| Complaint: | Complaint 20-04 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Lauren Schnieder |
| Premises: | Dreaming Summit Animal Hospital |
The complainant took her dog to Schneider because she was lethargic, dehydrated, and not eating or drinking. The dog also apparently had problems walking and developed a tic with her head. The complainant says she agreed to an x-ray, senior blood profile, and an overnight stay for fluids and observation. She states that she rejected a test for Valley Fever because the dog didn't have a cough. The next day she was told that the dog was perky and could come home, but that there was concern about possible gas pockets and intestinal thickening that could be cancer or irritable bowel disease. She also says that she was asked again for permission to run the blood tests she had already agreed to the previous day. When she picked up her dog she didn't notice the alleged perkiness and stayed up all night with a very sick dog. The next morning she took the dog to BluePearl where they diagnosed kidney disease and decided to perform euthanasia. Schneider later called and left a voice message saying the blood work had just come back and indicated kidney failure. The complainant later arranged to speak with the (unnamed, maybe Hillebrand?) owner of the Dreaming Summit Animal Hospital and explained that she was unhappy with their incompetence and wanted a refund. He allegedly told her that she was just "in the anger stage of grieving."
Schneider's response details some of the diagnostis and treatments but has some differences with the complainant's account that the investigators later take as a given. She states that the desert disease blood profile (including Valley Fever) was turned down by the complainant but that she was concerned Valley Fever could have been causing the dog's tics. More interestingly is that according to Schneider the complainant turned down all blood work, which doesn't appear at all to match the complainant's account. There's no mention here of a senior blood profile as the complainant states, and it almost reads as though all the normal blood tests were being rolled into the desert disease profile. It wasn't until the next day that Schneider says she offered a senior blood panel without the additional desert disease tests. She blames the complainant for not agreeing to the blood work and therefore preventing her from obtaining an accurate diagnosis.
The Investigative Committee basically parrots Schneider's response in exonerating her. There's no discussion of why the complainant says she actually authorized the senior blood profile on the first day but Schneider says she didn't even offer that until the next day. There's also no discussion of why Schneider didn't (in her account) suggest the option of blood work without the desert disease panel on the first day. The complainant notes her confusion when she was asked to consent a second time to blood work she thought was done the prior day, but the investigators don't seem so inclined to wonder about any of this.
| Source: | October 10, 2019 AM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Lauren Schnieder | Respondent |
| Roll Call: | |
| Carolyn Ratajack | Aye |
| Christina Tran | Aye |
| Jarrod Butler | Aye |
| Robert Kritsberg | Aye |
| Steve Seiler | Absent |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | November 11, 2019 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| Proposed By: | Darren Wright |
| Seconded By: | Christina Bertch-Mumaw |
| Roll Call: | |
| Christina Bertch-Mumaw | Aye |
| Darren Wright | Aye |
| J Greg Byrne | Aye |
| Jane Soloman | Aye |
| Jessica Creager | Aye |
| Jim Loughead | Aye |
| Nikki Frost | Absent |
| Robyn Jaynes | Aye |
| Sarah Heinrich | 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.