VPB Complaint against Chris Gough, Riverbank Animal Hospital

Part A – Complainant Details

Ms. Eedra Zey

private details suppressed for blog publication

Now in Thailand

bonefido@gmail.com

NOTE: Due to the lack of treatment options for my diagnosis in Australia, and the lack of

availably of another assistance dog, my treating physician continues to recommend my best

treatment option is to remain in Thailand undertaking the care I am able to afford here.

Previous owner of Pema, deceased while under the ‘care’ of Chris Gough as above.

(Sanskrit name; loved, loving, adored, adoring),

Pema’s Details

Assistance Animal – Border Collie Bitch, 6 years old, B/W

Although Pema was active in the community though work in hospitals, surf lifesaving, court

assistance etc, she was trained specifically as an assistance dog for my condition. Please do not

confuse these two roles that she did.

Part B – Complaint Details

Practitioner Details

Chris Gough

Riverbank Animal Hospital (Formerly South Grafton Veterinary Clinic)

60 Through Street, South Grafton, NSW 2460, Australia

Ph 02 6642 3083

What Happened?

Overview:

Practitioner engaged in conduct in the veterinary practitioner's professional capacity that, if

repeated or continued, is likely to do any of the following:

o cause unnecessary suffering to an animal,

o cause the inappropriate death of an(other) animal,

o adversely affect the safety or health of any person,

o damage the international reputation of Australia in relation to animal exports,

animal welfare, animal produce or sporting events,

What happened?

Summary, Key Points:

Dog - Risk analysis – risk of death – no financial cause for high risk treatment – assistance

animal – acknowledged ‘bad’ tick season – acknowledgment that dog presented from ‘one of

the worse areas’ for ticks in one of the worse seasons seen by practitioner– non-cautionary

treatment, professional misconduct.

Lack of primary concern for the welfare of Pema; later discussions indicated practitioner

intimidated by strong female and ignorance of risk to health of owner by sloppy diagnosis of

animal.

Treatment way below the standard expected by the public

I wish to make the case that Dr. Chris Gough’s treatment of my assistance dog ‘Pema’

demonstrated incompetence and a lack of adequate skill, judgement and care to such an

extend as to result in the death of Pema.

This complaint is in two parts. The first is the incompetent course of treatment of Pema; the

second is the vet falsifying the case when confronted with my complaint.

To the first part: It has to be noted that the competent course of treatment may still have

resulted in the death of Pema, though it also has to be equally noted that the odds of this

outcome would be highly unlikely had the initial diagnosis been correct and cohesive with what

the practitioner stated about the area the dog had been in and the seasonal conditions. It was

also less likely as the dog was on a working cattle property in a tick-prone area and therefore

probable to have achieved some immunity.

To the second part: There is no room for a professional to falsify the case in any way shape or

form. The standard of care expected by vets by the public is high and is rising as due to costs

and specialised treatments available, including specialist surgical clinics such as where Pema

received her metal plate after her first right leg cruciate surgery was unsatisfactory.

Contributing Factors

After hours presentation. Although vet was at surgery at the time the phone inquiry

was made, upon arriving at the business after a 30-45 minute drive, the atmosphere

was ‘casual’ as indicated by lack of staff, casual clothing and a lack of any examination

other than a brief pat while Pema was standing. The dog was not examined thoroughly;

she was not even placed on the examination table.

As part of my involvement in working dog rescue, I have presented to vets (unknown to

me) with dogs that have a very minor virtually unperceivable soreness in a back leg (on

two separate occasions) where I had concern for cruciate damage, and a muscle/skeletal

injury. I needed to do this check prior to undertaking the long road to re-homing a

border collie. On both occasions the vet placed the animal on the examination table to

pulled, poked and prodded the back legs and hip and checked foot pads for foreign

matter. I refer to other vets to demonstrate that their procedures have established

the standard expected by me, a member of the public.

Assistance Animal. I advised the vet that Pema was an assistance animal to me. This

knowledge was evidence that the dog was highly trained and an expensive animal. I do

not think it is unreasonable for a professional vet to understand that training an

assistance animal can cost $30,000, and lots of time. Instead of using this knowledge to

inform the vets primary concern for the welfare of Pema, he became concerned about

me being without her – an ironic twist being that the result is my life without an

assistance dog compared to perhaps one night without her. The vet was not qualified to

enter into my treatment plan, nor was he invited to, and if this was a concern for him,

he should have made proper requests to my treating physician or social welfare

organisations within his community. I refer to this to demonstrate that the primary

concern was not for the welfare of the animal.

Previous Surgeries. I detailed Pema’s history with three cruciate ligament surgeries, the

last being a diagnosed ‘successful’ TTA over one year ago. I detailed that Pema had

been doing paddock cattle work with me for more than 6 months without lameness or

other problems in a tick-prone area (Barrington Tops).

