The complainant says that she scheduled a dental with Wilson. They called a day before the dental
saying the dog needed to come in for blood work, and as the complainant couldn't take him that day,
she had to postpone for a week. The dog went in for the dental (having not eaten since the night
before). The dog was also given a heartworm preventative and the complainant was concerned that
the testing had either not been done or was in progress at the same time. When she went to get the
dog there was a delay and it appeared to her that the dog had thrown up. The staff told her they
were just cleaning the dog up but there was no vomiting. He was also breathing very heavily and
the complainant noted her concern but was told the dog was just excited to see her. The breathing
issue continued throughout the night until the dog could no longer hold his head up. She called
the clinic's number and an automated message directed her to VetMed. She took the dog to VetMed
and the dog was diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia, put in an oxygen tent, and given other
treatments.
Wilson's response states that the dog came in for a dental. She also says she checked with the
ProHeart representative who told her it was safe to go ahead and give the heartworm shot. It
does appear based on the narrative that the shot was given after the blood was drawn. The
dental itself sounds uneventful.
The Investigative Committee reminds us that aspiration pneumonia is a risk during any dental
because they're putting water in the dog's mouth, but it could have happened any time. They
also say that the complainant's concern about the dog does not appear to have been mentioned
to Wilson. They found no issues with the heartworm treatment as the dog was tested for
heartworm prior (perhaps they used some in-office snap test?). They did find some medical
records violations regarding the anesthesia and tooth extraction but that was rounded down
to a letter of concern by the Board.
ARS § 32-2232 (21) as it relates to AAC R3-11-502 (H) (3) failure to document the animal's heart rate and respiration rate every 15 minutes while anesthesia is being administered; and (L) (6) failure to document in the medical record which incisors were extracted from the dog's mouth.
A.R.S. § 32-2232 (21) as it relates to A.A.C. R3-11-502 (H) (3) for failure to document the animal’s heart rate and respiration rate every 15 minutes while anesthesia is being administered.
A.R.S. § 32-2232 (21) as it relates to A.A.C. R3-11-502 (L) (6) for failure to document in the medical record which incisors were extracted from the dog’s mouth.
Penalties:
Probation (1 year)
Continuing education (4 hours in medical record keeping)
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.