“Fake vet” endangered horses, say state investigators

A South Jersey woman accused of convincing horse owners that she was a licensed veterinarian or a veterinary student, allegedly providing treatments that left some of the horses dead, faces charges filed by the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs (DCA) and the state Attorney General's office.

Jacque Smith of Williamstown, whose other identities include Jackie Smith, Jacqueline Smith, Jacqueline Fabrico Smith, Jackie Fabrico Smith, and Jacque Fabrico Smith, is the subject of a six-count complaint filed in Atlantic County.

State officials seek to bar her from treating horses and from presenting herself as a licensed professional, and to collect restitution and civil penalties from her.

Investigators alleged that Smith administered prescription drugs permitted only for dispense by licensed veterinarians; tried to euthanize a horse by injection, resulting in two hours of suffering, and diagnosing and treating an animal for dehydration when it actually had a urinary tract infection.

According to the office of acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman, a horse rescued by a Mays Landing couple collapsed and lingered when Smith administered several shots of what she claimed was morphine, then told them that other veterinarians told her to "cut [the horse's] throat," which she refrained from doing. It died two hours later.

One consumer, according to the complaint, learned that Smith was not licensed and refused to pay the full bill, whereupon Smith allegedly threatened to send her husband over to break her legs, advising that she could have the horses "killed at any time."

Investigators urge consumers who encountered quality-of-care problems as a result of hiring Smith to file a DCA online complaint form or call 800-242-5846. Enforcement Bureau Investigator Hildred Woolley can be reached at 973-504-6300.