[ SHOWGSD-L ] Fw: PSG: Vet in Iowa/MN area

"Madeline/Jeanne" <majapoodles@xxxxxx> · Thu, 25 Nov 2004 21:11:37 -0500 (Eastern Standard Time)

-------Original Message-------

From: Julie Borst Reed
Date: 11/25/04 19:17:52
To: psg@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: PSG: Vet in Iowa/MN area

This was on the afghan racers list with permission to cross-post.

From:  Wyndfal@xxxxxxx
Date:  Thu Nov 25, 2004  5:16 pm

Hello fellow list members and dog lovers.
Please cross post the following to other dog lists, etc.

As you may remember, fellow dog lovers and others, I had posted
awhile back regarding the castration approximately a year ago now of
an Italian greyhound, Ch. Wyndfal Tutti Noble Corrente, which I bred
and CO-own. His CO-owner had the surgery performed without my
knowledge or consent; I had particularly expressed disapproval of
this vet. An afghan, Ch. Noblewinds Langtry of the Valley
F.Ch/GRC/JC/CGC, call name Lily, solely owned by Corrente's "other"
Co-owner (for now) had an ovariohysterectomy - a spay - performed on
her by the same vet approximately a month post whelp, although some
versions of the story misrepresented the procedure as a C-section in
coursing and racing circles.   These surgeries were performed by a
vet who had lost her license for a time and is currently on
probation, Dr. Denise Felling in Iowa.

Dr. Felling is being investigated in Iowa by a Mr. Gary Allen of the
Iowa Board of Veterinary Medicine.  I would encourage anyone with
information about procedures of any kind performed by this vet to
contact Mr. Allen, either at the Iowa Vet Board 515 - 281 - 5305.
Or, if you prefer to contact me privately, I would be happy to
provide his email and cell phone information.  In Minnesota, on
behalf of the Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine, this vet is
being investigated by Margaret Swanson of the Minnesota Attorney
General's office, phone 651 297 1176, as Dr. Felling is reported to
venture across state lines to perform surgeries in states such as
Minnesota where she is not licensed at all, and where she has never
been licenses so far as I have been provided with information to
date.  Or contact Dr. John King at the

Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine in Minneapolis, MN.
2829 University Ave. SE, Suite 540, Minneapolis, MN  55414
(612) 617-2170     FAX (612) 617-2172
Hearing/Speech Relay:  (800) 627-3529
Comments?  Email vet.med@xxxxxxxxxxx

Tell them I sent you.  They'll recognize Dr. Felling's name.  And
mine.  And the names of other people involved.

Dr. Felling has had a long history of multiple complaints, including
complaints for performing surgeries in inappropriate locations such
as hotel rooms (in conjunction with dog shows), garages, private
homes on kitchen tables, and the back room storage areas of pet shops
and/or grooming facilities.  Apparently she sees nothing wrong with
invasive procedures alongside bags of dog food, boxes of shampoo --
or lawn mowers, rakes and shovels -- instead of in a clinic.  We are
definitely NOT referring here to the kind of clean and well-equipped
clinic surgical facility attached veterinary services found in
national chain stores such as Pet Smart or the mobile surgical suites
used by some more reputable vets.

Apparently the use of these facilities, as well as allegations of a
lack of monitoring equipment, and allegations of problems with
anesthesia (reportedly including performing surgeries with
inadequate, inappropriate, sometimes insufficient anesthesia,
sometimes even not using an anesthesia at all during procedures where
they are usually used) are how this vet keeps down her costs.  Where
castrations are far more expensive for a small dog - in the range of
$110 - $150, this vet charges $30.  That is what she reported to Mr.
Allen, and he to me, was charged for Corrente's surgery.   She
indicated to Mr. Allen that she charged only $60 for the spay of Lily
that put her "up in heaven"; charges by reputable vets that I
surveyed in Minnesota where they are licensed begin around $165 and
up, with rural vets being slightly cheaper than more urban vets.  The
vets I surveyed indicated that for safety reasons they used
exclusively the more expensive gas anesthesia for the duration of the
surgeries on sighthounds (Italian Greyhounds, although in the toy
group in the AKC are commonly considered tiny sighthounds), with
Isoflourane as the most commonly used specific anesthetic.  'Iso', as
it is commonly referred to for short, is relatively expensive.  Vets
tended to have a variety of different drugs for induction and pre-
anesthetic protocols, which can increase the cost as well.

Unfortunately, apparently in agricultural states such as Iowa, I'm
told by the vet board staff that I spoke with that procedures on
companion animals - cats, dogs, etc. - tend to be evaluated according
to the lower standards applied to the care of livestock.  It's my
personal opinion, in my second decade of involvement with purebred
dogs, that reputable and responsible owners and breeders who love
their dogs like their children do not try to cut costs by having
dubious people do procedures on their animals without proper pre-
surgery lab tests, in at best questionable surroundings, and without
the best possible equipment and materials or proper post-surgical
care.

I was shocked this fall to find that a veterinarian in practice at a
northern suburban clinic in the St. Paul / Minneapolis MN area lost
his license.  The vet who saw a placement Irish Wolfhound of mine was
excellent, one of the best vets with whom I have ever worked, but he
clearly was unhappy with his partner.  My only encounter with the bad
partner was when he canceled a lab test I had specifically requested,
and billed me for it.  I was more angry that he canceled the test
than the billing error, but in the course of the complaint I found I
disliked his attitude to the care of the dog most of all.  I caused
the bad partner some degree of consternation, according to his good
partner, as he was not used to having his decisions questioned by
clients (a good thing to do!!!!).  The good partner eventually turned
the bad vet in to the vet board, as it turned out, and in the course
of the complaint he found out information about past practices.  It
turned out that this 'bad' vet had lost his license to practice vet
med elsewhere, and would simply move on, get licensed and begin
practicing all over again with no most new clients none the wiser.

Certainly not all vets who have worked in multiple other states are
poor vets!  I can think of several in my personal experience who are
excellent vets and even dog breeders who have worked in different
parts of the country.  But it can definitely make it harder for each
of us as concerned consumers to check on their record and reputation.
  Before trying out a new vet, I encourage all of you who are reading
about these sad events, even if you have nothing to contribute
specifically, to rely on more than word of mouth recommendations when
using a new vet. Find out where they went to vet school and when they
graduated, how long they have been licensed in your own state, and if
there have been any complaints.  And find out if they have been
licensed in any other state(s).  In this day and age of the Internet,
it does not require expensive or inconvenient long distance phone
calls to check on a veterinarian's background; many vet boards and
educational institutions can be contacted by email in this age of the
Internet.  You can make a difference, even when you are not sure how
much information you have to offer.  A small piece of information may
corroborate something. Dr. Felling was to have had a hearing on
November 18th in Iowa, which is now postponed to sometime in January
2005.  The investigation in Minnesota is still wide open regarding
illegal surgeries here and soliciting illegal surgeries.  People have
come forward once aware that an investigation is under way.  There is
still time to help.

Thanks in advance for your help in spreading the word and in seeking
information.

Cheryl Tregillis
Wyndfal Sighthounds
Irish Wolfhounds, Afghans, Italian Greyhounds

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