NEVER BLINDLY TRUST YOUR VET...ANY VET

Saturday, June 5, 2010

more about the censure and some thoughts

I was able to view a copy of the letter of censure sent to Nathan Wehrli and gleaned a few details from it. It turns out, initially the vet board brought charges against him for his failure to diagnose Smokey's heart disease. According to this letter, Wehrli's lawyer (it's not clear whether she was hired by the insurance or Wehrli himself), Jennifer Bachman(a human medical malpractice lawyer) helped negotiate a deal, whereby the formal charges were substituted with a censure, which is still a formal disciplinary action. Honestly, I don't care whether there are formal "charges" or a formal letter of censure in Wehrli's file. What matters to me is that, thankfully, this vet was told that he had to improve his clinical skills and, hopefully, he will become a safer vet for other people's pets than he was for mine. What I find very disturbing is that with all the action Wehrli felt was needed to address the misdiagnosis, he never once found the courage or had the decency to face meor express any regrets for my pet's needless suffering and untimely death. Smokey was my pet and my pal for 15 years, and his suffering and death were a tragedy for me and my family. The severity of the blow of this wrongful death could have been lessened at least to some degree if those responsible for the tragedy were decent and honest people. They weren't. Their dishonesty and cowardice compounded the grief manifold. I will never be the same person I was before this happened. One good (if you can call it that) thing that came out of this tragedy is that I am now active in educating other pet owners about the dangers their pets face at the vet's. I am also working with a few fellow Marylanders on reforming the state vet board so as to make it do the job of protecting all of our pets better than it has been. It's an uphill battle, and it looks as if I will be at it for the rest of my life. It's a fitting legacy for Smokey. He was a fighter too. Rest in peace,buddy. I love you always.

10 comments:

  1. Just received a private message on Yelp, which alleged that I am "on a crusade to hurt CPAH." It went on to explain that treatments for congestive heart failure are not always successful, that vets make mistakes, and that I need to "move on." The text of my response to follow in the next comment.

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  2. In response to the Yelper:

    The choice of word "crusade" is interesting. It means, "A vigorous concerted movement for a cause or against an abuse." Why shouldn't Natalie fight against abuse? Her speaking out has saved many pet owners from the same negative fate. She should move on with her life? What makes you think she hasn't? I know her and she is a productive member of society...but that does not mean she should not educate the public about what happened her pet. If it happened to her it can happen to anyone. Yes you are right that any vet can make a mistake...but then why not own up to it and apologize? That never happened. Instead she was met with deceit. Something is WRONG with that. Her experience and yours may not be the same, but she has a right to share HER story.

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  3. Vets make mistakes. All humans do. What DECENT humans do when they make mistakes is they acknowledge them, take responsibility for them, and express their regrets to those who were hurt or harmed by the mistakes. This helps the grieving person achieve closure and move on. What McMichael did when my cat's heart failure was missed by Dr. Wehrli AND Dr. Beck was the opposite of what DECENT people do. Namely, McMichael said to me that the type of condition my cat had is NOT VISIBLE on an X-ray, and that's after seeing the ER vet diagnose it on the same X-ray that Wehrli and Beck missed it on. He then stated (more than once) that this condition can only be diagnosed by a cardiologist, and that's after three non-cardiologists identified it on the X-ray in writing and independently of each other. He then refused to release Smokey's records when I came to pick them up on a date agreed upon by his staff (Linda), stating that they were "not in the building" and refusing to come out to speak with me. When I requested more truthful explanations as to why my cat's heart condition was missed, he refused to let me and three other volunteers (what did they have to do with it?) to walk sick homeless dogs (what did the dogs have to do with it?) locked up in cages around the clock. The list goes on. I also liked his beside manner until his true colors came out. Most of us have good (or at least acceptable) bed side manner until we are confronted about our mistakes. What matters is how we behave when our honesty is tested.

    I am sorry that your late dog did not do well with treatment for his heart failure. With all due respect, however, that is not the point. Whether I would have chosen to pursue treatment for Smokey, and whether it would have been beneficial has nothing to do with the fact that his CHF was missed by vets who should have been competent to detect it. They made mistakes. Dr. Beck, to her credit, adimtted them. Wehrli and McMichael did not and the latter turned nasty instead. What would you do if you were lied to about your pet's misdiagnosis that ended tragically? I have had other vets make tragic mistake in treatment of my pets. Where they were honest and sincerely willing to learn from the mistakes, I left it at that: no complaint to the vet board, no spreading the word on the net. It is my right to expose what I perceive is unethical behavior on the part of the vet. You have your right to your own actions. Other pet owners, who have been privy to this information, have the right to know what I experienced and to make their own decisions. Thank you for your e-mail. For the sake of your pets, I do hope that you don't blindly trust CP or any vet.

