| Complaint: | Complaint 21-122 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Dawn Bachman |
| Premises: | Southern Arizona Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center |
The complainants say that their dog had to be put to sleep after fighting lymphangiectasia. The dog was originally seen by Polina Vishkautsan (featured in 20-118) but she left town forever for a family emergency; she then moved care to Brisa Hsieh who soon quit her job. Once Hsieh was no longer a participating provider care was handed off to Bachman who started changing the dog's medication regimen; apparently the dog had not been doing well but was at least stable. According to the complainants, Bachman ended up putting the dog on prednisone at the same time the complainants had given the dog carprofen; this was apparently known and mentioned in the medical records but never mentioned to the complainants. After this incident the dog began to deterioriate quickly, suffering from diarrhea, dehyrdation, multiple seizures, and death despite the care of a family veterinarian, Koski, who caught the error. The complainants say that they followed the advice on the veterinary board's website to bring their concerns to the attention of the clinic, but nobody got back to them so they filed this complaint instead.
Bachman says she examined the dog after taking over for Hsieh. She says that the dog was not doing well and had poorly-controlled gastrointestinal issues; she also says the dog was being treated for protein losing enteropathy (which can apparently be caused by lymphangiectasia). On a recheck appointment the dog was also diagnosed with pancreatitis; she felt the dog wasn't absorbing the current prednisone so she switched to an injectable. The complainants allegedly told a veterinary technician that they gave the dog carprofen; the veterinary technician is then said to have cleared the prednisone shot with Bachman, who agreed as this was a one-off. She says that based on her communications with the vet tech and the complainants that the carprofen would not be continued; carprofen was also allegedly no longer on the medication sheet that she says they were sent home with. We're told that the complainants canceled their follow-up visit because the dog was euthanized, which Bachman said was all too predictable given the poor health of the dog; she also says that she was unaware that the complainants had attempted to reach her or contacted the hospital manager at all.
The Investigative Committee said that carprofen is controversial and that while the side effects could be associated with the dog's gastrointestinal symptoms, the dog was euthanized because of neurological problems, not tummy problems (even Bachman takes a more nuanced view and suggests that the seizures were brought on by low calcium caused by the enteropathy and pancreatitis). The Committee said that it was good that the problem was caught later (keeping in mind that it was the family vet who did so, not Bachman) and attribute the poor communication to the difficulties imposed by the coronavirus. They also say that the complainants gave the dog in question carprofen that was actually prescribed for their other dog.
| Source: | September 9, 2021 PM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Dawn Bachman | 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: | Darren Wright |
| Seconded By: | Robyn Jaynes |
| 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.