| Complaint: | Complaint 19-84 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Staci Brigham |
| Premises: | VetMed |
The complainant's dog had labored breathing and lack of appetite. The family veterinarian found fluid around the dog's heart and recommended an immediate transfer to VetMed. The complainant and her family took the dog there. She notes a lack of urgency at the facility. She says a staff member, Raymond Aguirre, met them and took the dog back. When asked for an update he came out and said that the dog was in congestive heart failure and that they were beginning procedures now. The complainant was concerned as she had not given any authorization for treatment and was also concerned that Aguirre was smiling as he delivered news about congestive heart failure in her dog. The hospital manager, Foote, came over and intervened to permit them to visit the dog. Once there they saw the dog in a kennel with a "Ready" sign and not undergoing a procedure as Aguirre claimed. She also noted a bandage on the dog's hind leg that was later removed by Foote or Brigham. Brigham came through and introduced herself stating that she had just reviewed the dog's medical report, then rattled off a bunch of medical terms and stated that the dog had already been given some medication. The complainant was curious how the dog was given medication without her own authorization, to say nothing of how Brigham could have prescribed a treatment without reviewing the dog's file. She was also told that it would be quite some time before a cardiologist would be available to examine the dog. She contacted her family veterinarian who apologized for the situation but said that the dog shouldn't be moved to a different facility in his condition. The complainant goes on to state that while she believes the cardiologist, Miller, acted well, she has serious ethical concerns about the remainder of VetMed's operations.
Brigham tells us that the family veterinarian never called VetMed to provide information prior to the dog showing up. She says that after the dog was entered into VetMed's system Aguirre brought the dog into the treatment area to obtain vitals. Brigham says she did an ultrasound and ordered Aguirre to begin treating the dog. She tells us that sometimes the clinic goes ahead and begins providing treatments prior to consulting with the family as they're very busy. She states that she never authorized Aguirre to give the update to the family. She also says that she told the family if they were unhappy with the quality of care, they would be welcome to go see a cardiologist elsewhere. She concludes with the handover to the cardiologist.
The Investigative Committee works their magic on this one. They state that there are some communications issues but nothing that rose to the level of a violation. They also say that the family veterinarian made the complainant worry about the situation being critical, so the complainant had high expectations. They also say that they would have been more worried if Brigham had waited to treat the dog rather than waiting on the "paperwork being prepared." The best interpretation of this is that the family vet made the complainant worry too much given the situation, yet Brigham says it was so urgent she do something that she didn't have time to get the family's permission, and the Committee says that it was a good thing she just went ahead on her own.
| Source: | August 8, 2019 AM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Staci Brigham | Respondent |
| Roll Call: | |
| Carolyn Ratajack | Aye |
| Christina Tran | Aye |
| Jarrod Butler | Aye |
| Robert Kritsberg | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | September 9, 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 | Aye |
| 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.