Emmerdale viewers have predicted a new twist involving Tom King, that could mean he’s been lying since his return last year.

The character was up to no good again on the ITV soap on Monday night, but something he did left his colleagues at the vets concerned. Fellow vet Vanessa Woodfield was appalled after an incident at the practice, that almost led to the unnecessary death of a dog.

Tom wrongly advised a customer that her beloved pooch likely had cancer, after finding a lump on the dog’s body. While it turned out to be an abscess, Tom told the woman it was a tumour and that her dog would need to be put to sleep, with nothing they can do.

Vanessa was mortified to hear this given Tom had not ordered any tests or carried out any testing to determine the diagnosis. Instead he prepared to put the dog to sleep, when it soon became apparent he had misdiagnosed the pet.

As the customer complained, Vanessa called Tom out and questioned his abilities. But she wasn’t the only one questioning his mistake, with some fans wondering if there was more to his error of judgement.

Vanessa called him “junior” and questioned how he didn’t appear to follow basic rules. She was concerned that he didn’t even realise what he’d done was wrong and inexcusable, and he seemed to have gone against the rules and guidance.

Viewers began to question whether Tom didn’t know the basics, and whether he could even be lying about being a vet. Could Tom have lied to get the job with the others, and might he not actually be qualified?

Taking to X, one fan posted: “Thought he was a vet…..” as another asked: “Is Tom even a vet at all?”. A third fan wrote: “What the hell is Tom playing at, just saying the dog has a tumour when all he’s done is felt the lump!? Well said Vanessa! He’s a prat. It seems as if he’s a corrupt vet as well as an abusive husband.”

Another viewer wondered if it was a sign of something more sinister. They posted: “This proves that Tom is seriously sick. He may well have hurt animals when he was a child and only became a ‘vet’ just so he could ‘cure’ them. The character has gone too far. We’ve seen enough.”