| Complaint: | Complaint 22-49 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Benjamin Savard |
| Premises: | Raintree Pet Resort and Medical Center |
The complainant states that she dropped her dog off at Raintree Pet Resort for boarding. She states the dog had been very healthy and she knew this for a fact as she was at home watching the dog with her daughter due to virtual school. They planned to board her for the following week until they returned from vacation.
Two days later they received an early-morning phone call from Raintree stating the dog had been found dead surrounded by bloody vomit and diarrhea. There was no explanation and Savard performed an x-ray and found nothing. They also requested notes and learned that the dog had a previous incident of vomiting and an incident of diarrhea during the stay; they had never been informed about it. She states that her dog had never had diarrhea and would have requested extra tests.
The complainant requested a necropsy which diagnosed acute septicemia/endotoxemia likely due to a recent infection. There was no timeframe indicated for the infection but the complainant states the dog was up to date on all vaccines. She's concerned that nobody seemed to notice her dog wasn't doing well, didn't inform her of the incidents of vomiting and diarrhea. She finds it odd that the dog showed no outward signs of distress until the dog just dropped dead; the dog had always been a patient there and had been boarded there, so the staff knew the dog quite well.
Savard begins somewhat ominously by clarifying that the Raintree Pet Resort is actually separate from the Raintree Pet Medical Center (their website is listed as the Raintree Pet Resort and Medical Center as of 2023. He states that per the boarding facility's records the dog was doing great and engaged in group play; the dog also ate well except for vomiting once.
The first hint that anything was wrong with the dog was when boarding staff came in on Monday morning and found the dog dead sometime prior to 5:30 AM. Dark red liquid diarrhea as well as "blood containing urine" (not just bloody urine, but mostly blood with a hint of pee?). Some was wet and some was dry, and the dog still has some water and food available. As the dog had a prior history of eating things, they did an x-ray and found nothing.
The Investigative Committee discussed that there's no connection between the medical practice and the boarding facility (despite the website making no distinction between the two and basically co-branding the entire facility as one at the premises). They note that the dog dropped dead at the boarding facility and Savard was only called in as the dog's veterinarian. (No discussion as to whether the responsible veterinarian at Raintree Pet Medical Center should be investigated for misrepresentation or outright fraud.)
One wonders if Savard's explicit mention that the two facilities are separate serves a legal purpose. A veterinary clinic has to have a responsible veterinarian and meet certain requirements whereas pet boarding facilities don't have nearly the same restrictions. As such, if a pet drops dead in a puddle of their own blood, it's better to have it happen at a boarding facility than a clinic even if they happen to operate under the same signs in the same strip mall. It's questionable the general public even understands the difference; a previous complaint against the medical side was filed under "Raintree Pet Resort" while this complaint was filed under "Raintree Pet Resort and Medical Center."
| Source: | April 4, 2022 AM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Benjamin Savard | Respondent |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Roll Call: | |
| Robert Kritsberg | Aye |
| Christina Tran | Aye |
| Carolyn Ratajack | Aye |
| Jarrod Butler | Aye |
| Steven Seiler | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | May 5, 2022 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Robyn Jaynes |
| Seconded By: | Jane Soloman |
| Roll Call: | |
| Craig Nausley | Aye |
| Darren Wright | Absent |
| J Greg Byrne | Aye |
| Jane Soloman | Aye |
| Jessica Creager | Aye |
| Jim Loughead | Aye |
| Melissa Thompson | Aye |
| Nikki Frost | Aye |
| Robyn Jaynes | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | June 6, 2022 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Benjamin Savard | Respondent |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Robyn Jaynes |
| Seconded By: | Jessica Creager |
| Roll Call: | |
| Craig Nausley | Aye |
| Darren Wright | Aye |
| J Greg Byrne | Absent |
| Jane Soloman | Aye |
| Jessica Creager | Aye |
| Jim Loughead | Absent |
| 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.