Complaints about veterinary practitioners

The Veterinary Practitioners Registration Board of Victoria receives, assesses and investigates concerns submitted about the professional conduct or health of veterinary practitioners registered in Victoria.

Before notifying us of any concerns you may have about a veterinary practitioner, you must try to resolve those concerns directly with the vet.

If you are not able to resolve your concerns with the vet or they do not respond within a reasonable time (e.g. 2 weeks), you can complete and send us a complaint form (CLICK BELOW). Before you start the form, we encourage you to read the factsheets and watch the videos on this page to learn more about how the veterinary board handles concerns about vets.

BEFORE YOU START:
  • If you haven't raised your concerns with the vet, please do this first.
  • The complaint form must include the full name of the vet your complaint is about.
  • The veterinary board cannot investigate a complaint about a veterinary clinic or a person who is not a vet.
  • If your complaint is about more than one vet, you must complete a separate form for each vet.
  • We do not investigate complaints about the prices set for veterinary services. More information on prices: Pricing (Consumer Affairs) and our guideline on Communication - see 4.8.
  • The board cannot investigate concerns that are under the control of another organisation with specific powers under other laws.
  • The board may not be able to take action on anonymous complaints or concerns not made in writing via our complaint form.

DOWNLOAD: Complaint form (Word)

LODGING YOUR COMPLAINT: You can either scan and email your complaint to us (preferred) or mail them to our postal address. Our email and postal addresses are on the form. If you use mail, please only post copies of photos and other documents, as originals will not be returned. The Board does not accept video files on USBs or hard disks.

PRIVACY: The Board will only use and disclose personal information about you for the purpose of assessing and investigating your concerns, unless we have obtained your consent to use the information for additional purposes. More information: view the Board's Privacy and Data Protection Policy.

Videos and factsheets

Vetboard Victoria factsheet

Read our factsheet explaining what we do after we are notified of concerns about a veterinary practitioner, how we may investigate a complaint, and when we may not take action.

FACTSHEET: Concerns about a veterinary practitioner

What do veterinary boards do?

How should I raise my concerns about a vet?

What will happen after I notify the veterinary board about my concerns?

After the Board investigates your concerns

If you are unhappy with the way the Board has investigated your concerns, you can raise your concerns with the Victorian Ombudsman by:
  • completing an online complaint form at www.ombudsman.vic.gov.au
  • calling (03) 9613 6222 or 1800 806 314 (regional areas). 

More information about the role of the Victorian Ombudsman: www.ombudsman.vic.gov.au/complaints