| Complaint: | Complaint 22-89 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Sandra Snyder |
| Premises: | Augusta Ranch Animal Hospital |
| Related: | 22-90 |
The complainant says he brought his dog to Snyder becaue the dog had been shivering and panting for two days, needing a blanket to stay warm. Synder allegedly thought that Valley Fever was the most likely diagnosies and sent off a test. She also reported that an x-ray indicated no spine problems, also noting on blood work that the dog had low red blood cell counts and elevated white blood cell counts. The dog was sent home with an anti-inflammatory.
They said they questioned the diagnosis but deferred to Snyder, who apparently seemed quite convinced of Valley Fever. Trying to help, they also brought urine in for a urinalysis for Valley Fever that was handled by Shaird; no problems were reported related to Valley Fever, and they also received a result days later indicating the blood test was negative. They believed their dog had an infection but a request for a broad-spectrum antibiotic was declined; they also called their hometown veterinarian, Nyberg, who had serious concerns and recommended further testing and trying an antibiotic. The dog went downhill, described as "pacing, falling down repeatedly while pacing and appeared to have lost his sight since he numerous times walked into objects" while shaking and convulsing (the Findings of Fact state that 1st Pet wrote these up as "seizures"); they took the dog to 1st Pet where they elected euthanasia in consultation with their vet (both Snyder and the official Findings of Fact seem to suggest that the complainants wanted that, but we don't get the whole story).
Snyder says in her response that on initial exam the dog seemed more or less normal aside from seeming sensitive when she pressed on the spine; she wondered about disc disease but found no evidence on x-ray. Blood work as a whole suggested an inflammatory process, which made her consider Valley Fever; she says that after some convincing she was able to get the complainant to agree (the complainant may likely reside in Michigan on a normal basis), so she thinks that's why they honed in on that diagnosis. She also gave an anti-inflammatory for possible disc disease. (The Findings of Fact suggest Snyder also provided them an estimate for a dental at this time.)
The next day complainants called to report the dog's penis was stuck outside its sheath ("paraphimosis"). She states that she explained to them how to put it back in over the phone (online veterinary sources consider it a medical emergency), telling them that if they couldn't do it they could get the dog back in. She never heard back, so she assumed the dog was okay. The next day they called back and reported the dog was laying under a blanket, not moving, and not eating; they managed to get the dog back in (seen by Shaird in complaint 22-90) and the complainants were allegedly quite happy. She also says that when she called back with the negative Valley Fever results, they told her the dog was now doing great and needed no further medical treatment.
She concludes by stating that the "lay person, without the benefit of medical education, believes that antibiotics are a magic silver bullet" (note that according to the complainant, their hometown vet was also freaked out and recommended more testing and at least trying antibiotics). She notes that antibiotics must be carefully targeted based on a variety of data to know if they're worth using and what kind to employ (which isn't wrong). She also says that there's no proof that a lack of antibiotics killed the dog, that no necropsy was done so we don't know what killed the dog, and the complainant chose euthanasia at 1st Pet rather than do further diagnosis.
The Investigative Committee found that all the medical records were in order. They also said that Snyder correctly recommended a Valley Fever titer, and that there were no signs of an infection; they think it's possible the complainant confused infection and inflammation. (The bigger question about differing accounts and what happened to this dog, or why an out-of-state veterinarian seemed more concerned than the treating veterinarians on-site, seems not to get a mention. At least the family veterinarian back home seemed to realize there might be a big problem.)
The report says the complainant was noticed but could not be reached. The address is redacted so we don't know if the letter went to the in-state address or a possible out-of-state address, particularly given hints that they're part-year residents. (In a different case, a complainant in an address protection program never received notices until after the meetings had already occurred because of mail forwarding, so who knows.)
Snyder is the 2023 President-Elect of the Arizona Veterinary Medical Association. She's not the only person from that esteemed organization to make an appearance on this website, as you'll see in some of our other Tails of Woe.
| Source: | July 7, 2022 AM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Sandra Snyder | Respondent |
| W Reed Campbell | Respondent Attorney |
| 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: | |
| W Reed Campbell | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Craig Nausley |
| Seconded By: | Jim Loughead |
| 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.