| Complaint: | Complaint 21-139 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Sarah Rios |
| Premises: | Banfield Tucson 1908 |
The complainant and her husband have been taking their dogs to Banfield for over nine years and always put their dogs on the Optimal Wellness Plan. Their dog had usually seen other Banfield vets, Lloyd and Sammons, but they were not available. She was only able to get a drop-off appointment which concerned her because her dog had other health issues and she didn't like to leave the dog alone; she was worried but felt she needed to because they were on the Optimum Welness Plan. She notes her surprise when she brought the dog in and the staff seemed to lack the courteousness and compassion of the other Banfield operations. Rios saw the dog and called her with a recommendation to cut all the dog's ear hair off to help with the ear infection; she agreed as she assumed she knew what she was doing. She went to pick up the dog and never saw the vet; she was given the bill, paid the bill, and then noticed her dog was in an extremely agitated state, running around in circles, shaking his head over and over, and had blood dripping from one of his ears. She said that the ears were "butchered" and wanted to see the vet; Rios finally came out and allegedly said that she must have "nicked" them a few times; Rios allegedly also suggested putting some Neosporin on it. She says that she started to lose it and just got out of the clinic before she said more.
Rios tells us that she examined the dog and realized he had frequent ear infections. She says she was unable to examine the dog's ear with an otoscope because the dog was not being cooperative. She called the complainant and recommended shaving both ears and plucking some hair to help the ears stay clean; cytology results also confirmed an ear infection. She tells us that the complainant opted for Ocernia treatment because the complainant said she didn't want to clean the ears every day; the complainant also agreed to the shaving. She shaved the ears down with a 40 blade and plucked some hair with a hemostat; the dog was noted to have "a mild amount of blood on both tips of the ears." We're told the dog was discharged and the family wanted to speak with her; she relates that she explained the ears might be bleeding because the dog kept shaking his head and she might have nicked the ears during the shaving. She offered gentacalm spary and recommended not letting the dog shake his head. We're told that the complainant waved her hands in the air, said she was "done," and walked out.
The Investigative Committee said that "ears can be sensitive" and feels sorry for the pressure placed on Rios "due to COVID, the pet owner, and the premises requirements." They commented that there was an error on Rios' part "cosmetically" but also felt "Complainant was indignant." One might also feel sorry for the dog who got his ears nicked during a shave, had hair plucked out with a hemostat, and left in a kennel for hours (against the complainant's wishes) as part of an Optimum Wellness Plan. There's also the question of how much practice owner Rai and former practice owner Dow let their own views as practice owners color what they consider acceptable on the part of a veterinary practice.
| Source: | November 11, 2021 PM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Sarah Rios | Respondent |
| T Scott King | Respondent Attorney |
| Roll Call: | |
| Adam Almaraz | Aye |
| Amrit Rai | Aye |
| Gregg Maura | Absent |
| Steven Dow | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | December 12, 2021 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Sarah Rios | Respondent |
| T Scott King | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Nikki Frost |
| 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 |
| Melissa Thompson | Aye |
| Nikki Frost | Aye |
| 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.