| Complaint: | Complaint 21-124 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Ayse Washington |
| Premises: | Harmony Holistic Veterinary Care |
The complainant took her dog to Harmony Holistic for pain and weakness in the hip as well as some side effects from steroids. She said that Washington recommended low dose steroids so she informed her that a previous veterinarian had given the dog steroids with serious side effects; Washington allegedly said that was just because the doses were too high. She also says Washington prescribed gabapentin which the dog also had previous issues with; Washington allegedly told her she would prescribe something else but on checkout she was given gabapentin anyway. Her dog had difficulties with the new regimen, licking constantly, drinking a great deal of fluid, and pacing throughout the house; once gabapentin was added to the dog's daily routine the dog became very disoriented and fell down a lot (as before). This also exacerbated the dog's existing hip issues. She contacted the clinic and was told to reduce the dosage; the complainant, herself a pharmacist, thought this was odd as it did not seem to be a dose-dependent reaction to the pills. She asked if Washington could put the dog back on his old regimen as it wasn't this bad and got what she describes as a "run-around." She complained to the clinic about Washington not taking her seriously about her concerns; she then received a call from Della Macdonald, one of Harmony Holistic's owners, saying that she had communication issues and should take her dog elsewhere for care. She says that as a pharmacist she realizes medical professionals can be busy but this goes beyond being busy; they simply didn't care about the dog's condition despite her attempts to communicate with them, then dumped the dog when she tried to press the issue about how treatment was going. She also states that when she did mention her concerns she was told her dog was actually doing fine. Apparently she also tried to reach out to the clinic via email and received no response, so she believes only the Board can hold them accountable.
Washington's response begins with the words "AVMA PLIT" on the top of the page; it appears the AVMA's liability insurance was involved at this point. Washington tells us the dog came to her with existing mobility issues and the complainant had concerns about putting the dog on steroids because of a past bad experience; Washington said that a lower dose "in harmony with adrenal gland circadian rhythm" would help with the side effects. The dog had to be weaned off the NSAIDs first; the dog subsequently had problems that Washington attributed to pain and so she started the steroids. She also gave the complainant some gabapentin to help with pain since the NSAID had been stopped. Washington says that the complainant did note that the gabapentin was allegedly making the dog fall over yet at the same time she asked for a prescription because Harmony Holistic's prices were too high (the complainant, being a pharmacist, might be in such a position to know). She also says the complainant stopped the steroids unilaterally and requested NSAIDs again which she approved; she also says the complainant got difficult about prescriptions. She also says that Macdonald, veterinarian and clinic owner, spoke with her to confirm the complainant was difficult and "continued to cultivate a reputation of being a challenge to communicate with amongst our support staff." Macdonald then felt as though she needed to call and tell the complainant to be nicer to the people at the clinic; according to Washington, the complainant got nasty with Macdonald and was told to go elsewhere. She also notes the complaniant made bad reviews online and sent a complaint to the veterinary board.
The Investigative Committee seems to suggest there was nothing about the dog's medical history for the initial visit but that wasn't a concern. They also said that the dog was "geriatric" and that there were adjustments to the medications the dog was on; they say that sometimes medicines that used to work for a dog may not work as well in the future. (This seems to ignore what the complainant actually said, namely that she warned both medications produced severe side effects in her dog, and they appeared to do so again when they used them.) The Committee also said that because the complainant was a pharmacist at her day job she had expectations of the veterinarian that weren't met.
| Source: | September 9, 2021 AM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Ayse Washington | Respondent |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Roll Call: | |
| Carolyn Ratajack | Aye |
| Christina Tran | Absent |
| Jarrod Butler | Aye |
| Robert Kritsberg | Aye |
| Steve Seiler | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | November 11, 2021 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | J Greg Byrne |
| Seconded By: | Jessica Creager |
| Roll Call: | |
| Craig Nausley | Aye |
| Darren Wright | Aye |
| J Greg Byrne | Aye |
| Jane Soloman | Aye |
| Jessica Creager | Aye |
| Jim Loughead | Aye |
| Nikki Frost | Absent |
| Robyn Jaynes | 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.