| Complaint: | Complaint 20-23 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Jenny Bauman |
| Premises: | Phoenix Veterinary Referral and Emergency |
| Related: | 20-24 |
The complainant is the caregiver of her adult special-needs son who had a dog. The dog was seen at Alta Vista and referred to Phoenix Veterinary Referral and Emergency because the former did not have the ability to do ultrasounds or transfusions (based on the findings of fact it appears they were unsure regarding a GI bleed or hemolytic anemia, with a prior visit to Banfield saying the dog was fine). At the referral hospital the dog was taken into a room and the complainant was told they couldn't do the ultrasound until the next morning but would start the transfusion right away. They asked for $2000, and the complainant asked for a copy of the estimate but never got one. She then goes on to say that she was told they couldn't even say goodbye to the dog but finally agreed to be able to give the dog a kiss. She says that she was told she could always call for updates and did so five or six times, and each time she was told the dog was doing well. Moezzi eventually spoke to her and told her the dog was well, wanted to change seizure medications, steroids, and wanted to do an ultrasound for blood clots. Fifteen minutes later Moezzi called her back and said the dog no longer had a heartbeat. They went to the hospital and a staff member handed the complainant's intellectually-challenged son the dead dog. She says she later learned that their inability to visit the dog was all a misunderstanding that was going to be taken care of, and that if they wanted an ultrasound, they needed to go to BluePearl because this hospital doesn't have ultrasound available on weekends. She concludes by criticizing the overall conduct of the veterinarians and staff and says they have no closure.
Bauman appears to be the veterinarian who initially saw the dog on admission. She gives us some information about the dog and then gives us the impression they were pretty certain it was IMHA rather than an internal bleed. She says that she "discussed with the owner the possibility" of an ultrasound but would have to see when the radiologist, Roth, would actually be around to do it. She states that the dog was doing well and they delayed administering dexamethasone for treatment of IMHS (she means IMHA) because of a recent dose of NSAIDs. She concludes her response at this point because that was the end of her shift and it was now Moezzi's problem.
The Investigative Committee said that it didn't really matter if they did an ultrasound or not because the dog had IMHA and not internal bleeding. They also said the dog was in really bad shape. They did sympathize with the conflicting or inaccurate information given to the complainant but felt that it wasn't a violation; they also said the clinic is apparently going to do better in the future regarding visitation policies.
They tend to minimize the ultrasound, but it seems to be a very important part of the puzzle they buried in the findings of fact here. It appears that Moezzi (the other veterinarian in this tale) held off on antithrombotics (drugs that help prevent blood clots) because he wasn't totally sure that the dog still didn't have GI bleeding. It also appears that he was concerned about surgery if the dog did because he didn't have an accurate picture of what was going on in the dog. He didn't have that picture because he couldn't get the ultrasound done. The dog is suspected to have died from a blood clot, so to say that the ultrasound was irrelevant is a bit of a stretch; the lack of ultrasound appears to have set things in motion, so the dog didn't get anti-clotting medication preventively.
| Source: | December 12, 2019 AM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Potts | Respondent Attorney |
| Jenny Bauman | Respondent |
| Roll Call: | |
| Carolyn Ratajack | Aye |
| Christina Tran | Aye |
| Jarrod Butler | Aye |
| Robert Kritsberg | Aye |
| Steve Seiler | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | January 1, 2020 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Potts | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Darren Wright |
| Seconded By: | Jessica Creager |
| 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.