Thane: 22-year-old woman accuses veterinarian of killing her dog; more complaints emerge

Avni Hiranandani with her dog Muffin, who died on Saturday

A 22-year-old woman from Mira Road has accused a veterinarian of killing her four-year-old cocker Spaniel by giving him wrong treatment. Over a dozen residents, who lost their pets for similar reasons, submitted a written complaint to the Kashimira police on Wednesday. Police said they have started the probe on the allegations against Dr Rajesh Rohi, who has blamed the owner for the pet's death. Avni Hiranandani, a travel blogger, lost her dog Muffin early Saturday morning, hours after he was given treatment at Dr Rohi's Indira Clinic.

"Muffin was perfectly fit and never had any disease. He had mild vomit and loose motions, so I took him to Indira Clinic on Friday evening. But, Dr Rohi, without checking Muffin, said he had gastro disease. Then, suddenly, he said Muffin might have cancer and that he looks like he is 10-year-old. Dr Rohi then gave me a list of expensive tests," said Hiranandani.

‘Suddenly, he wasn't breathing'

She alleged that he gave him saline and four injections without taking her consent. "He said if I don't get the tests done then I will be responsible for whatever happens to him. I got scared and decided to have them run the tests the next day. I brought him back home, and lay awake next to. Suddenly, at 4 am, he tried to puke and then. Soon, he stopped responding and I couldn't feel his breathing."

"I dialled many veterinarians, but no one answered. I called a rickshaw and went around looking for an open vet clinic, but there were none," she recalled. Hiranandani said she checked the reviews of Indira Clinic on Wednesday and was surprised to find out that "he has killed so many pets the same way. Dr Rohi and his doctor [Somnath Gaikwad] are vultures and murderers. They don't have records of any of my visits and vaccinations. They just gave me huge bills to fill up their pockets. We say a doctor is like god, but Dr Rohi is a devil." "I plead with every animal lover and pet parents to never visit his clinic," Hiranandani said, demanding "justice for my Muffin who died due to the wrong treatment given by Dr Rohi."

Doc blames pet owner

Speaking with mid-day, Dr Rohi said, "The dog was ill and not vaccinated, because of which he had some infection. I asked her to admit the dog to the Parel vet hospital and get him tested for a few things, but Hiranandani refused. We gave saline to the dog so that he recovers. We did not give him wrong treatment. I have been treating dogs and cats for many years. I start working at 8 am and return home only at 11 pm. I treat 70-80 animals daily and some of them are free as well." He added, "I also want justice for Muffin, who died because he was not vaccinated." Hiranandani refuted his allegation, saying Muffin was vaccinated at Indira Clinic in October, but "I don't have any bills for it. When I had gone to get the bills, they refused to give."

Man lost a kitten

Tej Gaikwad, 22, a bank employee who lives in Mira Road, said, "Around nine months ago, my nine-day-old kitten, Tom, had fallen ill. He was weak and wasn't eating anything. I took Tom to Indira Clinic and Dr Rohi gave an injection, and five hours later, he passed away. When I heard about Muffin, I was shocked, and contacted Hiranandani, and offered her my support."

Nidhi Merai, 25, said, "My dog's name is also Muffin, and in 2021, he fell down and dislocated his finger. I took him to Indira Clinic where Dr Rohi said he has a haemorrhage and needed a surgery. They also cut his leg. Later he was infected. The doctor didn't give him any medicine, only injection, which was surprising. I took him to another vet and he lives today."