| Complaint: | Complaint 18-104 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Carlton Huitt |
| Premises: | VCA Paradise Valley |
The complainant brought her dog to VCA for an exam after he had been coughing and panting. She says that after a night-time pee break he just laid down on the patio so she rushed him to emergency. An initial exam was done by Lore and noted that his gums had been bleeding for the past two days, which the complainant says is not true. She says that Huitt examined the dog, ran radiographs, and then diagnosed the dog with bronchitis and sent her home with some meds. She alleges that Hewitt told her he didn't send the radiographs out because they were obvious. The dog continued to have problems and she called VCA back and was told they had no doctors available so she'd have to go somewhere else if she wanted. After reviewing the discharge instructions telling her that it could take several days for the dog to improve, she waited. The dog died overnight.
Huitt's report has a different spin. It mentions bleeding gums as well and mentions potential exposure to rat poison. He also says that while the complainant officially approved the diagnostics that she also told him she'd like to do without them if possible and jump right to treatment. He says that he told her that he was reasonably confident but that a radiologist review would be a good idea. He also says he told her that the dog needed to be seen again right away if he didn't get better soon. He also states that he was unaware she wanted to bring the dog back and that turning her away would not have been in accordance with clinic protocol. If they felt the dog was deathly ill then she would have been directed to another clinic.
The Investigative Committee said that the dog appeared to be doing well and that the radiographs were interpreted correctly. Since the complainant didn't get a necropsy we'll never know why he dropped dead. No discussion appears to have occurred about discrepancies with the dog's records or the clinic staff's actions when the complainant called them back with her concerns.
| Source: | August 8, 2018 PM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Carlton Huitt | Respondent |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Roll Call: | |
| Adam Almaraz | Aye |
| Amrit Rai | Aye |
| Christine Butkiewicz | Aye |
| Donald Noah | Aye |
| William Hamilton | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | September 9, 2018 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| W Reed Campbell | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Robyn Jaynes |
| Seconded By: | Christina Bertch-Mumaw |
| Roll Call: | |
| Christina Bertch-Mumaw | Aye |
| Darren Wright | Aye |
| J Greg Byrne | Aye |
| Jessica Creager | Absent |
| Jim Loughead | Aye |
| Julie Young | Aye |
| Nikki Frost | Aye |
| 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.