| Complaint: | Complaint 19-39 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Roman Savicky |
| Premises: | VCA Animal Referral and Emergency Center of Arizona |
The complainant took his dog to VCA ARECA at the advice of the dog's regular veterinarian, who suspected a torn ACL in the dog's left hind leg. Savicky said that the dog had torn his CCL and suggested doing TPLO surgery that afternoon. The dog came home but did not improve. The complainant says that ten weeks later the dog was doing as well as it was two weeks after surgery and felt there might be something neurological. Savicky also recommended physical therapy. The dog subsequently went on tour of various local specialists. Eventually the wound began bleeding and oozing because of an infection. The complainant sought out a second opinion (Lirtzman) and a third opinion (Linney), both of whom allegedly said the knee had been damaged during surgery. The complainant contacted VCA and spoke with both Savicky and Monarski and was told that it was actually his fault for letting the dog be too active during recovery. He also requested assistance with all the continuing costs from the surgery but was ghosted by both the hospital manager and Monarski.
Savicky's response overall mirrors the general timeline that the complainant had given. He states that they did have conversations about recovery and limiting activity but that the complainant had already had another TPLO surgery done in the past. He also discusses follow-up where he reminded the complainant that even one incident at home would be enough to undo all the surgery. He also gives a list of the various drugs given to the dog, and, apparently, he also offered to do an arthroscopy that was declined. He also recounts the time that both he and Monarski evaluated the dog and found nothing. Savicky also seems to have been pushing a second neurological evaluation after the first and eventually says that a second opinion regarding his surgery would be acceptable.
The Investigative Committee had concerns that the surgery was inappropriate under the circumstances. They believe it could be contributing to the dog's ongoing problems. They also felt that the Apoquel prescribed to the dog may have been inappropriate based on recent findings. The Investigative Committee found a violation regarding a failure to provide professionally acceptable procedures. The Board voted unanimously to dismiss with no violation. The piece of paper from the Board stating that it disagreed with the Investigative Committee does not appear to have been part of the file as received.
| Source: | February 2, 2019 PM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Roman Savicky | Respondent |
| Roll Call: | |
| Adam Almaraz | Aye |
| Amrit Rai | Aye |
| Christine Butkiewicz | Aye |
| Donald Noah | Absent |
| William Hamilton | Aye |
| Violations: | |
| ARS ยง 32-2232 (12) as it relates to R3-11-501 (1) failure to provide professionally acceptable procedures for performing a prophylactic media/ meniscectomy on the dog. | |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | March 3, 2019 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Roman Savicky | Respondent |
| Proposed By: | Darren Wright |
| 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 | 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.