| Complaint: | Complaint 21-115 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Paige Chance Dulin |
| Premises: | Encanto Pet Clinic |
The complainant says that she took both her dogs to Chance to establish care. She relates that one of their dogs had a heart murmur and the other had some gastrointestinal issues and weird behavior she thinks was a result of old age. Chance allegedly recommended lab work and an x-ray for the dog with the heart murmur; she also wanted to do an x-ray on the other dog (with GI issues) as she said the dog had discomfort in the spine. The complainant tells us she never noticed any problems and turned her down, but Chance prescribed NSAIDs and denamarin. She went ahead and gave the dog the medicine; the dog soon developed runny, orange-yellow diarrhea, was lethargic, and vomiting. They took the dog back to Encanto where a different vet, Hogan, saw the dog and gave Cerenia for vomiting. As soon as the dog came home, the dog started having seizures, couldn't balance, and stared off into space; she took the dog back to Encanto again where they watched the dog for a while and gave out cards for local emergency centers. She ended up taking the dog to VCA where the dog was seen by Markovich, who among other things, diagnosed a new heart murmur and hospitalized the dog for two days. The complainant wonders why Chance would have put the dog on the medication in the absence of an obvious problem, stating that many of the symptoms the dog had were attributable to side effects of carprofen; she also notes that the dog already had liver enzyme problems, GI problems, and a low platelet count. It also makes her wonder if veterinarians aren't getting incentivized to push pills. She states that her dogs are part of her family and didn't deserve to go through this; she also would like her $3500 in emergency medical bills to be covered.
Chance (Chance-Dulin) notes that the dog was seen to establish care and discuss some changes related to aging, along with heartworm tests and nail trimming. She said that the dog was said to act strange and that the dog occasionally threw up. We're told the dog had a variety of issues ranging from dental disease to masses that could be anything from balls of fat to cancerous tumors. She said that the dog's weird behavior and circling could be the result of back pain and recommended x-rays which the complainant turned down; she was told the dog had x-rays done at VCA previously and obtained permission to look at them. She recommended that the dog be started on carprofen to see if that would help; she says that blood work came back acceptable and that she warned the complainant about the possible side effects. (It appears that she prescribed all this without the x-rays from VCA as it turns out there weren't any.) She also put the dog on denamarin to help some elevated liver values that we're told weren't really all that bad. She also wanted to perform a "COHAT" (Comprehensive Oral Health Assessment and Treatment) on the dog if the dog was in good condition. She states that she never heard back from the complainant and only learned that the dog got sick when she was contacted about a potential veterinary board complaint; at that time she was advised to never speak to the complainant again because of the AVMA PLIT liability insurance process.
The Investigative Committee said that even though the dog had GI issues and liver problems it's not an absolute impediment to handing out carprofen; it just means you need to be careful, just like they suggest Chance-Dulin did in this case. They said that the dog had been on carprofen in the past and had no ill effects so we don't know the carprofen was the cause this time; they also said that heart murmurs can come and go. They don't believe this episode will have any long-term effect on the dog's health, and right now the dog's doing just fine. (The trauma the family and the dog endured during all this isn't discussed, nor are the $3500 in additional bills.)
| Source: | September 9, 2021 PM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Paige Chance Dulin | Respondent |
| Roll Call: | |
| Adam Almaraz | Aye |
| Amrit Rai | Aye |
| Brian Sidaway | Aye |
| Steven Dow | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | October 10, 2021 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Robyn Jaynes |
| 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 | 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.