| Complaint: | Complaint 21-64 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Kaitlyn Vorherr |
| Premises: | Altered Tails |
The complainant is somewhat vague but states she'd like to see justice for her dog. She says he's just a puppy and will have problem for the rest of his life because of an unspecified incident that occured while the dog was in the care of Altered Tails. She says that she wished the veterinarian would take full responsibility but she won't. Apparently this dog had to go to Midwestern University after the incident in question; surgery was recommended for the dog's broken leg but she couldn't afford it.
Vorherr tells us the dog was brought in for a castration. No concerns appear to have been noted on the initial exam, but prior to the castration, a veterinary technician pointed out the dog was now limping. The technician informed both Vorherr and Thomas Schaefer, the lead veterinarian; Schaefer was still doing surgery so Vorherr went in to examine the dog. She says it was difficult to determine what was wrong but the dog may have had an injury to the stifle; she was approved by veterinarian and executive director Nellie Goetz to dispense anti-inflammatiories and offer to assist with the cost of x-rays. The dog was still doing poorly on recheck and was referred to Midwestern University for an x-ray; we're told that Altered Tails agreed to cover the initial visit and diagnosis but any other treatment costs would have to be negotiated. She says that from that point on all she knows is that records came back from Midwestern and that the complainant decided to splint the limb. She was subsequently made aware that a week later the complainant called back and wanted Altered Tails to cover the cost of the surgery; she was told that would not be happening as Altered Tails "had already reached a financial agreement with the complainant based on splinting."
The Investigate Committee said that Vorherr had no control over Altered Tails' financial arrangement with the complainant; they also said there was no direct cause of the injury but that some investigators felt that Altered Tails was financially culpable because the injury occurred under their care. They requested that the Board investigate Thomas Schaefer, the responsible veterinarian for the Altered Tails premises. That doesn't appear to have ever happened.
This one's interesting because Thomas Schaefer, the same veterinarian they suggested opening an investigation into, was considered for an Investigative Committee slot at the Board's August 18, 2021 meeting; the job ultimately went to Justin McCormick, another vet who had been the subject of multiple dismissed veterinary complaints. In yet another example of the small world of veterinary medicine, Schaefer also shows up on the Arizona Humane Society's Form 990 (2019) pulling down $116,408 as a staff veterinarian; as you probably know by now, the Arizona Humane Society is basically a farm team for the veterinary board (in the baseball sense, not in the large animal sense).
Altered Tails also has a connection to veterinarian Nellie Goetz, considered for the Investigative Committee on January 16, 2019 and losing out to Jarrod Butler. She was subsequently considered for another Investigative Committee post at the May 15, 2019 meeting and lost out to perpetual contest winner Brian Sidaway officially on the grounds that she was actually working at Midwestern (we're told the Investigative Committees were already too Midwestern-heavy at that time). Her husband, Matthew Goetz, was up for a slot at the September 18, 2019 meeting and lost out to Cameron Dow. Matthew also served on the Arizona Veterinary Medical Association as an advisory member when Dow was on the Board of Directors. It truly is a small world after all. (Nellie Goetz is apparently now on the faculty at the University of Arizona's veterinary school.)
The exact nature and timeline of the connection needs checking, but it's worth pointing out that Goetz had significant ties to Midwestern and had a faculy role there; in fact, JVR Shelter Strategies lists her as Clinical Assistant Professor of Shelter Medicine at Midwestern at one point. Meanwhile, of all the places a dog with an injured stifle joint could be sent for an x-ray, it appears that Goetz or her staff referred this dog to Midwestern specifically. As you'll discover, Midwestern was named in not one but two prominent series of complaints accusing them of cover-ups involving dead pets.
| Source: | June 6, 2021 AM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Kaitlyn Vorherr | Respondent |
| Roll Call: | |
| Carolyn Ratajack | Aye |
| Christina Tran | Absent |
| Jarrod Butler | Aye |
| Robert Kritsberg | Aye |
| Steve Seiler | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | July 7, 2021 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Nikki Frost |
| Seconded By: | Robyn Jaynes |
| Roll Call: | |
| Darren Wright | Aye |
| J Greg Byrne | Absent |
| 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.