The complainant states she brought her pet bird to Yeager to remove a metal band
around the bird's leg. She says she was not aware of the dangers of anesthesia and
that she would never have consented to the procedure (to merely remove a metal band)
had she known the risks. She feels that she should have been warned and that Yeager
did not take the potential risks seriously. She also points out that nowhere in the
medical record is there a note regarding informed consent for the anesthesia but
there is a mention of the estimate for the procedure. She states that some of her
relatives are doctors and that this conduct would not be tolerated in human medicine.
Yeager's response tells us a bit about the bird. We then go on and learn that the bird
apparently had a history of feather destructive behavior and that the bird kept chewing
on the band that it needed to come off. She says she was concerned it would progress to
the bird chewing on the leg itself or that the band could get caught on furniture and
lead to an injury. She states that the complainant asked whether there was any risk in
leaving the band on and she told her that the leg could be injured. She also states that
she assumed the complainant was aware of the risks because the bird had two previous
anesthetic procedures. About three minutes into the anesthesia the bird's heart stopped.
CPR was attempted and the bird didn't bounce back. She states that if she had known the
bird was going to die she wouldn't have done it. Yeager also says that the complainant
had declined a necropsy until she learned that someone else could do it.
The Investigative Committee found that it was an unfortunate death likely caused by
some other issue. They felt that the complainant may not have been completely aware
of the risks entailed by anesthesia. The Investigative Committee voted 3 yeas, 2 nays
to find a violation about failing to document that anesthetic risks were communicated
to the owner. Rai and Almaraz felt Yeager's conduct was okay. The board gave her four
hours of continuing education in medical record keeping.
ARS 32-2232 (12) as it relates to AAC R3-11-501 (1) failure to provide professionally acceptable procedures for not documenting that the risks of anesthesia were communicated to the pet owner.
A.R.S. § 32-2232 (12) as it relates to A.A.C. R3-11-501 (1) failure to provide professionally acceptable procedures for not documenting the risks of anesthesia and communicating those risks to the pet owner; Respondent relied on another veterinarian’s anesthetic consent from the pet owner 2 years prior.
Penalties:
Probation (1 year)
Continuing education (4 hours in medical record keeping)
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.