| Complaint: | Complaint 20-104 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Hannah Hildebrand |
| Premises: | Zimmer Equine Sports Medicine |
The complainant purchased a horse. It turns out the horse had been examined by a veterinarian, Christensen, for another interested horse owner; Christensen recommended an endoscopy be performed because of upper airway surgery. She asked why the previous party didn't buy the horse and says she was told they wanted a "hot mare." She asked Hillebrand to perform the endoscopy and later learned that Hillebrand had already performed the endoscopy for someone else. She said that Hillebrand told her that her equipment was too old to take any pictures but the horse was in good condition and just needed to be fed carefully. Hillebrand said that she couldn't release the horse's records until she was paid in full. The horse arrived and the complainant learned that the horse had food coming out his nasal discharge and that water would pour out of his nose when he ate. She says another veterinarian examined the horse and said the horse was misrepresented. The horse was later euthanized for aspiration pneumonia. She says that she spoke with Hillebrand. Hillebrand allegedly told her she worked for the trainer and could not release all the medical records suggesting a problem. She also says she spoke with another individual who stated Hillebrand spoke with her about the horse's problem. The complainant says that since she paid for the endoscopy Hillebrand was negligent to her and also deliberately misinformed her regarding the horse's health. An email thread follows along with a certificate from the Jockey Club and a letter to the Arizona gaming commission.
Hillebrand's response states that she explicitly told her from the beginning that it was a conflict of interest for her to perform a full pre-purchase exam, but that she did get special permission to release the endoscopy results she did for another buyer. She says that she did warn the complainant about aspiration pneumonia and that the complainant was going to learn more about the horse from the trainer. She says that she did not "maliciously" withhold information and is sorry to hear the horse is dead.
The Investigative Committee said that the complainant should have expected the horse was going to have health problems; nobody's going to do an endoscopy on a healthy horse as part of a pre-purchase exam. They seem to suggest that Hillebrand just didn't know about the horse's health problems so she couldn't have warned the complainant. They didn't believe Hillebrand tried to hide anything yet also potentially think that Hillebrand didn't make the complainant aware of how serious the horse's problems could potentially be. Any internal dissent doesn't carry through to the vote, which was a unanimous decision to dismiss with no violations. The Board sent a letter of concern about medical record keeping.
| Source: | October 10, 2020 PM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Hannah Hildebrand | Respondent |
| Roll Call: | |
| Adam Almaraz | Aye |
| Amrit Rai | Aye |
| Brian Sidaway | Aye |
| Cameron Dow | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | November 11, 2020 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| Proposed By: | Robyn Jaynes |
| Seconded By: | Jane Soloman |
| Roll Call: | |
| Darren Wright | Aye |
| J Greg Byrne | Absent |
| Jane Soloman | Aye |
| Jessica Creager | Aye |
| Jim Loughead | Aye |
| Nikki Frost | Aye |
| Robyn Jaynes | Aye |
| Sarah Heinrich | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | December 12, 2020 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Hannah Hildebrand | Respondent |
| Proposed By: | J Greg Byrne |
| Seconded By: | Jessica Creager |
| Roll Call: | |
| Darren Wright | Absent |
| 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.