One must place a large degree of trust
in a doctor that they will take the steps necessary to protect the health
and relieve the suffering of loved ones. I brought John to the Knoxville
Pet Emergency Clinic believing that I was taking him to a place where he
might be helped. He required immediate, emergency care, and this was not
provided to him.
"John was in a cage, aware of his surroundings and in pain.
He was cold. What remained of his legs were exposed to air and laying on
a damp urine-soaked spot of his bedding. Occasionally, he would try to
kick his back legs and then cry in pain."
"Treatment was recommended, scheduled, and then not provided to my
pet, who was in critical condition. Staff delayed necessary emergency treatment
for 21 hours and did not inform me of the offerings of other emergency
clinics who may have been able to provide treatment."
"His wounds were never cleaned or examined in detail. Treatment that
I authorized was not administered. I was given no referral for competent
treatment. This neglect is nothing short of cruelty to animals."
"The only answer the Peer Review Committee can draw from this is that
Dr Alford wished to have no further contact with Mr Gray and ultimately had
no interest in performing any of the prescribed treatment on John outside of
the stabilization and analgesia."
"Ultimately a cat that was presented at 10:25AM on Sunday was discharged
at 6:30am on Monday and his wounds were in the same state as when presented
excepted they were beginning to dry, necrose and were by Mr Gray's observation
contaminated with urine. This alone is quite disconcerting considering the remarks
that Dr Alford made to Mr Gray at presentation about how important it was to
perform the recommended procedures as soon as possible. The Peer Review Committee
felt that the level of care administered to this patient after the initial treatments
varied far from what would have been the accepted normal standard degree of
care extended in both emergency and general practice settings. "
"If it is a persistent problem it would be a consideration that Dr Alford
seek employment in a less clinically demanding setting."
(c) 1997
Chriscypher Gray