| Complaint: | Complaint 19-78 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Alicia Smith |
| Premises: | Palm Glen Animal Hospital |
| Related: | 20-13 |
The complainant says she took her dog to Palm Glen because she could tell he was having head pain. She says the initial emphasis at the visit was to sell her on a special half price tooth cleaning. The complainant relays that the dog was in such pain that he even yelped when she removed his collar. Smith did an exam for about ten minutes and said she couldn't find anything, but sent her home with carprofen anyway. She ended up giving her dog prednisone as well and Smith was allegedly upset because she mixed drugs and because her mother had gotten sick from prednisone. Smith then told her to give the dog gabapentin (which the complainant had on hand for her other dog). The next day the dog lost the use of his hind legs. Smith told her to take the dog to a back specialist. The complainant took the dog to another veterinarian who diagnosed valley fever and kidney failure. The dog was sent home with a variety of medications and got somewhat better before losing the use of his front legs. The complainant says that the next day the dog died "a very excruciating death." She contrasts the care given to this dog with the care given to her other dog. She wonders if Smith had investigated more if her dog would still be alive.
We appear to be missing at least one page of Smith's response. Smith gives us some significant details on the care of the complainant's other dog. After that we get to this dog's case. She says the dog was actually doing rather well and she noticed nothing significant on exam that would be causing pain. She allegedly said that just because she couldn't find anything it didn't mean the dog wasn't in pain. She suggested a dental with x-rays of the mouth. She dispensed carprofen and points out that the label says not to give the drug with prednisone or other steroids. She tells us the next day the complainant informed her the dog was having trouble getting on and off the couch and had urinated on himself. The complainant also told her the dog seemed dazed but was better now. She tells us that informed the complainant not to use the steroids and that the dog should be switched to gabapentin, reminding her not to self-medicate her pets. She discussed IVDD and recommended a recheck. She says that the complainant subsequently informed her that the dog was now immobile and couldn't lift the dog. She recommended finding someone to help take him to a specialist or call a house-call veterinarian. She then says that a month later the complainant called and asked for refills for both dogs. Our copy of the response ends there with at least one page missing.
The Investigative Committee for some reason discusses the other dog's care as well; my read is that she was asking why the now-dead dog wasn't cared for as well as the other dog. The Committee said that Valley Fever is common and lots of dogs are walking around with it. There was nothing to suggest that it would be a problem. The Committee helpfully points out the dog was having something go wrong and fell apart rather quickly. There's no discussion as to Smith's claim that the complainant called about a refill for a dog that was allegedly dead. It's especially weird considering both the complainant and Smith talked to the Committee; you'd think someone would ask about that, wouldn't you?
Another interesting event happens in this case. Sandhu was a veterinarian at another clinic who was also seeing these dogs. The Board didn't like what they read regarding NSAIDs and steroids and voted to open an investigation (20-13) about him even as they tossed this one out.
| Source: | July 7, 2019 PM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Alicia Smith | Respondent |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Roll Call: | |
| Adam Almaraz | Aye |
| Amrit Rai | Aye |
| Brian Sidaway | Aye |
| Christine Butkiewicz | Aye |
| William Hamilton | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | August 8, 2019 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | J Greg Byrne |
| Seconded By: | Sarah Heinrich |
| 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 |
| Source: | August 8, 2019 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Gurjit Sandhu | Respondent |
| Proposed By: | Sarah Heinrich |
| Seconded By: | Nikki Frost |
| 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.