In a tragic turn of events, a vet killed himself using pet euthanasia drugs after becoming disillusioned by his job. He became distressed at putting down healthy pets unnecessarily or animals that could have been saved. In particular, he became fed up with wealthy owners refusing to pay to save their animals.
Dr. John Ellis ended up taking his own life. His mother, Tina, said that the vet allowed his job to destroy him. Likewise, his personal life was in shambles, and he was secretly having an affair. The vet tricked a nurse into giving him euthanasia drugs to put down a "large dog." He then administered the drugs to himself via an IV drip.
His mother said, "Owners are leaving it too late to come in, they weren't seeking help early enough for things that could have been quite simple."
The vet reportedly told her, "When I've got somebody saying they won't pay to help their animal and they're sitting there with a brand new car outside, and other people who were really struggling [financially] would do anything to save their animals, but there was nothing they could do because it was already too late."
Vet Dies By Suicide
Meanwhile, Tina says, "He was finding that destroying." The vet reportedly had trouble sleeping at night and sometimes would sleep in his car when on call.
"All of those things completely built up and he was finding it difficult," she said.
Simon Burge, assistant coroner for Hampshire, called the vet's death "a huge waste of a talented life."
"It's a matter of great regret to the family and all his friends that he should have rashly, unnecessarily made the decision that he did. He did it in the context of relationship issues in more than one relationship," he said. "He was confused by his long-term love and perhaps an infatuation for this younger man Ryan, coupled with the considerable stress involved at the residency, from the financial pressures that caused."
Burge also criticized the lack of checks and balances over the drug. He said, "He used an intravenous line to self-administer a toxic quantity of [the drug], which he had procured by falsely representing to his former employers that he needed it in order to euthanise a large dog. He was able to access the drug, which he knew to be dangerous, without being challenged as to its purpose."
