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Va Vet Facing Possible State Disciplinary Actions

Veterinarian Facing Possible State Disciplinary Actions
By D.K. Weston
The News Progress
Chase City, Va 23924

An area veterinarian is facing possible disciplinary action from the Virginia Department of Health Professions after a complaint registered by a Chase City resident sparked an interview with the veterinarian and an inspection of his clinic in Halifax.
Dr. William Will was summoned to an informal conference in Richmond on Wednesday to discuss the issues raised in the complaint and a subsequent unannounced inspection of his facility located on Love Shop Road, according to a notice from the Virginia Department of Health Professions.
In the notice to Will dated Aug. 5, the department formally informed Will of the complaint, stemming from his alleged treatment of a five-month-old puppy named Kismet on March 31 of this year.
The complaint lodged by Rabiah Seminole, owner of Kismet, alleged that Will “yanked said canine from his owner’s truck resulting in Kismet hitting his face on the pavement.”
After the frightened animal soiled the clinic floor, the complaint further stated Will allegedly “shouted obscenities aimed at said canine, which greatly upset Kismet’s owner.”
In addition, the complaint stated Will allegedly “diagnosed parvo” without performing any laboratory tests and recommended that Kismet be euthanized.
The notice further stated that, in violation of code, Will allegedly failed to provide pertinent information in his patient record of Kismet.
The notice also informed Will that an unannounced inspection of his facility on July 19 allegedly found the surgical suite of the facility unsanitary, and syringes left on counter tops in the pharmacy and grooming areas.
Contacted on Friday, Dr. Elizabeth Carter of the Department of Health Professions (DHP) explained the process used by the department in these cases.
The informal conference conducted by the department is the first step in a disciplinary process, she said.
According to Dr. Carter, a health professional may accept the decision and recommendation of the informal conference, or if they so choose, they can request a formal decision from the board.
Dr. Carter added that the formal hearing is more along the lines of a traditional court and would involve a prosecutor from the Office of the Attorney General. “The decision of the board could be a less severe penalty than given by the informal conference,” said Dr. Carter. “It could be the same, or it could be more. And,” she added, “if the person disagrees with the board, they may appeal the decision in a regular court of law.”
Dr. Carter said that due to the ongoing nature of the case, she was unable to comment on Wednesday’s procedure or the decisions reached by the members of the informal conference.
She did, however, point out that the conference had been a matter of public record and had been open to the public.
Kismet’s owner, Rabiah Seminole, who appeared before the conference on Wednesday to offer her testimony in the case, said this week that officials had asked Will to surrender his license to practice.
“They said their recommendation was to voluntarily resign his license,” said Seminole. “That’s what they asked him to do. He would be able, they said, to reapply for his license in two years. Or, they said, he could choose to go before a formal board for their decision.”
Molly McCurdy, a former state humane investigator in Virginia and Maryland and now a board member of Virginia Voters for Animal Welfare, confirmed the informal conference had suggested that Will voluntarily turn in his license.
She added that she would be looking into the case to consider possible action for current and previous complaints lodged against the veterinarian.
When contacted Sunday afternoon, Will said he is not signing the consent form to give up his license.
“I will go before the board of veterinary medicine, and I’ll have a lawyer and public support,” he said.
“I haven’t received the consent form,” he said, adding it could take weeks before the document arrives.
In the meantime, Will said he plans to continue practicing veterinary medicine at his clinic on Love Shop Road.
“All I can say is I’m not denying what they said. I don’t agree exactly with what they came down with, but that’s their decision.
“I have talked with people to let them know the situation,” he said on Sunday adding, “and there’s no way they’re going to let this go through.”
“I don’t know what it takes. I don’t feel I did anything wrong that makes any difference in the quality of care or service. To some degree, it’s in the Code of Virginia but not specifically named in the code,” Will continued.
The Halifax veterinarian said he plans to talk to with a lawyer today.
“Some of these allegations aren’t specifically set out in writing. It’s a matter of opinion,” he continued.
Will said he was “kind of shell-shocked.”
“I didn’t think it was going to be as bad as it was. I have no one to blame but myself. We’ll see what time has to bring,” he concluded.
According to public records published online by the Department of Health Professions, this was not the first complaint to be registered against or the first disciplinary action taken against Will.

