The complainants got a new puppy that was very sick and took him to Low Cost Spay and
Neuter out of concern for parvo or a blockage. A vet tech came out and looked at the
dog to run a parvo test that came back positive. The complainants say they were offered
care in the hospital or at home and were told it would basically be the same; they said
they would take care of the dog as one of them was a stay-at-home mother. The dog got
sicker and was eventually taken to another facility where they were allegedly shocked
that in-home treatment was offered. Despite their efforts the dog died. The complainants
also had questions about who treated the dog as names didn't match on dispensed materials.
Williams says that she owns the practice but wasn't seeing patients that day, saying that
Zayas was actually responsible for it all. She says that the complainants were actually
informed about the difference between in-home and in-hospital care but elected to take
the dog home for financial reasons, lamenting that sometimes people won't cough up money
until their dog is actually sicker. She also says that it was a breach of protocol that
Zayas didn't examine the dog, but they've redone all their protocols now (largely adding
more forms and blaming the vet techs) so that it's good.
The Investigative Committee
found violations, also stating that Zayas was likely also at fault. The veterinary board
kept the failure to provide professionally acceptable procedures and dropped the medical
records violation.
ARS 32-2274 as it relates to ARS § 32-2233 (A) (1) as it relates to ARS 32-2232 (12) as it relates to AAC R3-11-501 (1) for failure to provide professionally acceptable procedures for allowing staff to exam and treat a parvo puppy
ARS 32-2232 (21) failure to maintain adequate medical records of veterinary services provided.
Result:
Passed
Board Motion: Disagree and offer consent agreement
A.R.S. § 32-2274 as it relates to A.R.S. § 32-2233 (A) (1) as it relates to A.R.S. § 32-2232 (12) as it relates to A.A.C. R3-11-501 (1) for failure to provide professionally acceptable procedures for allowing staff to exam and treat a parvo puppy.
Penalties:
Probation (6 months)
Continuing education (4 hours in leadership and practice management)
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.