| Complaint: | Complaint 22-08 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Christopher Dorto |
| Premises: | PetsVet Animal Hospital |
| Related: | 22-09 |
The complainant states that he bought a ferret from Pratt's Pet Store, where allegedly the ferrets are fed cat food. The ferret had a broken leg so he took the ferret to PetsVet where x-rays were done of the entire body, but not specifically the leg; he relates that if Dorto had done so, they might have known early on how badly the leg was injured. Lanman rechecked the ferret and ran some blood work, concluding that the splint should not be removed and surgery was not an option; rather, what the ferret needed was a more calcium-rich diet than the cat food, recommending Mazuri as a new food instead of the Marshall's ferret food his other ferrets eat.
A second opinion at an exotic animal vet concluded that the leg was in worse shape and that a two-view x-ray would easily have found the issue had they done so; the leg could not be saved and was amputated. The complainant's mother also spoke with the clinic, which told her that they would have sent the ferret out for a referral if they felt they needed to; Lanman also allegedly said that in retrospect they should have done a different x-ray, but that "most people don't want to pay a few thousand dollars for their pets."
Dorto's response is only one paragraph. He states that he detected a break in the leg, ordered an x-ray, and placed a splint. Prescriptions and instructions were provided with orders to recheck with Lanman in three days. He relates that was the last time he heard from the complainant.
The Investigative Committee found that an additional x-ray view would have, in fact, yielded enough information to conclude the breakage would never heal with only a splint; they also noted that the x-ray that was done was of poor quality but even then did not suggest any metabolic bone disease. They did suggest that, perhaps, the complainant was at fault for the injury as found by the exotic animal veterinarian. They state that there were "conflicting stories" about the ferret's confinement and activity, so perhaps that little ferret ran around and made the injury a lot worse. They also noted that while Dorto had no experience with ferrets, he referred them to Lanman, who did. A violation was found but rounded down to a letter of concern by the board.
| Source: | January 1, 2022 AM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Christopher Dorto | Respondent |
| Roll Call: | |
| Robert Kritsberg | Aye |
| Christina Tran | Aye |
| Carolyn Ratajack | Aye |
| Jarrod Butler | Aye |
| Steven Seiler | Aye |
| Violations: | |
| ARS ยง 32-2232 (12) as it relates to AAC R3-11-501 (1) failure to provide professionally acceptable procedures for not performing a second view of the ferret's fractured limb to provide a proper diagnosis and treatment plan and relying on a poor-quality radiograph to provide an accurate diagnosis. | |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | February 2, 2022 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Christopher Dorto | Respondent |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Robyn Jaynes |
| Seconded By: | Nikki Frost |
| Roll Call: | |
| Craig Nausley | Aye |
| Darren Wright | Absent |
| J Greg Byrne | Absent |
| Jane Soloman | Aye |
| Jessica Creager | Aye |
| Jim Loughead | Aye |
| Melissa Thompson | Aye |
| Nikki Frost | Aye |
| Robyn Jaynes | 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.