don't really know about this vet but i do know from a truly heartbreaking experience that no matter how clean a vet's office is and how experienced and educated the vet and staff are, a death threatening disease can be caught, kinda of alike hospitals where many infections are passed on.
Without taking sides here, as I don't know the doctor, it seems to me that the board may be privy to information we don't have. Having a license to practice law, medicine, or veterinary science is a privilege. Part of the application process is your agreement to respond to concerns made by the supervising board and accept its findings of fact.
I can say that I heard on the news report, WRAL i think, that one of the complaints was that he said misdiagnosed a dog saying it needed an eye surgery, and then not only did he do an unnecessary procedure, but he did it on the wrong eye.
You do have a right to appeal the decision of the board, and he is doing that. Not sure how much impact the petition will have, though.
I'm not sure that petitions really make that much of a difference in most cases. Doctors often make mistakes, even surgeons. The level of competency that this vet has should be measured by his satisfied customers (since his patients can't really say), but no doubt operating on the wrong eye brings question to his capability. However, there are medical doctors in this state that has made mistakes on people and are still practicing medicine to this day. They have public files, yet remain popular. Look at what it takes for a medical doctor to have his license revoked and use it as a measure against this vet. I'm more interested hearing about the alleged puppy mill charges by a licensed vet. Are these charges unsubstantiated or verifiable by means other than PETA or word-of-mouth? I will say that the pet store connection does bring about suspicion.
It is sort of baffling. Many people on Craigslist used to recommend him for spay/neutering and would say how kind he was; however, a Facebook friend had a post on her page by a former employee and they were dreadful claims. Then again, she could have been a disgruntled employee.
Well, I've not used this vet, but I have seen his facility (albeit, from driving down I-95). It leaves a lot to be desired. He is also a very old vet (77 himself with 50+ years practicing medicine). I think his heart is there for the animals and those he has helped, have every right to love this guy. I think most of the problem may be, he has become overwhelmed. From what I understand, he has a very busy veterinary practice and a huge rescue operation (not including his private breedings for his store). It takes a lot of time and resources to do all of that. I don't think he is a puppy mill either, he may not be a reputable breeder and just slightly better than a backyard breeder, but to equate him with puppymill is probably wrong. My heart goes out to the guy, I really think he is trying his best and from what I've read his services are needed out there cause at least animals who NEED veterinary attention are getting it (many people fear going to the vet because they can be so expensive. My average welldog visit runs over $150 dollars when I do bloodwork). I cringe at the thought of how much an e-vet visit may cost me and so many people can only afford the bare minimum in care in this economy, not to mention the elderly living on social security checks and the generosity of their families. My grandpa's chihuahua means the world to him, especially now that grandma died last year.
Since the NC Vet Board doesn't have an online search, I decided to check out the BBB and while he is not a BBB-member, neither are almost every other vet in the area. He also has had 0 complaints in the last 36 months. Judging by the BBB report, he is on par with other veterinarians in the area.
This makes me sad. He has decided to fight and I hope he doesn't lose his license to practice. He did breed little dogs to sell at the office. Rat terriers I think. Dr B has saved 4 of our pet's lives through the last 11 years, and sometimes didn't even charge me, and it wasn't because I couldn't pay him. He just loves the animals that much and loves the people that are willing to care for them. He has a special place in his heart for the disabled ones. When I found a blind kitten that had wandered or been dumped in my yard that was so sick it could hardly stand, I took him to Dr B. That was the first time I visited him. I had planned to have the kitten put down. He was so sad about it that I kept him instead. He's now 11 years old and a very special buddy of mine. There was a person that brought him a dog that had been hit by a car in the hind legs. The owners didn't ever come back for the dog. Dr B ordered a special wheelchair for the dog and he would run all around the office like he owned the place, until someone took him home. The chocolate Lab, Hershey was the office mascot until earlier this year when he finally died of cancer. He has a portrait of him in the waiting room that he had painted. His little black poodle mixture was his "bed buddy." There are several cats that have kidney failure that he keeps at the office and they will live there and be cared for until they die. Yep, it's stinky in there. Sometimes the animals that are there to be seen pee or poop on the floor and nobody cleans it up for a while. Call me crazy, but I think it's the owner's responsiblity to clean it up, don't you? Yep, it was really loud and I would never board my animals there because they would hate it, not because they would be in any danger. All of my pets have had their spaying/neutering/cancer surgeries there and have come home perfectly healthy. I read someone complain (not on this board) that he had to look up in a book how to take care of some problem that this person's pet had. Heaven forbid a doctor verify that he's doing it right! The man is 77 years old. I just don't want him to have to retire this way. He has earned a special place in our family's hearts.
