Veterinarian Facing Misconduct Charges - accepted $ to euthanize animals, then gave them away

wnne ^

[chance33_98]

Veterinarian Facing Misconduct Charges
Vet Subject Of State Disciplinary Hearing

POSTED: 10:41 a.m. EST November 13, 2002

NASHUA, N.H. -- A Nashua veterinarian faces professional misconduct charges alleging he hired a convicted felon, berated workers and took money to euthanize sick animals only to turn them over for adoption.

Roland Huston, who owns State Line Veterinary Hospital, is the subject of a disciplinary hearing before the state Board of Veterinary Medicine that began Tuesday and is expected to last until the end of this week.

Huston is facing 15 allegations, some dating back more than two years.

One allegation is that Huston accepted payment to euthanize animals, but instead gave them to past or current employees for adoption.

[chance33_98]

Ping

[js1138]

Ouch! Need more info.

[JudyB1938]

Isn't this ridiculous! I wonder who he made angry? Probably an ex employee turned him in. And ... when is it against the law to hire somebody who has a criminal record but is trying to go straight?

[big gray tabby]

Redefines "victimless crime."

[RLK]

One allegation is that Huston accepted payment to euthanize animals, but instead gave them to past or current employees for adoption.

----------------------

Then God bless him. Or family dog, Bo, was the result of an accidental mating between a samoyd and a golden retriever. He was sent to the pound to be killed because the thoroughbred breeders didn't want him. My SIL rescued him. He is the most goodhearted enjoyable ruffian imaginable.

[HairOfTheDog]

Yeah - I second the need for more info!

I once talked to my dog vet when she was having a hard day. I could tell she was not her chipper self, and she admitted that she had just put down two perfectly healthy dogs because the people were moving and didn't want to make time to find them homes. It broke her heart.

We went on to talk at length about some of the hard things she was asked to do in her job. There are a lot of situations where people cannot or do not want to spend the money it takes to treat some ailments. In that case euthanasia is better than letting the animal go on untreated! But if someone else is willing to treat the animal, then God bless.

The breach of ethics here is that the vet collected the money for the euthanasia and then secretly adopted the animal out instead. Good hearted as it was for the animal, it was a fraud against the owner of the animal, and the person is the client, not the animal. If there was someone willing to adopt the animal and take on the treatment, that should have been disclosed. If the client still wanted euthanasia, then the choice would either be euthanasia or refusal of the money.

Endeavor ping.

[struwwelpeter]

You got that right. I've run quite a few vet clinics, and noticed they often attract more than a few flakes who "just want to help animals." When they find out that James Herriot was just a pen name and that vets expect to get paid for their work, they get mighty testy.

I had one receptionist who kept a black book of every time I used a cuss word or did someone (besides her) a favor. When it was finally time to let her go, she wrote a magnus opus to the state licensing board - which fortunately laughed her off.

The biggest laugh was years later, when another vet called me to check her "references".

[Bob]

He certainly defrauded his customers by not providing the 'service' he charged them for. He should face whatever charges arise from that fraud.

Disclaimer: I'm in no way, shape or form, a raving PETA-type fanatic.

That being said, I really don't mind the fact that the animals in question weren't put down. If, as the article suggests, they were actually adoptable, the owners appear to have wanted them put down for their own convenience.

When a pet needs to be put down, it should be done because of the animal's medical condition and not for the convenience of its owner.

[GovernmentShrinker]

If word got around town that bringing in your pet and asking for euthanasia would result in free medical care and adoption, this vet would get taken advantage of on a regular basis. And then people would be complaining that since he's willing to provide free care and adopt the animal out, then he should provide free care and let the original owner keep the pet.

[HairOfTheDog]

I think that is why some of the decisions vets have to make are so hard. I think that is why I found my vet on the verge of tears that day. It is a hard job to do right by the animal when you serve people.

The fact that the vet collected money for a service he didn't provide is what will get him in trouble with the veterinary board. The stuff about being hard to work for and hiring a felon is just fluff.

[Bob]

If word got around town that bringing in your pet and asking for euthanasia would result in free medical care and adoption, this vet would get taken advantage of on a regular basis. And then people would be complaining that since he's willing to provide free care and adopt the animal out, then he should provide free care and let the original owner keep the pet.

