A pet owner was left heartbroken after her 100kg dog died because he was so big she couldn't get him to the vet.

Carmen Ross, 59, said she had to watch her beloved pooch suffer for hours before being put down as he was too large to get into her car and no vet was available to come out to see him..

Carmen adopted Newfoundland puppies Harvey and Hudson in November 2015 and the pair lived a happy life together in the Ross family home in Keith, Moray, in Scotland.

Hudson developed arthritis in his joints in 2021 and, despite the family installing a hydrotherapy pool at their home to aid his mobility, he passed away in January 2022.

Harvey lived alongside Miss Brodie, a Saint Bernard, in the Ross household but started to suffer from similar issues with arthritis in 2025.

The 98kg dog - registered with Seafield Vet Group in Moray - became increasingly lame in April 2025, and was placed on a higher dose of pain relief medication.

On Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025, Harvey became extremely distressed, was unable to stand up, and appeared to be in excruciating pain.

Too big to move, Carmen and her husband, John Ross, 69, rang the emergency line for the vets, but were told they would have to transport him to Aberdeen to be seen - over an hour's drive away.

They explained that they could not lift him themselves due to his weight and that all their previous appointments had been home-visits.

The vets then offered a £300 consultation over the phone, but the couple responded saying the issues were serious and required somebody to help in person.

After more than six hours of Harvey's suffering and numerous attempts to source a vet, Carmen managed to agree with another practice, Moray Coast Vet Practice in Forres, to send someone to tend to Harvey.

At around 7pm, a vet arrived and found that the dog had a broken bone in his leg and would have to be put down.

Carmen believes nine-year-old Harvey, was 'badly let down' by Seafield Vet Group in what was an 'alarming' situation that could affect thousands of animal lovers.

She said: "Aberdeen is over an hour away and we really needed a vet to come out there and then."

"But they just said they could get a vet to phone us but that wouldn't serve any purpose, that wasn't helpful at all."

"They said they would sort something out for us and phone us back, but they never did. They didn't understand the severity of the situation."

"John went down to try Seafield vets to see if anyone was there, but there wasn't. We tried other local ones too but they are all part of the same group now, IVC Evidensia, so they're no longer independent - they were all shut unless you were registered with them."

"We were up against the wall. Eventually, we tried Morray Coast Vets, and Marc Qulessa came out. He was on-call at his own vet practice and had that to deal with, but he managed to get someone to cover him."

"Marc was excellent and so understanding. He found the broken bone and determined that it had been so long and didn't think it would be fair to put him through pain and a big operation - in his professional opinion he felt it was kinder to let Harvey go."

The ordeal has left Carmen shocked at the lack of on-call care provided by veterinary practices, as well as the lack of independent vets in her area.

She said: "There should be some flexibility where Harvey wasn't left to suffer for that length of time. I would've changed vets if I had known about the lack of an on-call service beforehand - it's sod's law that it happened on an out of hours day."

"I have since brought up the issue with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons through email and they said that 'veterinary practices do not currently have a regulator'."

"So when a big corporation takes independent vets over, they are not regulated like they should be."

"I think it's just incredibly shocking and alarming that that is the case."

"I feel sorry for the vets and I really think for some of them it must be difficult because they went through years of study to have the qualifications to tend to animals, but they badly let Harvey down. "

"Pets can't tell us what's wrong and this was a welfare issue. Most people are animal-lovers like us and it's very difficult to cope with the aftermath of what happened."

"It's difficult, I've lost so many pets down the years but this time it was dramatic because pets don't ask for a lot and the vets should be able to give them the help they need, which Harvey didn't get."

"The suffering he was put through was shocking - he shouldn't have had to go through it."

"But I can't thank Morray Coast Vets enough. Marc gave Harvey the dignity he deserved. "

"He also stayed for an hour after too - he really went the extra mile and he was great. He didn't mention payment at all on the day, apart from on the phone when he said there would be a fee for coming out."

"We were just so grateful for his help - he said that he saw it as a welfare issue, yet other vets didn't."

"I would advise others to register for an independent vet which hasn't been bought over by a big group which still allows an on call service."

A spokesperson for Seafield Vets, which has practices in Keith and Buckie, said: "We are very sorry to hear about Harvey and understand how distressing it is to lose a much-loved pet. We have shared our condolences with his family and recognise how upsetting this experience must have been."

"Due to client confidentiality, we are unable to comment publicly on individual cases. However, we always encourage clients to raise any concerns with us directly, so we can investigate and respond fully."

"We will always put animal welfare first and are focused on ensuring pet owners have access to the best, dedicated emergency service possible, even if it does mean a longer drive. "

"Due to a critical shortage of vets across the region, our out-of-hours service is provided by dedicated emergency care teams based in Inverness and Aberdeen. These centres are staffed by experienced vets and nurses and are available through the night, at weekends and on bank holidays to provide urgent care when it's needed most."

"In an out-of-hours emergency, pet owners are asked to attend one of these centres, and we are unable to offer house visits as part of this service."

"The vet shortage crisis, which we and other veterinary providers are facing in Speyside, remains a priority for us and under constant review; and we are committed to trying to address the shortages through continued and dedicated recruitment efforts to our practices."

"We value all feedback and view it as an opportunity to review and improve our services. Our focus remains firmly on providing the highest standard of care for pets and their families."