In March of this year, the department reprimanded and fined Dr. Will for maintaining an unsanitary facility, including surgical room, not having a proper identification system for animals at his facility, not having a resuscitation bag on site, not having signed disclosure forms in patient files and for having unsecured medications in pill and syringe form left on counter tops in the surgery room and elsewhere in the clinic.
Will did not contest the claims and was reprimanded by the board and fined $500.
The board also imposed an unannounced inspection of the clinic with Will responsible for paying the costs of the inspection at a minimum cost of $300, according to DHP records.
In 1997, the board suspended Dr. Will’s license to practice for one year and fined him in the amount of $1,500 following complaints and an unannounced inspection.
At that time, the board found Will had failed to provide treatment or to refer a dog to another veterinarian for treatment. The dog, according to the DHP reports, was suffering from limpness, a subnormal temperature of 98 degrees and was experiencing difficulty breathing when taken to Will’s clinic. The animal died later that day at another veterinary facility from heatstroke, according to DHP records.
The order also documented the results of an unannounced inspection which revealed unsanitary conditions at the facilty, various drug and record keeping violations, the carcass of a dog that had died the previous evening placed in a plastic bag and left on the floor, and rusty and corroded instruments including a scalpel.
In 1995, responding to complaints and unannounced inspections, the board reprimanded Dr. Will for several issues, including keeping inadequate medical and patient records, performing treatment and surgery without “adequate physical examination” and animal abuse.
The order handed down by the board details the case of “Champ,” a canine puppy brought to Will’s clinic for treatment and reports.
“Dr. Will physically abused Champ in that he used unnecessary force to restrain Champ and dropped Champ to the floor, ” according to DHP records.
The order also found that Dr. Will diagnosed Champ with “possible Parvo” without documenting physical and diagnostic information.
The board also detailed the “inadequate” care given a dog with high temperature and seizures.
“Dr. Will provided negligent and inadequate treatment to the animal in that he left the dog unattended in a tub,” according to DHP records. The dog drowned while unattended.
The same order reports that Dr. Will provided substandard care to another dog in that after perforating the dog’s colon, he failed to provide the animal with the proper emergency medical treatment. The dog later died.
Will also failed to keep adequate records on the case, the report said.
The order states, “By his own admission, Dr. Will handles animals in a rough manner, and his actions could be perceived by others as abusive. Dr. Will uses leashes to ‘choke down’ dogs, has hit aggressive dogs and has dragged uncooperative dogs down the stairs.”
In its report, the board also noted the lack of adequate anesthesia for animals undergoing treatment.
“By his own admission, Dr. Will does not always use an adequate amount of anesthesia to complete a surgical procedure, and he does not administer additional anesthesia although the animal whines, cries, makes noise or moves.”
The order also documents the use of expired drugs, unsanitary conditions and other violations.
Will did not contest the 1995 findings by the board, according to DHP records. He was reprimanded and ordered to pay fines of $500 for the abuse of animals, $500 for providing substandard care, $200 for facility violations and $100 for violations in record keeping.
In the late 1980s, Will was disciplined by the board after complaints and investigation indicated that he had treated “Flash,” a canine with a broken pelvis, without conducting an adequate preoperative evaluation of the animal and that Will did not refer the animal to a specialist, “but instead attempted treatment that he was not properly qualified to perform.” Because of the “substandard” treatment, said the board, the canine failed to heal properly and had to later be put down.
Dr. Will was fined $100 by the board, according to DHP records.
Speaking after the informal conference, Seminole said she had been shocked to learn of the previous complaints and actions taken against Will.
“To find out that this has happened over and over is disheartening,” Seminole said. “It’s not just one incident, it’s been going on for years. People trust him to take care of their pets, not abuse them. It has to stop. I’ve taken at least 10 dogs to him to be spayed, neutered or have shots. I had no idea. If I had known his history, I’d never have taken my animals to him. I feel that a lot of animals have suffered, and I feel this needs to be pursued through other avenues.”
Carter said residents could and should check veterinarians and other health professionals at the DHP website.
“Check them out. I would urge citizens to go to our Web site. We have a license looking where you can check out every single license from any licensed medical professional from any department to see if they’ve had disciplinary actions. We post all of the public notices, which is nice,” said Carter.
“You don’t have to request it through the mail, you can look up the actual notices and orders and see for yourself. It’s just a good idea to know,” said Carter.
Information on licensed health care professionals is available at www.dhp.virginia.gov. To access the records, click on “license lookup” then enter the information requested. The service is provided free of charge

