| Complaint: | Complaint 19-33 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Melvin Paquin |
| Premises: | Animal Medical Center of Surprise |
The complainant says that her dog began having seizures. She called Animal Medical Center of Surprise and took the dog there. Once she arrived with her mother and her dog, the dog was taken in on a cart. The dog began seizing again. She was concerned about not being able to go back with her dog. She was then put in a room with her mother where she says they were told they would need $1000 to treat the dog. She said that she could write a check but was told checks were not an acceptable form of payment. She then said that a relative was willing to provide credit card information over the phone but was also told that was an unacceptable form of payment. She says that at that point they were told to take the dog elsewhere. She says that they refused to assist the dog and that the dog was brought out and died in front of them. She says at that point her mother began crying hysterically and the staff began directing them to leave because they were disturbing other clients. She says she was pushed outside and the door locked behind her with her mother and dead dog remaining in the building. They both threatened to call the police if they were not released. The complainant says that while they were separated her mother was forced into signing for cremation (without return of the ashes) for $90.
Paquin's response bears only a faint resemblance to what the complainant says happened. He states that the normal procedure when a patient arrives on emergency is to take the animal to the back. While they're working on the animal one of the reps will go to the room with the family and ask for a $500 deposit. He says that everything got out of control because the family was swearing at them, refused to sign the emergency treatment plan, refused to leave a deposit, and then threatened to take the dog to another hospital. He says the staff then put the dog back on a cart to push the dog back out the door from whence he came, and then the dog dropped dead. He then goes on to tell us about all the other patients in the clinic, one suffering from an allergic reaction, another getting prepped for euthanasia, and the people being disrupted by the complainant and her mother. He says everyone in the clinic was scared for their safety and he reassured them that the police would be on their way. He says that the police told him to lock the complainant out of the hospital. He devotes several paragraphs at the end of the response to how bad the complainant made everyone feel. His staff had a big event to discuss the matter as a team and some of them found it hard to come back to work the next day because they were made to feel so bad by the complainant and her mother. He then asks for as much anonymity as possible with his response because the complainant "had made verbal claims to endure further harm to the staff."
The Investigative Committee findings of fact basically throw away almost all of what the complainant says happened. There's no discussion about all the differences in the two accounts, such as the amount of money demanded for a down payment, the refusal to accept various forms of payment, and who first suggested the idea of shoving the dog right back out the door. The Investigative Committee found no violations and the notes regarding the discussion consist of literally one sentence.
Mel Paquin was an Investigative Committee member from approximately 2000 to 2004. You can look it up in old copies of The Scratching Post, the vet board's old newsletter.
| Source: | March 3, 2019 AM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Melvin Paquin | Respondent |
| Roll Call: | |
| Carolyn Ratajack | Aye |
| Christina Tran | Aye |
| Jarrod Butler | Aye |
| Mary Williams | Absent |
| Robert Kritsberg | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | April 4, 2019 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| Proposed By: | J Greg Byrne |
| Seconded By: | Christina Bertch-Mumaw |
| Roll Call: | |
| Christina Bertch-Mumaw | Aye |
| Darren Wright | Aye |
| J Greg Byrne | Aye |
| Jane Soloman | Aye |
| Jessica Creager | Aye |
| Jim Loughead | Aye |
| Nikki Frost | Aye |
| Robyn Jaynes | Absent |
| Sarah Heinrich | Absent |
| 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.