The complainant says that she took her cat to Superstition Animal Hospital and
specifically requested a blood test for platelets because they had been low before.
She mentions the doctor that originally diagnosed it and that it was treated with
prednisone. She says Heffelman called her and told her that "everything was good"
but the cat ended up shaking, lethargic, and not opening her eyes, necessitating
a visit to 1st Pet and a $1700 bill. She subsequently discovered when getting the
records for 1st Pet that the platelets had been low on the test that Heffelman
reported as normal.
Heffelman tells us that the complainant "has an irregular speech pattern" that he
wasn't able to understand. He gives us a rundown on the cat's anal glands and then
tells us that the complainant mentioned a "blood problem" but didn't know what it
was. The cat was in and out for anal gland stuff and at some point bloodwork was
done. The platelets were normal but Heffelman said that since the cat was doing
okay and no problems were reported he suspected a laboratory error. He says that
10 days later he spoke with the complainant again as she was worried about the cat
"slowing down" so he recommended a recheck, but she declined.
The Investigative Committee felt that platelet clumping, contrary to Heffelman,
wasn't a valid excuse for ignoring the lab results. They state that with the
abnormal lab result more investigation should have been performed. They also state
that when records were received from the previous veterinarian he should have read
them to find out what the "blood problem" was. The Committee also says that entries
in the medical record stating that the cat had Evans Syndrome (original "Evan's
Syndrome" in the writeup) were entered only after the board complaint was filed.
The Committee found a failure to provide current professional and scientific
knowledge and the board went with it. Heffelman was sentenced to take four hours
of continuing education in blood work analysis.
ARS § 32-2232 (12) as it relates to AAC R3-11-501 (1) failure to use of current professional and scientific knowledge for not identifying thrombocytopenia based on lab results from January 3, 2019.
A.R.S. § 32-2232 (12) as it relates to A.A.C. R3-11-501 (1) failure to use current professional and scientific knowledge for not identifying thrombocytopenia based on lab results from January 3, 2019.
Penalties:
Probation (1 year)
Continuing education (4 hours in blood work analysis and interpretation with an emphasis on CBCs)
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.