| Complaint: | Complaint 20-18 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Melvin Paquin |
| Premises: | Animal Medical Center of Surprise |
The complainant tells us that her dog needed a bladder surgery and that her normal veterinarian was booked. She tells us that she's on a limited income and needed to find a veterinarian. She called around and was told by Pasqual at Animal Medical Center of Surprise that the surgery needed to be done immediately. The charges were $2346.26. She also heard from another clinic in town who quoted her $400 for the surgery including follow-up. She has concerns that perhaps she was ripped off by the clinic and would like a refund if she was overcharged. (It's heartbreaking that she thinks the Board would be either able or willing to do anything at all about such business practices.)
Paquin, the responsible veterinarian and a former Board investigator from earlier in the century, gives us a history of the dog and its urinary problems. He wraps it up by blaming the complainant, stating that "obviously" none of this would have happened if the ownerhad followed their medical advice to get the other urinary stones examined. He also says that the complainant was fully aware of all charges at all times.
The Investigative Committee said that the complainant knew what the bill was going to be and signed the paper. There's no hint of a discussion as to whether a predecessor of theirs was taking advantage of the situation. I'm not sure they could have done anything if they had wanted to.
| Source: | November 11, 2019 PM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Melvin Paquin | Respondent |
| W Reed Campbell | Respondent Attorney |
| Roll Call: | |
| Adam Almaraz | Aye |
| Amrit Rai | Aye |
| Brian Sidaway | Aye |
| Christine Butkiewicz | Aye |
| William Hamilton | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | January 1, 2020 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Jessica Creager |
| Seconded By: | Jane Soloman |
| Roll Call: | |
| Christina Bertch-Mumaw | Absent |
| Darren Wright | Aye |
| J Greg Byrne | Absent |
| Jane Soloman | Aye |
| Jessica Creager | Aye |
| Jim Loughead | Aye |
| Nikki Frost | Aye |
| Robyn Jaynes | Aye |
| Sarah Heinrich | Absent |
| 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.