| Complaint: | Complaint 20-48 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | John Samuelson |
| Premises: | AZPetVet Madison Animal Hospital and Grooming |
The complainant tells us Samuelson removed a growth on her dog's tongue. The dog had a hard time with anesthesia and can no longer stand up, flopping like a seal. She says Samuelson ignored most of her questions and she took her dog home. The dog still couldn't stand up the next day, so she called back twice; she says she was told this was normal in older dogs after anesthesia. The next day another veterinarian at the clinic (Herriott) examined the dog and diagnosed an unknown neurological issue; a second opinion at another clinic (Cellers) also said the same. Cuddon (a neurologist at AMSC) saw the dog and performed an MRI, stating there was no neurological basis he could find. She buys her dog a harness. She took the dog to Venable at 1st Pet for a physical therapy consult. She takes the dog back to AMSC where another neurologist (Yeamans) examines the dog and told her it was a mystery. She went back to 1st Pet for physical therapy and her dog was being treated with lasers and acupuncture but found no improvement. She believed that she noticed problems with the left hind leg and Venable told her that an x-ray would be extra because it would be an emergency, so she had one done at her regular vet (Cellers). Cellers told her she was wasting money and that it was obviously neurological. She then had a different veterinarian named Thurman perform an x-ray and found a dislocated hip. She spoke with a surgeon named Schaible at Southwest Veterinary Surgical Service and was talked into surgery, but she later canceled because she had doubts about Schaible. She then spoke with Lirtzman (another surgical specialist) who said that he would like to do a hip replacement instead of the other surgery but that there could also be problems doing that; however, he would like to get the dog to walk again on her own. Thurman also calls back and suggests taking the dog to Plummer (a neurologist at Veterinary Neurological Center) to see if he has any ideas. Plummer in turn said that it wasn't neurological and that the dog needed physical therapy and a hip replacement, but that he can't make Lirtzman do the hip replacement.
Samuelson's response is helpfully branded with Madison Animal Hospital and Grooming logos and informs us that it's a proud member of AzPetVet. He tells us the dog was actually not doing that poorly at discharge, being able to stand up as well as walk on concrete and soil. He says that on previous visits the dog had shown signs of arthritis and that some of these problems can be seen in older dogs. He said that he offered to speak with the complainant about the case, but she never took him up on the offer.
This is, unfortunately, another one of those cases that shows how truly useless our current system of veterinary oversight actually is. The Investigative Committee states that it's a very difficult and complicated case with two very different stories, therefore it's basically impossible to figure out the truth. They had concerns that the dog appeared to be doing poorly on discharge and thought an x-ray might have been warranted, but they didn't feel it rose to a violation that one wasn't done. They say that they "expressed concern that the dog could walk 4 miles a day prior to the procedure and then not be able to" after the surgery, and it "appears something happened" but that nobody could determine where. (And that's not even getting into the number of useless referrals and contradictory advice this dog suffered through from all corners after the fact.)
| Source: | February 2, 2020 AM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| John Samuelson | Respondent |
| Roll Call: | |
| Carolyn Ratajack | Aye |
| Christina Tran | Aye |
| Jarrod Butler | Aye |
| Robert Kritsberg | Aye |
| Steve Seiler | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | March 3, 2020 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Sarah Heinrich |
| Seconded By: | Jessica Creager |
| Roll Call: | |
| Darren Wright | Absent |
| J Greg Byrne | Absent |
| Jane Soloman | Aye |
| Jessica Creager | Aye |
| Jim Loughead | Aye |
| Nikki Frost | Aye |
| Robyn Jaynes | Absent |
| Sarah Heinrich | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
The primary source for the above summary was obtained as a public record from the Arizona State Veterinary Medical Examining Board. You are welcome to review the original records and board meeting minutes by clicking the relevant links. While we endeavor to provide an accurate summary of the complaint, response, investigative reports and board actions, we encourage you to review the primary sources and come to your own conclusions. In some cases we have also been able to reach out to individuals with knowledge of specific complaints, and where possible that information will be included here.