Vets Who Received Complaints Still Practicing
Jan 31 2008 7:18PM

Editor's Note: Some readers may find images in our slideshow graphic.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - We no longer treat our pets like possessions.
Instead they are members of the family. We buy them toys, gourmet food -- even beds. Pet owners also want the best when it comes to medical care for their dogs and cats.
But as 10 Investigates' Cara Connelly found out by looking through stacks of files at the Ohio Veterinary Medical Licensing Board, vets who have been disciplined by the state are still in practice, treating pets in central Ohio.

From those files, 10 Investigates pulled the story of Mary Heise and her cat, Samson. His routine de-clawing turned into a nightmare when his vet removed the stitches, Connelly reported.
"The cat was squirting blood," Heise said. She watched in horror as the vet yanked out her cat's stitches. "Without gloves -- without washing his hands -- without any instruments, he took and he ripped the cat's sutures out with his fingernails."
Heise said that she then rushed her cat to another vet.
"I was scared to death," Heise said. "I was like, 'We just got him.' You know, he's under a year old and he's going to die."
The second veterinarian saved Samson's paws and possibly his life. According to Heise, "it was a bad situation. The infection had spread into his blood and into his soft tissue."
After she treated Samson, the second vet was so appalled by his condition that she filed a complaint with the Ohio Veterinary Medical Licensing Board, sparking an investigation.
10 Investigates found Samson's story as one of hundreds of complaints, but there were other heart-wrenching stories.
Sandy Jagerski took her dog, Bailey, in for a dental procedure and his entire body suffered the result. Investigators said photographs proved he sustained thermal burns on 30 to 40 percent of his body. The investigators concluded it was from the heating pad he was placed on during surgery. Bailey's veterinarian received a letter of reprimand, paid a fine and had to write an essay. She is still practicing, Connelly reported.
Also practicing is the veterinarian who Julie Falde said permanently hurt her dog, Nigel.
"All he got, basically, was a discipline on his record and a small fine," Falde said.
The board punished Nigel's vet for not keeping proper records of the dog's procedures. Falde said that was a small part of it. She believes the veterinarian botched the surgery.
Now, Nigel takes pain medication every day and struggles to get up and down and to run.
"He's 4 years old and he acts like he's 15," Falde said.
Less than half of the 197 complaints brought to the board were investigated in 2007. Many get tossed out because they include billing issues or personal conflicts, things the board doesn't have the power to investigate. Others lack the evidence necessary for a hearing, Connelly reported.
Last year, three vets were punished after hearings. Forty other complaints led to settlements.
"The settlement agreement is a more viable, cost-effective means of the discipline," said Teresa Stir, executive director of the Ohio Veterinary Medical Licensing Board.
Among those who settled with the board was Samson's veterinarian. He paid a fine and had to attend a training course. When 10 Investigates called him to ask what happened, he said he did nothing wrong and admitted no fault.
The head of the Ohio Veterinary Medical Licensing Board said a settlement agreement means that there has been a violation of the veterinary practice act.
"They have to admit their guilt in order to achieve the settlement agreement," Stir said.
It may be enough for the board but a settlement is not what Sampson's owner wanted. Heise is upset because the veterinarian who she claimed hurt her cat is still in business.
"I don't think that's enough," Heise said. "Every time we drive by there, I look at the place and I'm just like disgusted. I'm like, how many animals have to be hurt or die before something actually happens?"
Stir said even if the board's actions and the punishment does not satisfy the owner, filling a complaint still serves a purpose.
"It puts the veterinarian on notice that the board is watching them," Stir said.

Owners who claim their animals suffered at the hands of bad veterinarians say people need to know more.
"If you think something's not right, don't go ahead with it -- check it out first," Heise said.
Injured pets, like Samson and Nigel, cannot speak out for themselves, but the stories their owners tell and the investigations in the files can speak volumes.
The Ohio Veterinary Medical Licensing Board allows people to look up a veterinarian but only shows whether or not the vet has been disciplined.
The Web site does not tell pet owners the reasons for disciplinary action.
10 Investigates asked the OVMLB about the information on the Web. According to the executive director, the board is considering putting additional information on the Web.
More Information:
Settlements, Reprimands Against Central Ohio Veterinarians
The Ohio Veterinary Medical Licensing Board Complaint Form
http://www.10tv.com/?sec=news&story=sites/10tv/content/pool/200801/1696740312.html


Ohio Veterinary Board slow to act, easy on offenders, official says -- Animals in the News
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Donna Miller
Plain Dealer Reporter

Cleveland, OH
It took the Ohio Veterinary Medical Board more than two years to reprimand a Canton veterinarian who botched basic surgery on a dog and did so in a filthy back room at a pet store.
An investigator found that "on Sept. 30, 2005, you performed a declaw and neu-ter on Monkey.' Monkey was released with bleeding front paws. There were large areas of tissue missing and the pads were either cut or missing.
"You performed this surgery in the back room of a pet store that is not properly equipped or set up as a surgical suite. The room is dirty and cluttered. . . ."
The case was settled Dec. 12, 2007, with Dr. Alvin Burger agreeing to accept a letter of reprimand, pay the $1,179 cost of the investigation and pay a $1,500 fine.
Former Gov. Bob Taft appointed the board's five veterinarians, one veterinary technician and one pet owner. The board routinely takes more than two years to address allegations of misconduct, says its executive secretary, attorney Theresa Stir.
"That's a typical timetable and the punishments are often a slap on the wrist," she said.
Gov. Ted Strick land's spokesman said the governor finds that news "concerning, and he'll keep it in mind as he appoints new board members."
To report malpractice or check on a vet's record, go to http://ovmlb.ohio.gov/ or call 614-644-5281.

ANIMALS IN THE NEWS
http://www.cleveland.com/living/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/living-0/1200216641105730.xml&coll=2