| Complaint: | Complaint 21-57 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Rachel McKinney |
| Premises: | Urban Livestock |
The complainant had McKinney come out to castrate her horse. She says the horse didn't receive enough sedation as the horse jumped up in the air mid-castration. The horse threw the veterinary technician assisting in the procedure and then ran around with a "large emasculator" (use your imagination or look it up) in him for several minutes while they got control of the situation. The horse was subsequently further sedated so the emasculator could be removed from the scrotum. McKinney took a $500 payment by credit card and left. Later that night the owner of the stable called the complainant and informed her the horse was "bleeding profusely" from the scrotum and needed a veterinarian. She sent photos and they came back out to suture up the horse. She then received no further instructions or follow-up regarding the horse; she contacted them repeatedly as the wound continued to worsen and began bulging with what is described as yellow, fleshy tissue. The complainant reports that she was told to continue giving the horse a pill even as "the wound had a huge infected spermatic cord hanging out of it with pus and yellow liquid coming out on both sides." She asked McKinney's staff whether McKinney could come out as an emergency but was told it would be unlikely as the complainant wasn't being nice on the phone. She had to take the horse to Southwest Equine Hospital for treatment; the horse apparently had a severe infection and required a corrective surgery.
There doesn't appear to be a respone from Rachael McKinney (the veterinarian) but there is a response from a Kade McKinney who accompanied her to fix up the horse after the initial castration. She says she noticed no bleeding after the second surgery. We're then told that the complainant called and wanted a follow-up visit; she says she told the complainant they were very busy and there would be an emergency charge. The complainant is said to have told her that she already had appointment with another veterinarian tomorrow and wouldn't be coming back. Later that afternoon the complainant allegedly called back to say the horse had pulled himself open at the scrotum and needed seen. She relates that she reiterated that the complainant would have to pay fees and that it wasn't their fault the horse tore open the sutures. She claims the complainant got angry and said they were incapable, to which McKinney (the helper) replied that she wasn't sure that McKinney (the veterinarian) would want to come out if she was going to talk about her like that.
The Investigative Committee found that there were several concerns beginning with the horse waking up during the castration. They said that in the world of small animal medicine things would have been handled better (would they?) but in the horse world things are done differently. The Committee found gross negligence; the Board voted to dismiss with no violations.
Rachael McKinney (who apparently didn't bother to talk to the Investigative Committee) was the Secretary/Treasurer for the Arizona Veterinary Medical Association in 2020. She was replaced by the very same Cameron Dow who sat on this Committee and (somewhat surprisingly, given his voting record) voted to find her guilty of gross negligence. She eventually becomes the Arizona Veterinary Medical Association President-Elect in 2022-2023.
McKinney received a USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Rural Practice Enhancement Grant in 2021 (they even did a write-up on her for Women's History Month). It also appears that she got part of her vet school loans paid for by the taxpayer through the USDA, helping her start her own rural vet practice.
| Source: | May 5, 2021 PM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Rachel McKinney | Respondent |
| Roll Call: | |
| Adam Almaraz | Aye |
| Amrit Rai | Aye |
| Brian Sidaway | Aye |
| Cameron Dow | Aye |
| Violations: | |
| ARS ยง 32-2232(11) Gross negligence; treatment of a patient or practice of veterinary medicine resulting in injury, unnecessary suffering or death that was caused by carelessness, negligence or the disregard of established principles or practices for disregarding the horse owner's concerns and not referring the horse elsewhere for medical attention if Respondent was not able to evaluate the animal in a timely fashion. | |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | June 6, 2021 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Rachel McKinney | Respondent |
| Proposed By: | J Greg Byrne |
| Seconded By: | Jessica Creager |
| Roll Call: | |
| Darren Wright | Aye |
| 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: | August 8, 2021 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Rachel McKinney | Respondent |
| Proposed By: | J Greg Byrne |
| Seconded By: | Jessica Creager |
| Roll Call: | |
| Darren Wright | Aye |
| J Greg Byrne | Aye |
| Jane Soloman | Aye |
| Jessica Creager | Aye |
| Jim Loughead | Aye |
| Nikki Frost | Aye |
| Robyn Jaynes | Aye |
| Sarah Heinrich | 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.