(l) any other improper or unethical conduct of a veterinary practitioner in the course of the

practice of veterinary science,

k) any other conduct of a veterinary practitioner that demonstrates incompetence, or a lack

of adequate knowledge, skill, judgment or care in the practice of veterinary science,

I lived in an area with paralysis tick activity on a cattle grazing property. These ticks present a

life-threatening risk to calves and dogs and a lesser health risk to horses. My dog was treated

as recommended with Advantix, and was subject to regular grooming and tick checks (which

she adored submitting to) as well as being clipped short for the summer period. I took my first

holiday at Wooli Beach since becoming unwell a few years prior, near Grafton commencing 30

November 2010.

On Saturday the 4th of December I observed my dog behaving hesitant to jump up on

command, which I thought may be due to our walk the day prior. On Sunday the 5th of

December I observed her unwillingness and seeming inability to jump up on command. At this

point I went to a neighbour’s property to use their phone and locate a vet. I arranged a

consultant with the practitioner immediately and left the holiday property promptly to drive

the approximate 50km to the vet from Wooli to Grafton.

Upon arrival, I raised my concerns for tick paralysis and my suspicious that Pema was sore after

a beach and riverside walk. I explained her previous surgeries and also her fitness doing cattle

work with me. I also explained that she was a highly-trained assistance animal. The TTA

operation, and her being an assistance animal, would lead any professional vet to conclude that

money, a lot of money, was spent on the welfare of this animal.

The vet had me and Pema in an examination room but did not examine Pema. He explained

the following:

1. This season is very bad for ticks.

2. There is a shortage of tick serum.

3. Wooli is one of the worse areas for ticks.

4. Tick paralysis can occur even with prevention methods.

5. Tick paralysis can occur after a tick has been removed or fallen off of the animal.

6. Failure to find a tick does not indicate the absence of tick paralysis.

7. “Weak and wobbly” is the most reliable symptom/presentation of tick paralysis.

8. “Stiff and sore” is not an indication of tick paralysis.

The vet diagnosed ‘stiff and sore’ and treated Pema with Carprieve and sent us on our way back

to Wooli.

I presented Pema again to the vet in the morning; Pema at this

time could not walk. At this time, the practitioner decided he

better undergo tick treatment - using his previously stated short

supply of tick serum.

After Pema’s death, Chris Gough claimed he “told me that if it

didn’t get better in an hour after his first brush over her with his

hands while she was standing in his office, then bring Pema back”.

I wholly deny receiving such instruction. I also add that it is an

illogical instruction as it would take more than an hour to drive

‘home’ and to return. If, in fact, an hours’ observation was

required as part of the treatment plan, the circumstances

dictated that I either stay in town for the ‘advised’ time OR that

Pema go under observation for the time while I go somewhere

and wait. This claim by the practitioner post-death of my

assistance animal adds insult to injury and is nothing short of

shameful.

Further to this claim, in the reception area, as witnessed by the

client waiting with her animal for her appointment, I specifically

and clearly queried the practitioner by stating “Are you sure it

isn’t a tick?” To which the practitioner again repeated (as

witnessed) that he did not think so as she was much more ‘stiff

and sore’ and was not ‘weak and wobbly’.

Chris Geogh later told me he ‘advised’ for Pema to stay the night

for observation. I wholly deny receiving such advice. I state that

what he said was words to the effect ‘if you are want then we can

keep her in overnight for observation’. What I wanted was

competent, professional treatment, as I had received by her

previous trainers, cares and vets who enabled her to become the

amazing assistance animal she was. It was not my place to advise

Chris Gough as to keep her overnight or not, and I have since

discussed this at length with one of Pema’s vet who agrees with

me. It’s like an MD saying –well, we can take your blood for a test

if you wish, or since you’re not quite conscious, you can stay in

the hospital for observation. There is a reason there is a 4 hour

observation period with 15 min or 30 min ops for head injuries with people. This sort of

procedure is expected in a high tick area – not an elementary observation that the dog is stiff

vs. weak, and sore vs. wobbly.

At this point it is important that I detail my history of following the advice of my vet

professionals as it relates to Pema and to my two cats that both lived in excess of 16 years; a

fact I attribute to good homing and good medical care – care provided by professionals and

adhered to by me.

I have two vets who will provide a stat dec to the effect that I have been a conscientious

responsible pet guardian who has followed professional advice to the letter. This goes so far as

to board Pema in a small yard with a 24 hr carer, never having her off leash, for two months

after her TTA surgery. This was both for her physical healing, and also to let her know she was

‘off duty’ so that she did not need to be working as an assistance animal. The cost of this care

was nearly $30/day.

My main concerns for making this complaint.

My dog died as a direct consequence of slack diagnosis, not assessing the situation property,

carelessness, possible intimidation of the practitioner by a person clearly afraid of the situation

and being away from her regular vet (and mobile phone coverage), lack of precaution, lack of

examination – all summing up to be shocking and inappropriate behaviour not even coming

near to a professional standard. At the minimum, Pema, especially as an assistance animal,

should have been property examined and put under observation. The fact that we did a long

walk in (quoting the practitioner) “Wooli, one of the worse known tick areas” should have

raised alarm bells.

As to the second part of my complaint – the dishonestly, the practitioner also claimed that

some of the ticks are so small they cannot be found. Having a dog first in the tick area of the

northern beaches of Sydney, and then Barrington Tops – one learns how to find ticks – and it is

by touch.