| Complaint: | Complaint 19-30 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Elizabeth Dutton |
| Premises: | Blue Cross Veterinary Clinic |
The complainant brought his dog to Ryan (another vet at the facility) for euthanasia and cremation. The dog was euthanized. He was told that he may be able to pick up the remains later that week. He received notification and called and was told the remains would not be returned the same week. He waited additional weeks. He finally went to the clinic and was told to go home and wait for a call. He got a call later that day telling him that the remains were never coming home because the wrong box was checked on a form. He goes on to mention other problems he's had at the clinic and attaches his filing in small claims court. It appears the facility's insurance offered a settlement constituting a $195 refund and an additional $139 for their mistake.
Dutton, the responsible veterinarian, regrets that it was incorrectly filled out as a group cremation. She says that it was a clerical error that occurred despite two different persons having to sign off on the paperwork. She says the process has changed so that instead of two technicians signing off on the paperwork, a technician and a doctor will have to sign (i.e., a different two persons will be signing off instead). She states that they were sorry for the mistake and that they had allowed the complainant to run up a tab at their facility. They apologize again and say it was just a mistake where someone checked the wrong box.
The Investigative Committee said it was an unfortunate mistake and that the premises was sorry and said they'd do better. They also said that the facility credited the complainant for the fees. No violation was found.
| Source: | December 12, 2018 PM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Elizabeth Dutton | Respondent |
| Roll Call: | |
| Adam Almaraz | Aye |
| Amrit Rai | Aye |
| Christine Butkiewicz | Aye |
| Donald Noah | Aye |
| William Hamilton | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | January 1, 2019 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Nikki Frost |
| Seconded By: | Christina Bertch-Mumaw |
| Roll Call: | |
| Christina Bertch-Mumaw | Aye |
| Darren Wright | Nay |
| J Greg Byrne | Aye |
| Jane Soloman | Nay |
| Jessica Creager | Aye |
| Jim Loughead | Absent |
| 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.