The complainant says she found her cat seriously injured in her back yard and rushed
her cat to Thrift's clinic. He was eventually examined, and the complainant says that
Thrift told her that the cat looked bad but would be okay, recommending morphine and
eyedrops. She says she asked if she could go to a 24-hour clinic, but that Thrift said
those places just take your money. The complainant says her cat did worse overnight
and started gurgling so she took the cat back the next morning, where the manager
supposedly said that the cat should be somewhere else and that Thrift often gets tired
or forgets things. She took her cat to 1st Pet where the staff told her that the cat
had multiple injuries and should be euthanized.
Thrift's response provides some medical details and contests much of what the
complainant said. He states that he suggested going to an emergency clinic as an option
and that BluePearl's address was provided. He also says that he said that emergency
clinics were not cheap, not that they would drain her of money.
The Investigative Committee seems to have overall believed the complainants in this case.
The Committee found that Thrift should have referred the cat to an emergency facility
instead of waiting, also finding that Thrift discouraged the complainant from taking the
cat to an emergency facility. They found three violations including gross negligence and
failure to refer to an emergency facility, but the veterinary board only kept one of the
violations related to record-keeping.
ARS 32-2232 (12) as it relates to AAC R3-11-501 (3) failure to refer the cat to an emergency facility and document it in the medical record;
ARS 32-2232 (11) Gross negligence; for failure to diagnose the rib fractures and mandibular symphyseal fracture on radiographs or physical exam on January 22, 2018
ARS 32-2232 (21) as it relates to AAC R3-11-502 (L) (8) failure to document the amount, concentration and frequency of buprenorphine prescribed on January 22, 2018.
A.R.S. ยง 32-2232 (21) as it relates to A.A.C. R3-11-502 (L) (8) failure to document the amount, concentration and frequency of buprenorphine prescribed on January 22, 2018.
Penalties:
Probation (1 year)
Continuing education (4 hours in medical record keeping)
Civil penalty ($500)
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.