| Complaint: | Complaint 21-132 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Carlton Huitt |
| Premises: | BluePearl Scottsdale |
The complainant says her dog swallowed a yellow toy so they took the dog to BluePearl Scottsdale. The dog was taken in for exam. She gave the staff member an identical toy that was green to show the size; the staff member said that they would likely induce vomiting to get the toy out but the complainant wanted them to know how big the toy was in case he choked. The staff member said the dog was safe in Huitt's hands and he would be careful. She subsequently received a call from Huitt saying that they were able to induce vomiting and get the toy out; once the dog had stopped vomiting they would discharge the dog. The tech brought the dog out and allegedly asked when the dog had swallowed it; the complainant thought that it was odd that nobody asked that when the dog was checked in. She replied that it had been in the past hour and the tech said it was good because there was only a two-hour window for a dog to vomit up before it got into the intestines.
They took the dog home where he continued to vomit yellow foam and liquid, have loose stools, and generally seem lethargic and out of it. Their family veterinarian, Darling, said it might be an upset tummy from the incident and prescribed omeprazole. He kept getting sicker and eventually vomited a lot in the driveway. After inspecting the vomit a yellow squeaky toy was found in the vomit. Curiously, it looked exactly like the squeaky toy that the dog had been said to eat. The family veterinarian wanted to examine the dog and asked if x-rays had been done at BluePearl; they had not. The complainant contacted BluePearl and spoke with their manager, Jennifer Statler, requesting reimbursement for BluePearl's charges as well as the cost of follow-up at their family vet. Statler said that she would reimburse them for the BluePearl charges but needed approval for the family veterinarian. Statler also said she wanted the dog brought in for an ultrasound but the complainant didn't feel comfortable bringing her dog back there; Statler said the technicians who would do the ultrasound actually had nothing to do with BluePearl (?!). Statler became less helpful, alleging that the dog had reingested the toy; the complainant pointed out she never got the toy back from BluePearl that night so he couldn't have eaten it again. Statler then allegedly stated that the dog ate a different toy at home. Statler allegedly investigated but said that the clinic was very busy that night and that no video cameras showed what the dog vomited up. The complainant says our pets are like children and need to be protected from people like Huitt and BluePearl. She implores the Board: "Please help us and help our animals."
Huitt says that the dog vomited up a small squeaker toy and a large amount of food. He says the toy was identical to the example toy provided except that the example toy was green and the vomited toy was yellow. He says the owner never asked for the toy back so it was thrown out with the vomit. We're also told that he told the complainant to get rid of all similar toys from the house. He says that the complainant is now upset because the dog threw up a different toy; it's impossible that the toy the dog threw up later was the same toy because he threw away the toy at BluePearl.
The Investigative Committee discussion points out the obvious, namely that if the dog just ate the toy, all things being equal, the best approach is to get the dog to barf up the toy. The Committee said that both the complainant and Huitt were credible in this case but that there's just no way to ever know the truth; they did, however, say that they believed that "possibly" the dog ate a similar toy and that such things often happen without the "pet parent" knowing. In their own words: "Unfortunately, no one will know the answer of what transpired."
Huitt was also the subject of a complaint back when he worked at a VCA hospital (18-104). However, Huitt's 15 minutes of fame may well be a December 4-10, 2008 article in Albuquerque's Weekly Alibi, "Emergency Night Vets" by Jes Abieta. The article is actually a rather good window into veterinary medicine. Most of it is devoted to Huitt and a couple of night vet techs, their career aspirations, and a late-night euthanasia (link).
| Source: | October 10, 2021 PM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Carlton Huitt | Respondent |
| Roll Call: | |
| Adam Almaraz | Aye |
| Amrit Rai | Aye |
| Brian Sidaway | Aye |
| Gregg Maura | Aye |
| Steven Dow | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | November 11, 2021 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Robyn Jaynes |
| Seconded By: | Darren Wright |
| Roll Call: | |
| Craig Nausley | Aye |
| Darren Wright | Aye |
| J Greg Byrne | Aye |
| Jane Soloman | Absent |
| Jessica Creager | Aye |
| Jim Loughead | Aye |
| Nikki Frost | Absent |
| Robyn Jaynes | 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.