night.
He had been jailed for two years at the Old Bailey for defrauding insurance companies of £225,000 by making up pets and giving them non-existent treatments. He also had criminal convictions in his native Australia.
Jared, 42, who works at Private Equity, told MailOnline: ‘I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. This was the vet we had entrusted our beloved dog to. Now our dog was dead and we were reading that he was a criminal.
Danielle, 40, a lawyer turned real estate investor, said: “How could this man be allowed to practice? How were people asked to put their trust in him?
Shortly after Rory’s death, their other dog, Pogo, who was 13 and also a Pomeranian, also died, with the couple chalking his death up to grief for his “brother”.
The couple’s problems began at the end of last November.
Jared said: “It was a tradition for us to go to the Cotswolds with our dogs, Rory and Pogo, and rent a cabin for every American Thanksgiving.”
“We’re both US citizens, but we live in London, mainly because of our dogs, how pet-friendly they are, and what a great way of life they have in London vs. New York.”
Rory’s owners used to take their beloved dog on trips around the world.
They said, ‘We’ll never get over what happened’ after he died from shortness of breath.
“We were at the cabin when Rory started experiencing difficulty breathing at night. We weren’t overly concerned about this as our vet in Kensington had successfully treated him before. .
“But we didn’t want to take any chances so I was looking for the nearest vet that was open and came across this Dragon practice in Cheltenham.
“It was 45 minutes and Rory didn’t deteriorate during the ride, so we weren’t really worried. But as soon as we got there he started to go wrong.
“We told them exactly what the London emergency vet did a month and a half earlier, and it resulted in an immediate response from our dog, allowing him to breathe again and therefore saving his life. Hours later, he was dead.
The couple was devastated by the loss of 14-year-old Rory, but tragedy turned to anger when they began looking for the vet to file a formal complaint.
They found that Morgan had appeared in court nine years earlier on charges of using his expert knowledge to make fraudulent claims against insurance companies by saying he owned the pets for a period of three years.
The vet, who earned £100.00 a year before tax, then lavished the money on a new £25,000 BMW, flew twice a year back to his native Australia, stayed in expensive hotels and took luxury holidays. . When he was arrested, he had tickets to go to Euro Disney on Eurostar. When he was arrested, he told detectives it was “easy money.”
The couple was devastated by the loss of 14-year-old Rory, but tragedy turned to anger when they began searching for the vet to file a formal complaint.
It transpired that in his native Australia the veterinarian was convicted of theft and obtaining property by deceit
Morgan, who arrived in the UK in 2001, had already pocketed £198,000 from insurance companies and was waiting for the rest of the money when he was caught.
The father of three was jailed for two years after admitting to four charges of fraud from September 2009 to November 2012, which netted him £291,751.
Morgan, a father of three, had used an official stamp and template from his employer North Kent Referrals in Chatham to make 54 claims against insurers Petplan, Petprotect, Direct Line and Sainsbury’s.
Then it was learned that in his native Australia he had a conviction for theft and obtaining property by deceit.
Since then, the pair have repeatedly contacted both Dragon Vets and have complained to regulatory bodies that Morgan is allowed to practice.
Jared said: “It took us weeks to even find out what his full name was, and that’s how we found out about his past.”
“We have struggled to obtain a reasonable response from the company and are now exploring legal options. And we are also in communication with other people who have contacted us to tell us about their own experiences there.’
He continued: ‘The whole experience has been devastating for us. It was only a few weeks after Rory’s death that we also lost Pogo and we both remain convinced that he was caused by his grief over the loss of his brother. He was a shell of himself after losing Rory.
Mr Manheim’s complaints had been investigated by the industry regulator, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, and it was found that he had done nothing wrong.
We will never get over what happened.
Jared later wrote to Dragon: ‘Our dog that we’ve had since we were in grad school and love more than we love our human family members is now dead.
“His lifeless body is sitting in a strange vet in a UK country town he’s never been to, and we must arrange for his ashes to be sent to us in the states where we will now spend Christmas without him (he told her). love sitting in front of the fire and Christmas tree in a semi-detached investment house we own in the US and visit every Christmas), or to London to await our return midway through next year Words cannot express how devastated we are.
Veterinarian Dr. Matthew Morgan said he was unable to discuss the case in detail due to client confidentiality and the GDPR.
He admitted that he had been in prison, but said that the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons cleared him of any wrongdoing.
Dr Morgan said from his Gloucestershire home last night: ‘It is common knowledge that I have been in prison.
‘I made some mistakes that cost me my freedom and it has taken me a long time to rebuild my life. But we’re 10 years down the track now.
“There has never been any question about my clinical competence as a veterinarian.”
Morgan, a father of three, added that Mr Manheim’s complaints had been investigated by the industry regulator, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, and he had been found to have done nothing wrong: “All I can say is that people filed a complaint.” and it was found that there was no case to answer.
“It was judged that nothing wrong was done clinically, that’s all I can say about the case without the owner’s permission.”
A spokesman for the industry’s regulatory body, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, said: “We can confirm that Mr Morgan is currently on the Register of Veterinary Surgeons. Matters are confidential unless or until they reach a Disciplinary Committee hearing and therefore we cannot comment further to maintain fairness to all parties.”
Dragon did not respond to requests for comment. A receptionist confirmed that he works as a night vet.