Dickens performed a dental on the complainant's dog. Prior to the procedure the complainant
asked to be called with updates and was told no by a veterinary technician. When she came to
pick up the dog, she learned that 17 teeth had been pulled that day, and she says that the vet
tech told her that she didn't call because she would have been upset. Dickens responds that
she's just a relief veterinarian and disputes that they wouldn't have called during the dental,
and that all the teeth needed to come out because they were loose. The Investigative Committee
said that the dog was way overdue for a dental and that sometimes veterinarians are too busy
to call with updates; they also said that veterinarians would never pull healthy teeth.
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.