A vet failed to properly treat a horse even though he knew she was dying.

David Smith, left, had only taken Grace's temperature, and told the owner Sharon Hammant to "stop panicking" when she repeatedly rang him to say she was getting worse.

The mare died shortly afterwards.

Mr Smith, who had a practice in Deal and Folkestone, was struck off by the the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons for this, and four other cases of failings in treating animals and for his 2016 conviction in a horse trading fraud.

The RCVS disciplinary committee had heard from an expert witness, a vet called Mr Hepburn, in the mare case.

Its report said: "In Mr Hepburn's opinion Mr Smith failed to acknowledge a clear escalation of symptoms. Even on Mr Smith's evidence he said the horse was in a terminal emergency state.

"The committee finds that he gave totally inappropriate advice to the owner of a dying horse.

"He failed to advise or arrange for a means by which euthanasia could have been given to Grace."

The committee heard that Mr Smith had been called out to tend to Grace, a seven-year-old Clydesdale mare who was suffering from a stomach condition on August 14, 2014.

It found that he only took her temperature and failed to provide any ongoing care.

Mrs Hammant said that he had asked no questions to establish the history of Grace's illness.

He had given medication by injection but Mr Hepburn said that was the wrong treatment for what she turned out to have, terminal abdominal colic.

This is an intense spasmodic pain in the abdomen that is triggered by obstruction, inflammation or swelling.

After Mr Smith left, Mrs Hammant telephoned him four times over four to six hours that the morning and afternoon to say that Grace's condition was continually deterioriating.

The committee report said that Mr Smith had told Mrs Hammant to "stop panicking," that the problem would resolve and that Grace should be left to recover.

Mrs Hammant rang Mr Smith a fifth time to say that Grace had collapsed and died.

Mr Smith gave evidence and acknowledged that he had received the distressed calls but felt there was nothing he could do.

The RCVS report said: "The committee considered Mr Smith's whole approach to the horse was incomprehensible.

"The committee was of the view that a reasonably competent veterinary surgeon would have undertaken a range of examinations. If Mr Smith knew from the outset that Grace was very ill his failure to ensure that Grace was properly cared for only serves to compound the total lack of care that was given and his indifference to her suffering."

The committee found all charges in this case as proven, of failing to perform adequate examination and investigation, failing to respond adequately to follow-up warning of the horses's deterioration and failing to make adequate clinical records.

The four other cases related to incidents between September 2014 and July 2015 involving two dogs and two cats.

The range of charges include failing to keep adequate clinical records, failing to adequately examine and investigate conditions and failing to recommend veterinary treatment.

Smith at the hearing denied all matters.

In a case from 2015 a diabetic dog called Poppy fell ill and died and Mr Smith was found not guilty of trying to claim another surgeon had worked on her and failing to properly communicate with the owner.

Other charges in that case, failing to recommend veterinary treatment and failing to keep adequate clinical records, were proven against him.

The committee found that the proven charges amounted to disgraceful professional conduct and that the 2016 conviction made Mr Smith unfit to practice as a vet.

It directed that the Registrar remove his name as a vet.

During the time of the offences involving the five animals Mr Smith worked at the Lakeview Veterinary Centre in Crete Road West, Folkestone.

The practice also operated from two surgeries, one in Deal, the other in Hawkinge.

Smith had been convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud at in a horse trading case Maidstone Crown Court in June 2016, which led to him getting a 30-month prison sentence.

His address then was The Street, Finglesham near Deal and he and two others had been in a scam of drugging sick or potentially dangerous horses and selling them on.