| Complaint: | Complaint 22-136 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Maya Bellapianta |
| Premises: | Bella Vet |
A complainant writes in that Bellapianta's mobile vet service was called in to help some newly-adopted neighborhood kittens. She arrived and was very professional, gave the cats some antibiotics, and moved on. One of the kittens got sicker so they took it to a local emergency clinic where they changed up the antibiotics. Bellapianta came to follow up at the emergency clinic's suggestion but was very late. We're told that she arrived 7 hours late and remained in her truck for quite some time, later going on to walk around the truck looking at it. The complainant went to greet her but she didn't appear to recognize the complainant's wife, appeared confused and robotic, smelled of alcohol, was definitely on something and totally unlike the last visit.
The complainant and his wife declined services but Bellapianta remained on site for the next hour and then in the truck for another 30 minutes; at some point she may have exited the vehicle and looked around on the sidewalk. They finally called the police because she was in no condition to drive, but she was gone before the cops arrived. Now they question if the antibiotic they got from her in the first place even worked (the kitten died because it couldn't fight off the infection). The complainant specifically says, however, that they're not saying she killed the kitten, just that her behavior was a problem.
Bellapianta's response is written by Flynn Carey, Board-Certified Specialist in Adminstrative Law. This board-certified specialist immediately goes on to mislabel Bellapianta's subsequent complaint 23-03 as 22-03 (a totally different complaint involving former AzVMA President Michael Lent at Pantano Animal Clinic). We learn that she actually started out as a veterinary assistant before working her way through veterinary school, eventually opening her own mobile practice.
Much of the document is rather redacted, largely because most of this information pertains to health or personal issues not relevant to whether she was actually whacked out on something. We do learn that her day consisted at least in part of an in-home euthanasia on one side of town, escorting the body to a crematorium, and then going to attend to another very sick animal before working her way back across town to check on the kitten. Much of the delay is attributed to her circuitous route as she had to prioritize certain cases in a different order than usual.
Carey appears to suggest that the complainant's wife was actually drunk and reeked of booze rather than Bellapianta, also stating that the complaint itself should be called into question because they can't agree if she was drunk or on drugs. He also attempts to chalk up much of the problem to a language barrier with the complainant. We're told that much of the delay at the actual location had to do with Bellapianta checking her equipment in the mobile premises. Interestingly, he also questions if the kitten should have actually been hospitalized at the emergency clinic given its deteriorating condition.
This was an Investigative Division report so there's no committee discussion.
These complaints can be a challenge to summarize because they deal with some very personal issues. From the parts that aren't redacted, it appears that Bellapianta wasn't having a good run, and at least part of it may have had to do with a sick old dog at home. Indeed, given what constitutes the norm in veterinary medicine, it's amazing that anyone with empathy doesn't pop benzos and ketamine just to be able to keep showing up at work each day. It's also worth noting that Bellapianta appeared to show more concern for a patient while stoned than many of the vets on this site appeared to for their patients while completely sober. So there's that.
| Source: | January 1, 2023 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Maya Bellapianta | Respondent |
| Flynn Carey | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Jane Soloman |
| Result: | Failed (no second) |
| Source: | January 1, 2023 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Maya Bellapianta | Respondent |
| Flynn Carey | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Robyn Jaynes |
| Seconded By: | Jim Loughead |
| Roll Call: | |
| Craig Nausley | Absent |
| Darren Wright | Aye |
| J Greg Byrne | Absent |
| Jane Soloman | Nay |
| 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.