| Complaint: | Complaint 19-69 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Cassandra Dobbin |
| Premises: | Continental Animal Wellness Center |
The complainant says that her dog was diagnosed with pituitary Cushing's via testing and an "MRI/CT scan/ultrasound" in Texas. She states that follow-up blood work indicated the trilostane was working and had no signs of developing Addison's. Before moving to Arizona one test showed some electrolyte abnormalities so the veterinarian there (Kiefer) suggested a change to the trilostane dose. She followed up with Dobbin and says that the veterinary technician did not seem to understand the test to be performed. She states that when she came to pick up her dog the test results were already "in" and was told that her dog did not have Cushing's. She feels Dobbin was condescending about the care received by Kiefer, so she contacted Kiefer and he recommended a specialist referral to Aguirre. She says that in the meantime the dog's health continued to deteriorate as she took the dog off the trilostane. Aguirre confirmed a diagnosis of Cushing's and started the trilostane again. The complainant said that the dog started doing a lot better shortly thereafter. She says she was angry and sent an angry email to Dobbin.
Dobbin's response states that the dog was somewhat off on initial exam. They ran tests including an ACTH stim test (but it's not clear if they waited four hours after the trilostane administration) that was sent off to IDEXX (how this matches with the results being "in" the same day according to the complainant is difficult to match up). She says that Kiefer told her the dog only had an ultrasound, not an MRI, and that the diagnosis of Cushing's wasn't precise, but it was reasonable to treat based on the totality of evidence. She also says that Kiefer was unsure about the diagnosis as the dog's electrolytes began shifting toward Addison's. She had a colleague ask IDEXX's internal medicine specialist and was apparently told that it didn't seem like Cushing's and she should run more tests while discontinuing the medication. She says the complainant was very thankful at the time and later informed her the dog wasn't doing so well, at which time she agreed to start a low dose of trilostane. Things apparently deteriorated with the complainant after that.
The Investigative Committee found that Dobbin's actions were completely reasonable under the circumstances and that even IDEXX and Aguirre said that her actions were acceptable. The Committee also said it was responsible for the pet owner to take the dog to a specialist.
| Source: | June 6, 2019 AM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Cassandra Dobbin | Respondent |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Roll Call: | |
| Carolyn Ratajack | Aye |
| Christina Tran | Aye |
| Jarrod Butler | Absent |
| Robert Kritsberg | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | August 8, 2019 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Sarah Heinrich |
| 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 | 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.