Kismet ……

Losing Lilly

It was hard yesterday driving back from the vet knowing that Lilly was laying in the backseat and she was no longer looking at me in the rear view mirror with her extra long tonuge hanging out, like she would do. …it was hard taking her out of the truck and deciding where to put her for her final resting place.It was just hard knowing she could not hear me telling her how much i loved her…
Jason and James and mom helped to decide that she should be in moms flower garden. she always liked to tromp on the flowers anyway….
everyone that knew Lilly loved her. Se was an ancient beagle that appeared out of no where one day three years ago as i had stopped my truck on the side of a busy highway, she was hungry and sick…Lilly had a tumor the size of a tennis ball that was dragging on the ground. Lilly had 5 surgeries over the past 3 years for her cancer and you would never know it. She was a stoic little friend that just had to be everywhere I was. Lilly greeted everyone that pulled in the driveway at blue horse and even on days you could tell she was not herself, she would still want to follow down the hill to help feed the horses. I know that I have been loved in my life…but never as much as Lilly loved me. She was a real pain in the butt , but one that I welcomed…..Lilly loved the pot bellied pigs and would often lay in the sun with them..the cats followed Lilly everywhere much to her chagrin. Lilly was a gentle spirit that had had a really hard life before we found each other. She had no teeth, but she sure could eat……yesterday lilly was not hungry, she could hardly walk and her cancer had progressed to a a point of no return. she was shivering and i could tell that my little friend was in pain……
My mom is really saddened by Lillies exit…we all are. Her friend Bear would not eat this morning, he always ate breakfast with her.
Lilly taught me about really unconditional love…..about suffering in silence and loving with all your heart…about toughing it out and most of all about being a loyal and kind friend.
I miss her terribly and i know it will be a very long time before i stop looking for her….losing Lilly i lost another part of me……
please give you four legged companion an extra hug this morning for Lilly..you never know when it could be the last time you look into their soft  loving eyes….
rabiah

Meet Our Volunteer Staff

Our volunteers help to make things work at Blue Horse. They are so important. Some are always here and others are behind the scenes. There are many different aspects of our group and we wanted to introduce them to you!!!

In our organization we have a dog adoption program and part of that requires in home visits. Some of the areas that our four legged friends may end up being adopted in are several hours away, but we still have to insure that both the canine and human connection are a good match. So for that ,we have great volunteers who visit homes before and after adoptions to make sure that everyone is happy.

Susan Patton is our volunteer for Central Virginia including Richmond and surrounding areas. Susan has been involved in rescue and placement for many years.
Mollie McCurdy takes care of Northern Virginia. Mollie was a humane investigator and has saved many animals from a lifetime of suffering.
Tammy Uren takes care of the Hampton Roads area. Tammy is a former Vet Tech and is great with animals.She also designs beautiful beadwork that helps to benefit our horses.
South Side Virginia is handled by Chery Weston and myself. Cheryl also helps me here at the farm managing the barn and caring for the horses.
Myra and Scott Murray help to rescue dogs from dumpsters and they build great dog houses too. Myra and Scott are also in charge of getting great stuff for our annual Sept yard sale!!!
Marsh Passmore handles all our forms and stationary design!! Marsh was the former owner of a travel agency with her husband Leonard.
Leonard Passmore is a Master Gardner and is designing and creating our Memory Garden and it is going to be beautiful.
Tom Wolf is our wonderful computer guru. He designs our web blog and keeps it running. He also has filmed and edited several great DVD’S featuring our horses for us. Tom is a Ti Chi Instructor and a computer genius!!
Jeff Winn is the hammer man. Jeff has built shelters and barns and dog doors and fixed fencing. Jeff is our in house carpenter..Jeff is a carpenter by trade and he has his own business, called “Jeff”s Remodeling”.
Betty Marshall has be with us since the forming of our organization. She has been instrumental in helping to take care of receipts and making sure they stay in order.Betty owns her own business in Virginia Beach. Sea Mist Skin Care. She was the accountant for SPSA many years.
Jasen Weaver is our Junior barn manager. Jasen is a powerhouse of energy and his help has been non stop.Jasen is absolutely fantastic with the horses.
Anna Pierce is an apprentice for becoming a barn manager. She has the skill and the patience in working with the horses. She loves all animals too.
Wendy Coulson is one of our house photographers!!! Wendy is a fine artist ad she does incredible cake decorating as well. Her equine and, actually ,all of her animal photograhy is beautiful.
Dallas Weston is our Historian. Dallas writes for the local paper and has done a wonderful job keeping tabs on Blue Horse!!

Some of our volunteers wear many hats. They change them when the need arises.

All I can say is thank you !! Not just from me, but from all the animals you help here at Blue Horse. All the horses, dogs, cats and pigs!!! Thank you! You make it happen!!

If you would like to Volunteer at Blue Horse , please contact us!! We can use you!

Jeff Winn working on the barn that HSUS ASPCA awarded us the grant to build!!

HSUS ARTICLE IN "ALL ANIMALS" ON HOUND HUNTING HAS SOME OF OUR RESCUED HOUNDS

Please check out  the winter issue of “All Animals” there is a fabulous article in this issue regarding Hunting with Hounds. Several of our rescued hounds are in the article. We currently have 18 abandoned hounds here. Please become a member of HSUS and help stop the abuse of these fabulous dogs. Tell them to send you the magazine…when you become a member!!!

