Man to Serve 1 Year for Illegal Veterinary Practice

An ex-veterinarian, who was ordered to do 1,000 hours of community service in 1996 for animal neglect and practicing veterinary medicine without a license, surrendered Friday to begin serving a one-year jail term for continuing his illegal practice, Los Angeles City Atty. James Hahn said.

George Bernard Shaw, 68, was sentenced Nov. 4 in Van Nuys Municipal Court after pleading no contest to one count each of practicing without a license and fraudulently using a license to obtain prescription drugs.

Shaw admitted violating his probation from the 1996 conviction, when he was ordered not to practice veterinary medicine for three years, according to Hahn’s office.

In the earlier case, a state investigator took a healthy dog to see Shaw, whose veterinary license was revoked in 1992. Shaw said the animal had a possibly infected prostate and offered to treat the dog with antibiotics, a city attorney spokesman said.

A city investigation, meanwhile, turned up records indicating that Shaw had treated some animals at a Sun Valley home, including two Doberman pups that were euthanized. Shaw pleaded no contest to the 1996 charges.

The state Department of Consumer Affairs began investigating Shaw last year after receiving a complaint from a licensed veterinarian saying Shaw had resumed his illegal practice.