| Complaint: | Complaint 20-46 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Sara Boyle |
| Premises: | Low Cost Spay and Neuter |
The complainant says she took her dog to Boyle for a hard belly and was diagnosed with gas; when getting her dog back she notices he's not walking correctly. She says the dog started to poop in the office so she took the dog outside and the dog continued to walk funny, but nobody appeared to find it notable. Her dog started dragging his legs so she called the emergency line and was told to bring the dog back in the next morning. That morning Boyle examined the dog and allegedly put a ballpoint pen in his anus to see if the anus could pucker up; "poop fell out." Sedation was allegedly recommended to examine the dog as he was shaking too much. They apparently gave the dog some medication and took x-rays. She arrived back at the clinic and was told to drive the dog to Las Vegas to see a neurologist and that Williams (the practice owner) would cover the charges. The complainant says she called the neurologist in Las Vegas and they said no authorization had been made and no neurologist was available that day. She says Williams emphasized that dogs like this need to see a neurologist as soon as possible. She takes the dog to Las Vegas the next day where Peron Graeber diagnoses the dog as paralyzed from the waist down; Graeber allegedly quoted a $10000 surgery and said the dog only had a 50-50 chance of using the potty naturally ever again. The complainant elected to euthanize the dog. She demands $20000 in financial compensation for suffering and to purchase a new breeding buddy for their other dog. She also suspects that since the dog was so young the injury must have occurred at the clinic, particularly since she noticed no issues with the dog walking until after the dog came out from the clinic. She also states that Graeber's final report suggested trauma as a possibility (we don't get to see the context of it because the Board says that's part of the medical record and not part of the complaint).
Boyle's response states that all dogs are handled gently and with care at the clinic. She says she's attached the statements of 12 employees including the owner and also submitting a video. She says that the initial exam showed gas, a hernia, and a luxating patella; she recommended surgery for the hernia. She says that one employee did remember the complainant said the dog was walking funny but assumed it was because the dog was trying to poop. She also cites the statements saying the dog was walking and wagging his tail in the clinic. She points out the dog was never seen by a neurologist, yet cites the non-neurologist veterinarian at the Las Vegas clinic as suggesting a spinal cord cyst, a congenital malformation, or IVDD as possible diagnoses (not trauma). She says that she does use a pen to test anal tone in dogs, "[h]owever, I would and have never penetrated a patient's anus with a pen." She also believes the complainant is attempting to take their offer of paying for a neurology consult and weaponize it, using it to attempt to extract money from the clinic.
The Investigative Committee said there was never a diagnosis as to why the dog was paralyzed, but there was no sign of a "malicious" injury to the dog on the video. (Interestingly, on the findings of fact, they state that there is video of staff holding and grooming the dog, of the dog getting x-rayed, but no video of the dog standing or walking.) They also state the dog's hard stomach may have been the dog clenching from pain resulting from disc disease.
It's weird they had the complainant drive all the way to Las Vegas just to see Graeber rather than a neurologist. She apparently has a background in veterinary emergency and critical care, but she only graduated from Ross University in 2018; there's nothing on her LinkedIn profile to suggest anything like a neurology residency. Both the complainant and Boyle agree that the clinic was supposed to set up a neurology consult at the clinic's expense, so one wonders what exactly happened there.
| Source: | February 2, 2020 AM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Sara Boyle | Respondent |
| Roll Call: | |
| Carolyn Ratajack | Aye |
| Christina Tran | Aye |
| Jarrod Butler | Aye |
| Robert Kritsberg | Aye |
| Steve Seiler | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | March 3, 2020 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Sarah Heinrich |
| Seconded By: | Jessica Creager |
| Roll Call: | |
| Darren Wright | Absent |
| J Greg Byrne | Absent |
| 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.