| Complaint: | Complaint 19-54 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Bryan Nolte |
| Premises: | Prescott Animal Hospital and Equine Center |
The complainant's allegations and/or concerns state "Letter and photos have been sent." We didn't get any of those in the public records request. Trying to piece together what we can from what we do have, it appears that teeth were pulled without permission and a horse's tongue hung from his mouth. A neurologist was brought in to see if the horse had a neurological issue but apparently the tongue just drooped because there were no teeth there any longer. There also seems to be a dispute about whether the tooth pulling was necessary, as going by the findings of fact, a horse dentist examined one of the horses around the same time as Nolte and didn't notice the same den of disease that Nolte said necessitated pulling the teeth. (It is difficult to put together the actual context of a complaint from the Investigative Committee's report as they often tend to not grasp what the actual issues were, but needs must.)
Nolte's response seems to say that the complainant gave authority to make medical decisions regarding her horses to Debbie Jamsa at Happy's Dream Ranch. Nolte examined the horses and discovered poor oral health in both. He says that even with sedation the horses were obviously painful. He apparently removed some of the teeth and then floated (sanded down the sharp edges) one of the horses' teeth. He claims that he spoke with the owners about the condition of the teeth and that while surprised he says they nonetheless understood. He claims that the owners subsequently had problems with it and tried to stop payment on his bill.
The Investigative Committee said that if this constituted an emergency there was no obligation to require permission from the owner. They also said that since horses are livestock there's no obligation for the veterinarian to get permission before removing the teeth.
For a later story when Nolte apparently did stuff to a horse without permission and the client disputed the bill, you can see 21-50.
| Source: | April 4, 2019 PM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Bryan Nolte | Respondent |
| Roll Call: | |
| Adam Almaraz | Aye |
| Amrit Rai | Aye |
| Christine Butkiewicz | Aye |
| Donald Noah | Aye |
| William Hamilton | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | May 5, 2019 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| Proposed By: | J Greg Byrne |
| Seconded By: | Jessica Creager |
| Roll Call: | |
| Christina Bertch-Mumaw | Recused |
| Darren Wright | Aye |
| J Greg Byrne | Aye |
| Jane Soloman | Aye |
| Jessica Creager | Aye |
| Jim Loughead | Aye |
| Nikki Frost | Recused |
| 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.