Veterinary nurse nearly dozed off on spaniel during operation after injecting herself with animal painkillers

A VETERINARY nurse nearly dozed off on a spaniel during an operation after injecting herself with animal painkillers.

Dayna Johnson took the medication that was meant for a pet undergoing surgery then replaced it with a different liquid.

She also stole drugs from four practices in Bristol on five separate occasions over the space of a year.

When quizzed over her actions, Johnson made a string of excuses – including that she was suffering from “jet-lag”.

She also claimed it was her birthday the night before and another time blamed being nervous about starting a new job.

The veterinary nurse has now been struck off after she was found guilty of misconduct by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons disciplinary committee.

The panel heard Johnson's “sustained and repeated” deceit reached a head in September 2023 during her first shift at Yatton Vets.

The veterinary nurse almost fell asleep on a spaniel that was lying on the operation table, a disciplinary committee heard.

When asked if she was OK, Johnson claimed she was “fine” but tired as she'd “not got much sleep the night before” due to nerves.

She “appeared to fall asleep standing up” and “jumped as if she had been startled awake” when the surgeon asked her a question, it was said.

Her pen was also not touching the paper while writing the anaesthetic record and her notes turned out to be “illegible”.

Johnson had even reported the dog's temperature was normal but it was actually hypothermic – a dangerous drop in temperature.

The hearing was told Johnson had asked the surgery's owner which drugs staff were required to record the use of during a trial shift.

After being informed that synthetic opioid buprenorphine was not recorded, she took the drug and “concealed it in her clothing”.

Johnson also swiped two boxes of nerve painkiller gabapentin and put an empty bottle of buprenorphine in the bin.

Both drugs are used on animals to control pain, seizures and anxiety.

After her job offer was taken away, staff discovered the drugs were missing and the police were called.

Johnson later told police in a written statement: “I KNOW i will NEVER do anything like this again”.

But just one month later, she took a syringe of buprenorphine from vet charity People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), where she was working as a locum veterinary nurse.

The panel was also told that in May 2023, Johnson was interviewed by cops after taking a drug meant for animal use at Vets4Pets.

She was seen swaying when she came out of the toilet and when a veterinary surgeon asked her what was wrong, she said she'd “just got back from a holiday”.

Johnson then collapsed – with paramedics discovering a syringe in the nurse's pocket.

She was given a conditional caution by police in relation to the theft, under the condition she attend a drug awareness course by October 2023.

In December that year, Johnson pleaded guilty to theft of buprenorphine and was slapped with a fine.

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons said: “The College submits that [Ms Johnson] has directly breached three of the most fundamental tenets of the profession: the promotion of animal welfare, the responsible use of drugs and behaving with honesty and integrity.

“It is also submitted that she breached the trust of her employer and risked placing her colleagues under suspicion regarding dishonestly taking the drugs.

“The College submitted it was significant that the conduct was sustained and repeated: it took place at four different practices over the period of approximately one year, it involved three different controlled drugs and it took place on five separate occasions.

“The drugs in question were all controlled drugs, and of a type which are associated with misuse and dependency.

“The conduct took place repeatedly despite intervention, warnings and promises that it would not happen again.”