Blaine Firmin "Loses" Client's Cat, Who has Never Been Found

This is one of many stories about vets losing their patients. This one in Louisiana.

Blaine Firmin is a vet in Slidell, Louisiana. On December 8, 2006, a client brought his cat, Little Man, in to see Firmin because of an injury to the Little Man's leg.

It was determined that the cause of the injury was a cat bite. Apparently because he had two other cats at home, the client agreed to leave Little Man at the clinic for healing.

The client had an agreement with Firmin that he would pick Little Man up on August 12, four days later.

The Louisiana Veterinary Board's Findings of Fact state:

"Little Man escaped and/or was lost in or at the facility and in spite of attempts to locate him, Little Man has never been found.

[Firmin] is negligent in allowing the animal to escape and/lor losing the owner/client's cat which was entrusted to him for treatment.

[Firmin's] conduct is not in keeping with the standard of care required by the LA Veterinary Practice Act and the Rules promulgated by the Board."


The Board fined Firmin $250 and ordered her to pay the Board's investigative costs of $1,500.

Here is my question:

Little Man is gone. Firmin says that Little Man escaped or was lost, but all we know is that Little Man is gone.

Now, I want you, the reader to understand that I have absolutely no evidence that anything different happened to this cat. The following is merely conjecture -- but no doubt, I am merely giving voice to the same fear the owner probably has about what happened to Little Man.

What goes on an awful lot at vets offices?

Euthanasia.

And I know that the dead bodies of euthanized pets, when unclaimed by owners, are often sold to rendering companies or otherwise disposed of.

What IF Little Man was euthanized by mistake, and his body was picked up at the next regular pickup of dead bodies?

That also would be a possible cause of Little Man being gone without a trace.

And certainly, if I was a vet whose office had done that, I would probably say that the cat was lost, rather than say that the cat was killed by mistake and the body disposed of.

Please understand that I have no way of knowing whether or not that is what happened here -- and after all, the "legal" findings of fact say that the cat was LOST, or escaped. But no explanation for this escape or loss is given, nor was there apparently a witness to it. He's just . . . .gone.

So I am merely giving voice to what I know must be this owners worst fears about what might have happened to Little Man.

Wouldn't that thought cross your mind, too, if you were them?

For another heartbreaking story about dog who went to the vets and was "lost" but who has never been seen again, nor has his body been found anywhere, see Toasty's Story. Toasty's website also has lots of resources on veterinary malpractice.

Also, read our prior blog post about how the Airport West Animal Clinic in Washington allowed their client's beloved Italian Greyound, Bambee, to escape. In that case however, we DO know that the dog escaped -- because her dead, half-eaten body was found by her owner in a field.

http://badvetdaily.blogspot.com/2008/03/washington-vet-loses-bambee-italian.html

Dog Misdiagnosed for 16 Days, Ultimately Dies; Board Says Proper Diagnosis and Treatment May Have Prevented Dog's Death

When Minnie Pearl's owner brought her to see veterinarian Mary Brantley in Farmerville, Louisiana, Minnie Pearl (a dog) had been coughing, had been congested, and had been continuously panting. It was February 8th.

All of these symptoms are consistent with a respiratory infection. But Dr. Brantley didn't do a chest x-ray. She checked for worms, and finding none, told Minnie Pearl's owner that the reason the dog was panting was that she was overweight.

A week later (February 15th), Minnie Pearl's owner brought her back. She was still sick. This time, Brantley said Minnie Pearl had "tracheal bronchitis" and dispensed pills for a cough and an antibiotic. However, again, Dr. Brantley did not perform ANY x-rays -- and did not offer any x-rays -- to see if the infection had gone down into the poor panting, coughing, congested Minnie Pearl's chest.

A week later (February 22nd), Minnie Pearl's owner talked again with Brantley, saying that poor Minnie Pearl was still panting.

INEXPLICABLY, Brantley again told her that the reason her dog was panting is that she was overweight.

On February 24th, Minnie Pearl's owner took Minnie Pearl back to the vet, where she was seen by a different attending veterinarian. This different vet finally did x-rays on Minnie Pearl, and those x-rays "revealed severe pneumonia and possible ascites." Although meds were given to Minnie Pear at that time, 2 days later (February 26th) Minnie Pearl was worse, and her owner took her to an Emergency Clinic. However, one day later (February 27th), Minnie Pearl died.

The Board said: "A radiograph timely performed by [Brantley], or at least offered to the client, would have provided an opportunity for a proper diagnosis and appropriate treatment which may have prevented the animal's death, or at least reducd unnecessary suffering."

The Board stated that "It is unlawful, and constitutes unprofessional conduct, for [a veterinarian] to fail to properly diagnose and treat a patient."

They fined Brantley a mere $250 and placed her license on probation for a year. Brantley was required to pay for the costs of the invetigation -- in the amount of $1,500."

Poor Minnie Pearl went without a proper diagnosis or proper treatment for worsening chest infection/pneumonia for 16 days.

16 days is a good long time to be able to attack a pneumonia -- I ought to know, I had pneumonia many times as a child. Prompt treatment including the right antibiotics and fluids are critical. But Minnie Pearl didn't get any of that.

Instead, 2 out of 3 times that Minnie Pearl's owner consulted with Brantley, veterinarian Mary Brantley attributed Minnie Pearl's breathing difficulties to her being fat.

So what do you think?

Is Brantley merely lazy?

Or is she incompetent?

Or, perhaps, is she amazingly hostile and prejudiced against overweight beings?

I don't know, but whichever it is, I sure would not take my pets to her.