| Complaint: | Complaint 19-50 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Amanda Melhus |
| Premises: | Alta Vista Veterinary Hospital |
The complainant says she took her now-deceased cat to the vet because of a cyst on the ear and unexplained weight loss. She says that the cat was taken in back to be shaved as requested but that she could hear the cat crying from the other room. The complainant believes they were rough with the cat because the complainant has hearing problems and uses a wheelchair and therefore didn't take her seriously. She also says that when the cat came back out it was covered in cuts and scratches and claims they used superglue on the cat. She also believes the cat had broken teeth. The cat later died. The complainant says that Google has multiple reviews of pets who died under unusual circumstances at Alta Vista and believes it should be investigated. She also says she has photos of the injuries to her cat (but if so, they weren't included in the public record). The complainant truly seems heartbroken and apparently believes that some really bad things happened to her cat in there.
Melhus writes that vaccinations were not given because the cat's health status was too weak to allow the vaccinations to be done, particularly given the amount of weight loss the cat had experienced. She also says that the cat had very severe dental disease and she was able to remove a very loose tooth. She also states that the cat's skin was very irritated and dry.
The Investigative Committee said that no violations occurred. They said that based on the description they were given (Melhus?) the cat had not seen a veterinarian in a long time.
| Source: | April 4, 2019 AM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Amanda Melhus | Respondent |
| Roll Call: | |
| Carolyn Ratajack | Aye |
| Christina Tran | Aye |
| Jarrod Butler | Aye |
| Mary Williams | Aye |
| Robert Kritsberg | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | May 5, 2019 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| Proposed By: | Jessica Creager |
| 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 | 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.