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  4. I would like to learn the names of competent feline veterinarians in the DC area. Thanks. neretto@hotmail.com

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  5. Dear Neretto, I am hesitant to "recommend" any particular vet, but I can tell you about my good experiences and that of someone whose judgement I trust. I have been very impressed with my own vet, A-PAW veterinary hospital in Lanham (go to www.a-paw.com). I have been going there for two and a half years now and I have seen good quality of care, good safety procedures, use of licensed vet techs, and a general desire to keep up with the latest. I would venture to say that Dr. Boyce is my favorite there, but that's probably because I have seen her more than the others. When I saw the others, they were good too, even though we had to have one discussion about the use of Metacam, but I was satisfied with the way the issue was handled. Dr. Boyce treated my cat for a very serious and life-threatening condition (a urinary blockage) with utmost care and dilligence, for whicih I am grateful because it is quite possible that she saved his life. These vets do not specialize in cats, and I don't personally know any that do. I have both dogs and cats, so I have never sought out a vet who treats just cats. A friend of mine is also very impressed with Alexadria animal hospital, specifically with Dr. Jackie Souarez there. I have no experience with that hospital, but I do know that they use licensed vet techs too (primarily I believe), so that's a good sign but not the only criteria by any means. Good luck with your search.

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  6. Natalie, Smokey did not die in "vain". Your courage to help other pet owners by warning them of dangers and misdeeds will help them be on guard for their pet's well-being and medical care.

    It is a shame that negligence, incompetence, and abuse is more prevalent than we would like to believe. But sadly it is true. With a loud voice & perseverance, it will be know and not tolerated any longer.

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  7. Barbara, thank you for the encouraging words. As heartbreaking as Smokey's death was, if something can be learned from it, and if even a small number of people can be better educated and forewarned, I can take comfort in knowing that some "good" came out of it after all.

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  8. Neretto: IF you need dental surgery do extensive research on any vet before going to them. There is a vet in CT who has advertised he is a "dental specialist" and he is not and never was. Do you research. Do not put your cat in the hands of anyone without making calls and verifying all info they give you.

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  9. Yes, I have been trying to locate a competent veterinarian to perform dental surgery but as I am sure you are aware the necessary data to make a fully informed decision are not readily available. Since you are far better informed than I am in this matter, I was hoping that you would be willing to give me the names of some veterinarians who you believe to be competent. You have performed an important public service in publicizing the names of veterinarians who demonstrated their professional incompetence (i.e. Dr. Kerske of Wisconsin Animal Center); similarly, refering patients to skilled and honest veterinarians also represents an important public service. If for understandable reasons you don't want to do so on your blog, I would still appreciate it if you sent me some names at my email address: neretto@hotmail.com Thanks. Mark Lazerson

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  10. Mark, did you see my first post describing my experience with A-PAW? While I stay away from explicitly "recommending" a hospital or a vet, I feel that I can inform other pet owners of my experiences, both good and bad, because then they can make their own decision. My six-year-old cat just had a dental performed at A-PAW, and I was very satisfied because all the safety procedures were in place and the operation was overseen by a licensed vet tech, with years of experience doing these procedures. My cat had no ill effects, was alert and healthy afterwards, and I knew that he was in safe hands. If you are asking about a routine dental procedure, I would cautiously venture to say that A-PAW is a good place to obtain one. I have not sought any specialty dental services in a long time (over 10 years). The only one time I did, it was by referral from Dr. Kerske for one of my dogs, and the specialty dental clinic was in Herndon. I don't know whether it's still there and don't know anything about its current operations or staff. When my dog had her extraction there, it went fine and the clinic's staff appeared competent to me. As the other fellow commenter on this blog pointed out, with veterinary dental services, it is extremely important to check out the vets' credentials carefully. There is a difference between being a fellow in the Academy of Veterinary Dentistry and being a diplomate of the American Veterinary Dental College. Only the latter (the Am. Vet. Dental College) certifies vets as dental specialists, as it requires appropriate training to qualify as a specialist. This does not mean that someone who is not a fellow of the Dental College cannot be trusted at all, but it does mean that someone who is not a fellow is not technically a dental specialist, even if that vet has an "interest" in dentistry. Again, not having to seek professional services of a dental specialist in the last ten years, I cannot "recommend" one. What I see as my "public service" to other pet owners is raising their awarenss of the need to never blindly trust any veterinary professional, check out their credentials fully, look up information on the Internet before making decisions, and ask tons of questions. This is what I learned as a result of the tragic experience with my cat Smokey, before which I simply assumed that vets knew their stuff. Please feel free to ask any other questions you may have. I will also ask a fellow cat owner for her input on our local vet dentists. Good luck to you and your feline(s).

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