This is Chase , one of our rescues!! 

Happy and Grateful to Horse Spa Barn in Suffolk, Va

I am so happy and grateful to the folks at Horse Spa Barn in Suffolk, Va. They have gone way above and beyond anything I could have  imagined or expected. They, meaning the  owner of the barn Wendy Parker, and fellow patrons of Horse Spa Barn, Karen Eide, Janey and all the others that came together to donate tack, feed, blankets, money, boots and so much stuff for your horses and tack shop. Thank you. It is folks like you that really help to keep our organization going. I feel like we have made great new friends and revisited an old friend and for that, I /We are truly blessed. Thank you Karen for instigating this and for all the support you were able to get for our beautiful four legged friends.

In the Spirit of the Horses

Your friends at Blue Horse

Help Blue Horse Earn Money by using Goodsearch!

What if Blue Horse mukwa Equine Retirement and Rescue Center earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Or how about if a percentage of every purchase you made online went to support our cause? Well, now it can! GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up! GoodShop.com is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 37 percent of each purchase to your favorite cause! Hundreds of great stores including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, ebay, Macy’s and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop and every time you place an order, you’ll be supporting your favorite cause. Just go to www.goodsearch.com and be sure to enter [my charity] as the charity you want to support. And, be sure to spread the word!

KUDOS AGAIN

I just wanted to express thanks to some folks that have come to my aid while I am dealing with my broken foot. I cannot do anything yet as I still am waiting for the cast to be put on. It has been 8 days since my foot was broken and hopefully tomorrow (Thursday Jan 9) I will get my walking cast and be able to see the out doors again…..

Special thanks goes to Spauldings Farm Equipment for bringing us feed. Paul Cox and his wife for bringing the hay . I also want to thank Jeff Winn for helping my mom . Now there are those that have donated funds to help us through this, Mollie McCurdy, Davey Lee , Lonnie and Mary Beth Moore,Edith Von Stuemer, Bev Dee, Fay Adams and Ken Jessup, Dr. Christine Fallwell and Barbara Pedersen. Thank you so much.

Then there are those that have given their time. Tammy Uren drove up from Va Beach, the day I was injured, it is a 3 hour drive. She dropped everything so she could come and help take care of the dogs, she stayed for three days and is headed back this weekend. Cheryl Weston who drove me to the emergency room after she had worked all night and had no sleep. She stayed with me and helped get me settled after I got back home. She has stayed at the house to take care of the dogs and help with feeding the horses and to help me around the house (meaning, moving around inside the house). Cheryl has taken this week off from work so that she can help here at the farm and to take me back to the Doctors office. Special thanks to Jason Weaver for coming out and feeding the horses he is such a wonderful help (he is 12) and knows more about horses and Natural Horsemanship than most seasoned adults. To Michelle Weaver, Jason’s mom for being a taxi and bringing me lemon pound cake (hey, a girls gotta eat).

To my wonderful 83 year old mother who has kept the coffee, food, positive energy and messages coming and for all she does everyday for the animals.

Beth Fegan thanks for your help here on Sunday!!!!

Thanks to the folks that have helped to hire people to clean the stalls and feed hay and the water. Thanks James and Tiffany for all your hard work.

I know that for some reading this they may find it long and boring, but to me, it is the sweetest most wonderful story about people coming to aid another in need. But, more importantly, coming together to help our four legged friends, who cannot help themselves. Thank you for being there for the horses and dogs and cats and the two pigs. Thank you for helping to make them comfortable and safe while I am having to sit with my leg up in the air. Thank you for helping me to heal, by taking away some of my worry and stress for the animals here at Blue Horse……

Many Blessings in the spirit of the horses and all creatures

Rabiah and the herd!!!

YOU CAN HELP!!!

Everyday thousands of animals die needlessly…..and many are awaiting that fate……We are a small non profit organization in Chase City , Va. We are a permanent home to 44 horses,a temporary home for 24 dogs that are awaiting adoption by loving forever homes , we have 2 pot bellied pigs and 8 cats. My point is, we are just one of many many rescue /retirement organizations across the country.The economy is in crisis and it is scary to think what will happen to even more companion animals without everyones help.
You can help go to theanimalrescuesite. com and CLICK on the purple button to help feed sheltered animals. It does help.  ...please click and feed…..you can do this EVERYDAY AND IT’S FREE.
Take care and many blessing in the spirit of the animals…

.THIS IS DAWA, SHE WAS A PMU FOAL
Rabiah