Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 4, 1995 TAG: 9510040048
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
An attorney representing Dr. Kathy Young of Animal Medical Associates in Northeast Roanoke requested a change of venue, said Elizabeth Carter, the board's executive director. Typically, such requests are honored, Carter said.
Mike and Melissa Ferguson filed a complaint with the board alleging that Young injured Abbe, their 4-month-old Lhasa Apso/Cockapoo puppy, during a routine examination in May. Those injuries, they claim, led to the puppy's death.
But Greg Scoggins, a Richmond attorney representing Young, said Young did nothing negligent or harmful to the puppy and is not responsible for the animal's death.
Melissa Ferguson said she took Abbe to Young on May 4 for shots and worm medicine. Young also wanted to remove hairs from the puppy's ears and took him from an examining room into a back hallway, Melissa Ferguson said.
While removing the hairs, Abbe snapped at Young, Melissa Ferguson said.
In response, Young picked up the puppy by the scruff of its neck and slammed it down on a metal grooming table, Melissa Ferguson alleged, adding that a vet technician who was with Young saw the incident.
Melissa Ferguson said Young returned to the examining room and explained that the puppy had tried to bite her and had "stressed out." Young told her Abbe had lost color and consciousness and she wanted to keep the puppy overnight, Melissa Ferguson said.
Ferguson left but returned an hour later with her husband. The Fergusons said they insisted on taking Abbe home. They went to Young's office to pick up Abbe and found the animal having difficulty breathing and walking.
After Young assured them she would stay with the puppy, the Fergusons said, they went to a church meeting and told Young they would call back about picking up Abbe. But when the couple called an hour later, there was no answer at Young's office.
After several more calls went unanswered, the Fergusons drove to Young's office. Dr. Stan Eichelberger, Young's husband who shares the veterinary practice with her, told them Abbe had died.
A necropsy performed on the puppy at Virginia Tech a day later concluded that she had died of a punctured lung.
The Fergusons waited four months before filing a complaint with the state Board of Veterinary Medicine.
"We waited until we weren't mad," Mike Ferguson said Tuesday. Melissa Ferguson said the couple didn't file the complaint out of vengeance but because it was the "right thing to do."
Scoggins, Young's lawyer, said Young "denies that she slammed the dog on the table."
A pathology report said the puppy died of "pneumothorax" - air in the chest cavity - caused by a hole in its left lung, Scoggins said. What caused the hole is uncertain, he said. There was no evidence of trauma to the dog's body, no bruising, broken bones or "things consistent with rough handling," Scoggins said.
The enforcement division of the state Department of Health Professions has conducted an investigation of the complaint. The results will not be disclosed until an informal hearing before the board, which likely will be rescheduled in November or December, said Terri Behr, an administrative assistant with the state Board of Veterinary Medicine.
If the board supports the complaint against Young, she faces sanctions ranging from a simple reprimand to license revocation.
by CNB