| Complaint: | Complaint 20-112 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Suzanne Higgins |
| Premises: | Deer Creek Animal Hospital |
The complainant's dog was previously diagnosed with bone cancer. The condition worsened to the point the dog could no longer use some of his legs and struggled in pain. The complainant decided to euthanize the dog and scheduled an appointment at Deer Creek Animal Hospital. She says she was brought into a small room with her dog (already in pain and distress) and an assistant manager (Alicia) asked if she would like a wellness check. She said no and then the tech tried to sedate the dog but required a second person to help. The dog struggled and the sedation also failed to work within half an hour. The vet tech came back with a male to give a second injection for sedation. The complainant relates the male didn't seem to know how to handle the dog, pushing the dog's mouth together as the dog tried to yelp in pain. She says after the male did this the dog flopped down with what appeared to be a dislocated shoulder. The dog then became sedated. The complainant concludes that it was a "horrific" and "botched" euthanasia that she'll live with for the rest of her life. If she had known this was going to happen she would never have gone to the clinic.
Higgins is the responding veterinarian for the premises but not the one who did the euthanasia (that was actually Matthew Hay-Roe, featured elsewhere on this site). She tells us that they got a lot of it on video and that the dog was aggressive from the moment he showed up at the hospital. She also says nobody by the name of Alicia works there and adminstrative staff would not be involved. She says the dog continually snapped at the technician's face and the complainant kept apologizing for it. She also says the dog was too strong for the technician, so she had to call backup. The dog got a shot but didn't sedate so Hay-Roe prescribed a second shot which one of the technicians gave the dog; this time they sent in a male technician to assist and that the dog attempted to bite him. She said that nobody tried to throw the dog down or injure him in any way. Higgins, a trained veterinarian, also says "it is physically impossible to "dislocate" a dog's shoulder and they do not have a human type shoulder joint." After the dog conked out, they put in an IV catheter and Hay-Roe entered the room to finish the job. Higgins says that the complainant was very emotional and would have thought any level of restraint would be too much. She also casts the complainant in a negative light for waiting until she got her dog's ashes back before taking the matter up with her credit card company.
The Investigative Committee had no concerns. They stated that the complainant never mentioned any concerns until later and that euthanasia can always be unpredictable in certain patients. They chalk it up to the complainant's expectations of euthanasia rather than how they actually go; they also said the dog was aggressive but that there was no evidence the dog was mistreated.
Regarding Higgins' note that dogs can't have dislocated shoulders, that might be correct as a technicality. On the other hand, a PetMD article ("Dislocated Shoulder in Dogs" written by Kos-Barber, a veterinarian) states that shoulders can in fact luxate in dogs; it also mentions "[l]ateral dislocations occur most commonly as a result of trauma in large breed dogs."
| Source: | October 10, 2020 PM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Suzanne Higgins | Respondent |
| Roll Call: | |
| Adam Almaraz | Aye |
| Amrit Rai | Aye |
| Brian Sidaway | Recused |
| Cameron Dow | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | November 11, 2020 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| Proposed By: | Nikki Frost |
| Seconded By: | Jessica Creager |
| 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 |
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.