| Complaint: | Complaint 21-23 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Cameron Folkers |
| Premises: | Canyon Pet Hospital |
The complainant tells us that he's an over the road trucker whose dog became sick while he was on the road. A veterinarian in Texas diagnosed his dog with diabetes so he brought his dog to Canyon Pet Hospital for hospitalization. He says the dog stayed at Canyon for four days; he claims he was told each day that the dog was doing well and making progress. However, when he went to pick up the dog, the dog was struggling to breathe; he told the staff that the dog wasn't like that when he brought him in, but allegedly the staff told him it wasn't a concern. He called a couple of hours later and was told to keep an eye on him. He also called back the next day; he was eventually told that one veterinarian noted breathing problems but a second one did not. The staff member apparently asked him to bring the dog in for an x-ray; the complainant notes his surprise that one wasn't done when the dog was still in the hospital. The complainant drove his dog up to Canyon after his reload had completed but at that time the hospital was closed; the dog died. The complainant specifically states that cost was never a factor regarding the dog's care; he also says he paid $1550 up front without any hesitation and was never told that any other treatment was necessary or recommended. He concludes by stating he would gladly have paid to treat his dog and keep him alive but was never told his dog had a breathing condition.
Folkers, whom regular readers will already know by now, portrays the complainant as angry and broke. He states that the complainant had to phone a friend to come up with a mere $350 for the initial emergency deposit; he also states the dog had been untreated for so long that ketoacidosis had set in and the dog may not make it. He claims the complainant understood. We're then told the complainant didn't have enough money even for the low end of the estimate and had to ask a family member for the money. He says the dog recovered well while at Canyon but the complainant was money-conscious the whole time; he says they were directed not to ever exceed the low end of the estimate. According to Folkers the dog was breathing well when he left the premises, and after he reviewed a video from the complainant with the dog's breathing problems, he directed the dog to go to an emergency facility. He says that the complainant called the hospital again that night and threatened the staff for not helping his dying dog; Folkers (or a staff member) then called the police on the complainant. Folkers concludes by stating they did everything they could for the dog's diabetes but the dog had been ignored for too long.
The Investigative Committee's discussion is that it had no discussion: "No discussion took place." The Board sent a Letter of Concern to Folkers about his medical records not being clear enough.
It's particularly interesting as the very next complaint (21-24) also relates to Folkers. There appears to have been very little in the way of discussion there. Perhaps Folkers is always so clearly right that they don't even need to talk about it?
Regarding Folkers, it's not his first visit through the process. We have shout-outs to 18-94 where he and his mother allegedly failed to smother a horse to death, as well as 21-15 when even the investigators are concerned about tacky triage and emergency practices but don't care enough to stop it.
| Source: | February 2, 2021 AM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Cameron Folkers | Respondent |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Roll Call: | |
| Carolyn Ratajack | Aye |
| Christina Tran | Aye |
| Jarrod Butler | Absent |
| Robert Kritsberg | Aye |
| Steve Seiler | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | March 3, 2021 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | J Greg Byrne |
| Seconded By: | Nikki Frost |
| Roll Call: | |
| Darren Wright | Absent |
| J Greg Byrne | Aye |
| Jane Soloman | Aye |
| Jessica Creager | Aye |
| Jim Loughead | Aye |
| Nikki Frost | Aye |
| Robyn Jaynes | Aye |
| Sarah Heinrich | Absent |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | April 4, 2021 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Cameron Folkers | Respondent |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | J Greg Byrne |
| Seconded By: | Jessica Creager |
| Roll Call: | |
| Darren Wright | Absent |
| J Greg Byrne | Aye |
| Jane Soloman | Aye |
| Jessica Creager | Aye |
| Jim Loughead | Aye |
| Nikki Frost | Aye |
| Robyn Jaynes | Nay |
| Sarah Heinrich | 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.