| Complaint: | Complaint 22-01 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Colette Conway |
| Premises: | Stonecrest Animal Hospital |
The complainant alleges that his dog was misdiagnosed in early 2021 with neck pain that actually turned out to be Valley Fever that led to meningitis. The dog's condition is said to have gotten worse until the dog was taken to an emergency facility. He had difficulty obtaining a follow-up appointment with Stonecrest in a timely manner, so he took the dog to another vet. He states that Stonecrest would not send over the records, first claiming that there were no records on file for him, so he called to ask for the records; at that time they confirmed they did have the records and inquired as to whether he could now be "deactivated" from their system once the records are sent. He agrees and is told that the records will arrive within hours, yet he claims they did not show up days later. In the meantime, the dog has died, and he believes their failure to send the records compromised his care. He states that he is concerned about the records issue and their initial inability to diagnose, and he's happy to answer any questions.
Conway's response states that she arrived at work and that the complainant showed up within the first five minutes to yell at the staff regarding the records. She also states that he threatened to sue them for malpractice and diagnosis, report them to the Better Business Bureau, and seek a refund for every penny he spent there. She says that she told him that she was unaware of any medical records request, had no record of any speakerphone call to transfer the records, and that they had in fact received records from the emergency center when the dog was diagnosed with Valley Fever in June 2021. She also helpfully notes that the dog had not been seen there since March 2021 for an eye issue, and that she personally hadn't seen the dog for years. We do learn that records for both of his pets (including the dead one) were printed and given to him that day.
The Findings of Fact and Investigative Committee discussion get weird in a hurry. According to the records from Benson, the new vet, at North Ranch Animal Hospital, the dog was said to have succumbed to hyperthermia based on skin sloughing; it's suggested that the dog died from heatstroke after being exposed to temperatures so high he was scalded. Supporting evidence included a rectal temperature, taken twice on the corpse, of around 110 degrees. (Not impossible, but one wonders why someone would be drawing attention to himself by filing a complaint in that case?) The Investigative Committee apparently thought the death-by-heatstroke angle may not hold up, with the official notes stating that they "questioned the hyperthermia and believed that the Valley Fever was they underlying factor in all the dog's problems." They also said that the complaint was really about the records not being provided in a timely fashion (that doesn't seem to match the entirety of the complaint or Conway's own account of the complainant screaming at her, but oh well), but they actually had been provided in a timely fashion, so there's nothing to see here.
| Source: | December 12, 2021 PM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Colette Conway | Respondent |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Roll Call: | |
| Adam Almaraz | Aye |
| Amrit Rai | Aye |
| Gregg Maura | Aye |
| Justin McCormick | Aye |
| Steven Dow | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | January 1, 2022 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Darren Wright |
| 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.