| Complaint: | Complaint 20-90 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Sandy Landry |
| Premises: | BluePearl Peoria |
The complainant says she took her dog to BluePearl Peoria because of lethargy and bloating. She was told it would be a while because the clinic was changing shifts. After an hour a staff member came to get the dog and check vitals. She heard the dog crying in the other room. The staff member then came out and recommended a nail trim, which the complainant agreed to. The staff member also said the dog likely had fluid in his abdomen and would need further testing. After another hour they were taken to a room and finally saw a vet, at which time she was told there would be more waiting because they had many emergencies come in. She was shocked at the cost ($1200) for the tests but said the dog is like a person to her and agreed. They were told to come back in a couple of hours. They did so and were told the tests had been done and were waiting on the results. They came back again in another couple of hours and were escorted outside. She says she assumed her dog had died. She was instead told that they were very busy and hadn't done the tests yet, contradicting what she had earlier been told. She told them that she just wanted her dog but the staff and the veterinarian wanted to talk to her and tried to keep her from just leaving with the dog. She says as soon as the dog got out the door he peed a large amount. She doesn't believe her dog was even taken out to the bathroom or given water at BluePearl. She basically says that she was lied to constantly at BluePearl and that someone needs to do something about them.
Landry tells us that the dog was one of the three patients that had arrived on emergency in the same half-hour period that morning. She examined him and didn't think he was doing that bad. She says that it was difficult to do many of the tests because it actually took two people to work with the dog (he wasn't happy about being there, and can you blame him?), which led to the delay. She said that the technician staff had a lot of patients that morning and that she kept reminding them that the dog had tests that needed to be performed. We learn that other staff members didn't show up or missed their shifts, and one technician that was able to come in had just gotten off an overnight shift. She says that she did not discuss a toenail trim with the owners or say anything about about abdominal fluid. She confirms that the dog hadn't gotten out for a walk as they wanted to be able to run a urine test. She also says there were issues internally about what the owners were to be told, and she says she has no idea why the owners were taken outside to talk to them. She says that the dog's care wasn't compromised in any way.
The Investigative Committee said that it was not "ideal" but that the clinic had been overwhelmed with cases that day. They said that nothing that happened there was below the standard of care.
| Source: | August 8, 2020 PM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Sandy Landry | Respondent |
| Roll Call: | |
| Adam Almaraz | Aye |
| Amrit Rai | Aye |
| Brian Sidaway | Aye |
| Cameron Dow | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | September 9, 2020 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Jane Soloman |
| Seconded By: | Jessica Creager |
| Roll Call: | |
| Darren Wright | Aye |
| J Greg Byrne | Aye |
| Jane Soloman | Aye |
| Jessica Creager | Aye |
| Jim Loughead | Aye |
| Nikki Frost | Absent |
| 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.