| Complaint: | Complaint 18-09 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Kenneth Halbach |
| Premises: | Buena Pet Clinic |
The complainant is getting a new dog from breeder Lynn Hamilton but she's concerned about unusual calluses on the tail. Hamilton says that she'll ask Halbach, the vet who did the tail docking, about it, and then gets a clean bill of health from a different vet in Las Vegas as well. The dog comes home and always seems to be in pain, refuses to sit, and ends up going to other vets. They come to the conclusion that one-fifth of a vertebra was cut off leading to a sharp point, and another joint is now arthritic from constant inflammation. The complainant thinks Halbach didn't do a good job!
Halbach says he did do a good job. Over the years he's been removing tails and dewclaws for 13 years, and not just for Hamilton; he's done this hundreds of times and those lucky dogs have even gone on to win dog shows. He does point out that Hamilton asked him to leave the tails a little long on these, but that he just does what makes the customer happy. The Investigative Committee discussed that at such a young age the spines of puppies are soft, and so it's quite easy to cut part of a vertebra rather than cutting one out entirely. They also wondered if some of the problems with healing may have been the mommy dog licking the puppies' wounds after their tails were cut off.
Both the Investigative Committee and the veterinary board voted to dismiss with no violation.
| Source: | October 10, 2017 PM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Kenneth Halbach | Respondent |
| Roll Call: | |
| Adam Almaraz | Aye |
| Amrit Rai | Aye |
| Donald Noah | Aye |
| Robert Kritsberg | Aye |
| Tamara Murphy | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | November 11, 2017 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Christina Bertch-Mumaw |
| Seconded By: | Jessica Creager |
| Roll Call: | |
| Christina Bertch-Mumaw | Aye |
| Darren Wright | Aye |
| J Greg Byrne | Aye |
| Jessica Creager | Aye |
| Jim Loughead | Aye |
| Julie Young | Aye |
| Nikki Frost | Absent |
| Robyn Jaynes | Aye |
| 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.