| Complaint: | Complaint 19-61 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Lauren Hood |
| Premises: | Adobe Veterinary Center |
The complainant says she had Adobe come out to look at her foal. They drew blood for a test and while she thought it sounded odd, she trusted them and picked up the medication prescribed. The foal was doing badly and she had the vet come out again. She spoke with her regular veterinarian who was concerned about the results and he wanted to see the lab work. She ran into difficulties getting the lab work and was given excuses several times, but eventually the lab work was given to the complainant's mother with portions blacked out. She says that other vets she spoke with said that the results wouldn't be possible to have. She became concerned about Adobe and had another veterinarian come out to look at the horse, but she says that Adobe kept calling and pushing to do more blood work on the horse. Adobe sent out a vet and did a full exam at the same time the regular veterinarian was performing an exam as well. She says that concerns about the foal's eyes and lungs were raised. She says that Adobe called her back and said that cases can get confusing with multiple vets so they were giving the case to the other veterinarian, but when she spoke with the other veterinarian he told her they gave him the case because she was rude. The foal was subsequently euthanized. The complainant has a variety of concerns about Adobe's overall practices including problems with the blood work, mixups about horses, and the practice changing its story. She also says that she had spoken with the Arizona veterinary board about the blood work but little background is given.
Hood gives us a similar overall timeline as the complainant. She states that the confusion over the blood work was simply that it was run under the wrong horse's name so the incorrect information was blacked out. She and another person can both vouch that it was simply a clerical error that did not affect treatment. She says that she had recommended a referral to a specialist early on when the horse started to decline and also warned her that "sudden death was possible." She also states that during the checkup, the regular veterinarian, Tom Johnson, expressed concerns about her care of the foal and that it was obvious they were no longer welcome. Care was subsequently transferred to him as a result. She says that the clinic offered to let the complainant speak with the practice owner but she wasn't interested. She also says that once the conversation turned to the complainant potentially filing a lawsuit or a board complaint she got PLIT (the AVMA's liability insurance) involved.
The Investigative Committee said that the foal was very sick and that it can be good and bad to have more than one veterinarian involved. They also helpfully point out that nobody figured out what was actually wrong with the foal. There were some concerns from unnamed members that some of the information was off on the blood tests but that Hood didn't notice that. It appears that someone on the committee thought perhaps the blood work was run for the wrong species. There was also a discussion about the merits of getting a fecal sample. No violations were found.
| Source: | May 5, 2019 AM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Lauren Hood | Respondent |
| Roll Call: | |
| Carolyn Ratajack | Aye |
| Christina Tran | Aye |
| Jarrod Butler | Aye |
| Mary Williams | Aye |
| Robert Kritsberg | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | June 6, 2019 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Robyn Jaynes |
| Seconded By: | Jessica Creager |
| Roll Call: | |
| Christina Bertch-Mumaw | Absent |
| Darren Wright | Aye |
| J Greg Byrne | Absent |
| Jane Soloman | Aye |
| Jessica Creager | Aye |
| Jim Loughead | Aye |
| Nikki Frost | Absent |
| Robyn Jaynes | Aye |
| Sarah Heinrich | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | August 8, 2019 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Lauren Hood (Hefton) | Respondent |
| Proposed By: | J Greg Byrne |
| Seconded By: | Christina Bertch-Mumaw |
| Roll Call: | |
| Christina Bertch-Mumaw | Aye |
| Darren Wright | Nay |
| J Greg Byrne | Aye |
| Jane Soloman | Aye |
| Jessica Creager | Aye |
| Jim Loughead | Aye |
| Nikki Frost | Aye |
| Robyn Jaynes | Absent |
| 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.