I didn't see anything in the article indicating that the pets got free medical care. If that were the case, you're right, I'm sure he would get taken advantage of.

I can't help but think that the best course of action would be to refuse to euthanize healthy animals and refer the owners to a local pet adoption organization. Not being in the vet business, I really don't know if this is a viable alternative or not.

[HairOfTheDog]

I think most of those pet adoption organizations are operating on a shoe-string budget and can't take on expensive treatments either...

However, they often receive donated time and treatment from a vet that has agreee to work with the organization either bro bono or at a reduced rate... a favor to the organization that a vet would not be able to provide all individuals who seek help.

[ClearCase_guy]

My parrot is a Norweigian Blue. It's very still (unless you shake its cage). I suspect that it is pining for the fjords.

[Bob]

I think most of those pet adoption organizations are operating on a shoe-string budget and can't take on expensive treatments either...

You're probably right on that but I was thinking more about otherwise healthy pets who have become an inconvenience to their owners.

There's undoubtedly a wide range of medical conditions (from cheap to very expensive) as well as a wide range of probable outcomes (from complete recovery to minimal improvement). Both need to be taken into account. It's got to be a tough call to make in many cases.

[Vic3O3]

Maybe the ex-con issue is tied to the fact a vet's office is filled with various narcotics?

[Endeavor]

HOTD-

It would be nice to have a clearer understanding of the charges. This kind of quick blurb doesn't serve anyone well.

The hardest thing I had to do was put animals down. Sometimes, it was the most gracious thing to do -- but always hard. I absolutely hated doing it. Horses were the hardest for me.

I do think that if you agree with an owner to euthanize an animal and then prior to the act, find a home for the animal, then you have a responsibility to call the owner and get his/her permission to give the animal to the new home (this also assumes that the animal is not suffering from some incurable disease - we should not prolong suffering). And, I think you should give back the euthanasia fee. Honor is everything and doing things above board is the only way to go. This, from a vet who was a sucker for a stray - I "inherited" a spayed brood mare, a dog w/a fractured femur, a cat with 3 legs, and all of them wonderful pets. All of whom were scheduled for euthanasia, and all of whom came my way via the honest, above board way from their past owners.

[HairOfTheDog]

Yeah... more information was needed.

I appreciate the hard job it is, especially putting horses down. And I applaud the intentions of this vet to find homes for animals that could be saved, but for their owners. I have certainly seen animals who deserved better than the owners that made their decisions for them, and I would probably attempt to find them homes too. But I can't justify lying to the client and collecting his money.

I was there when a good friend's horse was put down as a favor to my friend. So I have seen it happen to a very dear old horse. He had Cushings that was not responding to treatment. Laminitis. My friend is an old cowboy, but he couldn't bear to watch. "I said, you know, it is important for someone who cares about Bo to be there, but it doesn't have to be you". He took me up on that offer and went on a trip. I fed Bo an entire bag of carrots (who cares about a tummy ache? ;~D) while we waited for the vet to come.

We thanked Bo for his life of service and my old vet and I cried while he went droopy and laid down. It was nice. Makes me teary thinking about it now. I left after the rendering truck had come for him. That was the hardest part that I wish I would have missed... But I am darn glad my friend was not there for that. There is no way to move a 1200 pound dead horse with dignity.

And these issues are not remote for me. My best friend is a 23 year old Arab gelding who I will face this with sometime not too many years from now. After seeing Bo put down, I think I could bear it, but if not, perhaps my friend will help me.

[Sungirl]

I wonder if he gave these pets to people and then got more money out of them when they came in and said the animal was sick. Maybe he used it to make even more money.

[Sungirl]

Disclaimer: I'm in no way, shape or form, a raving PETA-type fanatic.

That being said, I really don't mind the fact that the animals in question weren't put down. If, as the article suggests, they were actually adoptable, the owners appear to have wanted them put down for their own convenience.

Isn't that sad that you have to give a disclaimer. I see that alot of FR lately. It's sad that if you are for helping animals/anti cruelty that you are considered a Peta nut job. Too bad more conservatives don't adopt the idea that people love animals as much as they love people...and if they accepted that fact, and welcomed it instead of attacking and accusing....there would be more republican voters.