| Complaint: | Complaint 22-114 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Toni Barnes |
| Premises: | Westside Veterinary Clinic |
The complainant relates that her healthy dog went in for a workup about behavior-related urination issues (which was apparently misrecorded in the dog's medical records as the complainant being concerned about a urinary tract infection). As part of her workup, Barnes used cystocentesis to collect a urine sample without even obtaining consent from the complainant regarding the procedure; rather than hitting the bladder, Barnes hit the vena cava and the dog bled out internally within minutes. She goes on to state that as the dog had a small bladder with little urine the procedure would have been contraindicated; we're told the medical records even note the dog "was moving a lot" for the procedure. It also appears that Barnes wrote it off as a fluke because she's done so many of these same procedures without a dog dying.
Barnes' response states that she recommended the dog come in because behavioral urination problems (getting up four or five times a night) can often have a medical cause. She said that she'd check the dog out for a UTI, and as one of her assistants said she was uncomfortable with performing cystocentesis to extract urine on such a small bladder, Barnes took over. She says that she's done it 3000 to 4000 times and that the dog was still both times; on the first time she drew blood-tinged urine so she tried again, producing frank blood, at which point she gave up and went to talk to the complainant. Her staff member came to get her to tell her that the dog had just collapsed while preparing for a nail trim and another veterinarian was doing CPR. After 45 minutes (!) of CPR they informed the complainant that her dog wasn't coming home alive. She says that she recommended a necropsy, and when she found out the cystocentesis killed the dog, she sent a text apologizing. It's even tougher when the complainant is one of your favorites "as illustrated by the fact that [she] had my cell phone number."
The Investigative Committee found gross negligence and malpractice, stating that they had concerns both with the lack of informed consent for an invasive procedure and Barnes' lack of caution in attempting to hit a small bladder in a nervous dog. (Among other fun facts, Finding of Fact #7 states that when the necropsy was performed "[u]pon entering the abdomen, a large volume of blood was noted.") The Board actually threw all this out and just sent a letter of concern.
Toni Barnes actually shows up on Arizona Veterinary Medical Association filings with the Arizona Corporation Commission for several years; she was one of their directors during the years where the AzVMA (likely illegally) omitted most of their directors when filing with the IRS. A recent bio with the FYXX Foundation also lists her as certified in Veterinary Acupuncture (darkly amusing) and notes her passion for small animal internal medicine (link).
| Source: | September 9, 2022 AM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Toni Barnes | Respondent |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Roll Call: | |
| Robert Kritsberg | Aye |
| Christina Tran | Aye |
| Carolyn Ratajack | Aye |
| Jarrod Butler | Aye |
| Steven Seiler | Aye |
| Violations: | |
| ARS § 32-2232 (11) Gross negligence and Malpractice; Respondent proceeded with a cystocentesis in a nervous dog with a small bladder which led to the death of the dog | |
| ARS § 32-2232 (12) as it relates to AAC R3-11-501 (1) failure to provide courteous verbal interchange with the pet owner by not discussing the cystocentesis and the associated risks prior to performing the procedure and not recommending a necropsy be performed on the dog in a timely manner. | |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | October 10, 2022 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Darren Wright |
| Seconded By: | Robyn Jaynes |
| Roll Call: | |
| Craig Nausley | Aye |
| Darren Wright | Aye |
| J Greg Byrne | Absent |
| Jane Soloman | Aye |
| Jessica Creager | Aye |
| Jim Loughead | Aye |
| Melissa Thompson | Aye |
| Nikki Frost | Aye |
| Robyn Jaynes | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | November 11, 2022 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Toni Barnes | Respondent |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Darren Wright |
| Seconded By: | Robyn Jaynes |
| Roll Call: | |
| Craig Nausley | Nay |
| Darren Wright | Aye |
| J Greg Byrne | Aye |
| Jane Soloman | Aye |
| Jessica Creager | Aye |
| Jim Loughead | Nay |
| Melissa Thompson | Absent |
| Nikki Frost | Aye |
| Robyn Jaynes | 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.