| Complaint: | Complaint 22-88 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Jody Moffett |
| Premises: | Sierra Animal Hospital |
The complainant says he took his dog to the vet for a rabies shot and blood test. He says that she was walking and healthy at 11 years of age, yet when he got home she'd collapsed. He called the vet who told him there was legally nothing they could do; the dog stopped breathing about five hours later. He says that the dog had some elevated blood levels but they had been present before and was told it wasn't a problem. He also wondered if the dog was given a higher dose (of vaccine?) than she should have received. He had his dog cremated the following Monday.
Moffett's response says that the dog was brought in for a check-up and blood tests for long-term use of carprofen and apoquel. She states that overall the dog was "fairly unremarkable" and had "mild elevations" of two liver enzymes. The dog was walking and alert when leaving the clinic, but the complainant later called back stating the dog was lying down and couldn't get up. They recommended he bring the dog in but he said he couldn't get the dog into his car; a technician told him they had no mobile capabilities so he allegedly became angry and hung up. She called the complainant later and learned the dog was still not getting up or eating, but the dog's gums were pink; she thought the dog might be sore from the visit and recommended more carprofen. The dog died over the weekend and when she learned of this offered a necropsy, but by then the dog had been cremated.
The Investigative Committee said it was "unfortunate that more could not have been done for the dog." They said that everything was fine from a medical perspective, questioning whether the complainant could have found a buddy to help him get his dying dog into the car; they point out that the complainant found a friend to help him left the body, so they wonder why he couldn't have found one earlier in the day when the dog was still alive. (One can think of a variety of possible reasons for that, including nobody he knew being around until later in the day.)
It's also worth noting that none of the veterinarians considered calling around for a mobile premises to come out and check on the dog. You'd think someone could call in a favor for a patient in this particular situation; a quick search of Sierra Vista for mobile veterinarians yields several Google results. On the other hand, Moffett's own response seems to suggest she just thought the dog might be in pain or sore from the visit (which doesn't appear to be the case).
| Source: | July 7, 2022 AM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Jody Moffett | Respondent |
| Roll Call: | |
| Robert Kritsberg | Aye |
| Christina Tran | Aye |
| Carolyn Ratajack | Aye |
| Jarrod Butler | Aye |
| Steven Seiler | Absent |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | August 8, 2022 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Elisabeth Dutton | Respondent |
| Proposed By: | Jessica Creager |
| Seconded By: | Craig Nausley |
| 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: | August 8, 2022 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| Proposed By: | Jessica Creager |
| Seconded By: | Craig Nausley |
| 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 |
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.