| Complaint: | Complaint 21-149 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Heather Lindgren |
| Premises: | 1st Pet Veterinary Centers Mesa |
The complainant tells us that she wasn't informed there was an eight-hour wait time at 1st Pet when she started the pre-paperwork over the phone; rather, they waited until she was already in the parking lot. We're told a vet tech did an initial triage by feeling the cat's bladder. She alleges she waited an hour and asked when someone would do the rest of the triage and was told by a staff member someone would be in shortly; after waiting another hour she asked again and was told this time that the triage was already done. The cat, meanwhile, was still in his carrier shaking and urinating on himself. She says she went back out to get something to wipe up the urine and was angrily given a bunch of paper towels by a vet tech who told her the cat was fine. At some point a staff member from the front office allegedly came out and offered to give the complainant contact information for the other 1st Pet hospitals and pressured her to just leave the cat for them to look at. The complainant replied that she would never go to another 1st Pet location; she also said she would not leave her cat (particularly as the cat had been fostered a total of five times before finding a permanent home and she didn't want the cat to feel even more scared being left alone in such a place). She waited another hour and asked for some food for the cat; she relates that she was given some "slop" that the cat wouldn't touch. She asked if they could at least run blood work while waiting for the vet as the cat has a presumed UTI infection and was told no. Eventually she ended up just leaving (and getting an exam fee refunded). The complainant states that 1st Pet has earned every negative review they've received. She has serious concerns about the lack of professionalism and organization at the center. She also has concerns about their failure to alert her of the eight hour wait when she called them; they instead waited to tell her that when she was in the parking lot checking the cat in. The complainant notes that the matter was "borderline animal abuse."
Lindgren, the responsible veterinarian, said that the cat was triaged but not a lot could be done as the cat was very upset. She also said that the complainant indicated the cat had blood in the urine for over a year so there was no reason to assume the current situation was critical. Under 1st Pet's protocol if a veterinary technician is not sure about a pet's status then a "doctor" is called to check on the animal; she also relates that if an animal is in obvious pain a vet tech can give an injection of pain medication while the animal is waiting to be seen (one wonders if that should be strictly legal if the animal wasn't seen by a veterinarian yet?). Lindgren blames the rest of the matter on the coronavirus; unprecedented patient volume and wait times (if they're unprecedented you'd think it would have merited a mention before the woman came down with her cat, we even get similar warnings when we call a customer support line?). She also says that her hospital is filled to capacity many times and long wait times are a fact of life; she says people can always leave their animals with them until they can take a look. She concludes that while she's sorry about thw wait and realizes the complainant was scared, that was just a normal day at 1st Pet and the cat wasn't in that bad of shape.
The Investigative Committee said that it was too bad that 1st Pet had such long wait times. They also said the complainant "was frequently checking in on and given updates" though it's difficult to understand quite what that means; based on her account it appears most of the checking in was her going out and trying to chase down staff members for updates. They also say that 1st Pet offered to send her elsewhere (to another 1st Pet location, it seems) or leave the cat with them, but the complainant turned them down.
| Source: | November 11, 2021 PM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Heather Lindgren | Respondent |
| Roll Call: | |
| Adam Almaraz | Aye |
| Amrit Rai | Aye |
| Gregg Maura | Absent |
| Steven Dow | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | December 12, 2021 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| Proposed By: | Nikki Frost |
| Seconded By: | Jane Soloman |
| 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.