Filing a Board Complaint Against a Veterinarian
Scroll Down to Links to United States Veterinary Boards Below
Unfortunately, in the United States only the state licensing boards have any jurisdiction over a veterinarian's license, meaning only they have the power to authorize disciplinary action or fines.
No other organization, including the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), state VMAs, humane societies, the governor's office, the Better Business Bureau or any other group can discipline a vet; filing a complaint with any of those will bring no accountability. However, you may wish to copy them on your complaint in order to get exposure for what the veterinarian did.
You may have some recourse with the state's Office of Consumer Affairs or the Attorney General's office in cases involving fraudulent advertising, but they would not usually be involved in cases of malpractice and violation of state's statutes. They will likely circle you back to the state board.
In some states, veterinarians are also exempt from animal cruelty statutes, and even if a vet is convicted of animal cruelty in a criminal court, he or she does not automatically lose their license.
To begin the complaint process:
1. Get complete copies of your pet's medical records from all facilities involved if you haven't done so. Keep in mind that the vet will likely begin tampering with the medical record as soon as he or she realizes that there may be a problem. Examples of this can be adding or deleting entries from a patient chart, destroying records, altering existing chart entries, making notes after the fact and even after the patient has died, removing documents or other items from the patient file, or having staff members and/or veterinary technicians do any of the above. The sooner you can get those files, the better.
If you have any difficulty getting copies of your pet's records from the vets (some vets are very good at stalling), notify your state board. They will usually help you obtain the records.
This is why I always recommend getting copies of records after every visit. If your set of copies differs from what the vet has, that vet is going to have a problem explaining to the board investigators why and how that happened.
2. Find your state board contact info below, or by doing an Internet search. Boards frequently change their links. I try to update as much as possible, but if any of the links below don't work, do a search.
3. Call or write your state veterinary board to 1) verify that the vet has a valid license to practice in that state, and 2) find out if the vet has a previous record of complaints, investigations, or disciplinary action. Also find out the statute of limitations, i.e., the time limit you have to file the complaint.
NOTE: Keep in mind that even if you discover that a vet has no disciplinary action, this does not mean that complaints haven't been filed. Most states will not disclose the existence of previous complaints if they were dismissed, and unfortunately most complaints are dismissed.
Also, when checking a vet's disciplinary record, do not let the board staff divert you to their web site to check on a vet's disciplinary action - in Texas, for example, the board deliberately omit many disciplinary actions from their web site. Always ask for that information over the phone because they MUST provide that info either orally or in writing. All disciplinary action taken against vets in every state is PUBLIC RECORD. If it turns out your vet has a record, ask for copies of everything that is public record associated with the case.
4. Download a copy of the complaint form, or ask to have one mailed to you. Follow the instructions on the form, and attach your own account if necessary, including the names of any second opinions who saw your pet after the vet you are filing on.
5. Be patient. Some states are better than others in terms of response time. Follow up at regular intervals (every two or three weeks) if you haven't heard anything. It's not unusual for some investigations to take up to a year or more, but if your complaint has saved ONE life or ONE pet owner from going through what you have, it will be worth it.
Some tips:
Do a thorough Internet search on the vet's name and the name of the clinic. Even without official disciplinary action, you may find instances of previous problems with the vet. Many veterinary victims are putting up web sites and blogs to tell of their experiences with a bad vet.
There's safety and strength in numbers. If you can locate other victims of the same vet -- even if they are not willing to file a complaint -- it may strengthen your case. You can often see similar patterns of negligence and incompetence among victims of a particular vet. If nothing else, you can sometimes obtain a lot of background information on a vet that may come in handy later.
Try to refrain from contacting the vet directly other than to make a request for the records. I know some people try writing the vet in an attempt to appeal to their "conscience," or they want to talk to the vet to get answers, but that rarely if ever works. By the time everything has gone wrong, the vet has likely already contacted their malpractice insurance company and has been instructed by their attorneys to not communicate with you. The "great" vet or "nice guy" you trusted with your precious companion is going to start circling the wagons and you will not get any answers from him or her, the staff, the techs, or anybody else on the payroll or in their camp. You are on your own. Also be on guard against any kind of manipulation by the vet to try to get you to see things "their" way. Some of these people are extremely adept and practiced at all kinds of manipulation techniques and do not give up until they get their way.
Consider exploring the possibility of a civil lawsuit, even in small claims court. It's almost impossible to find an animal law attorney, and the best ones are prohibitively expensive, but depending on your circumstances it may be worthwhile, not from a monetary standpoint, but to expose the vet and what happened, and get their names in front of the authorities. Animals are still considered nothing more than property, but there have been some inroads made in the area of pets as sentient beings, or having intrinsic value, or special value.
Find out who your vet's insurance company is. You might wish to also file a claim with their insurance carrier. Vets are required to inform their malpractice insurance carriers if they are being filed on at the state board level or if they are being sued. Ask the vet who his or her insurance carrier is, and if they refuse to tell you, contact an investigator at your state board.
Click on the links below to begin the complaint process at your state's veterinary board.
Good luck. If you have any questions, contact me at info@vetabusenetwork.com
NOTE: State board links often change. If any of the links below are broken, Google the name of your state and the phrase state veterinary board.
United
States Veterinary Boards
Alabama State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners
8 Commerce Street – Suite
910
Montgomery, AL 36130-5330
Phone: 334.262.8068
Fax: 334.262.8716
Alaska Veterinary Medical Board
P.O. Box 110806
Juneau, AK 99811-0806
Phone: 907.465.2542
Fax: 907.465.2974
Arizona State Veterinary Medical Examining Board
1400 W. Washington, Room 240
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: 602.364-1PET (1738)
Fax: 602.364.1039
Arkansas Veterinary Medical Examining Board
P.O. Box 8505
Little Rock, AR 72215
Phone: 501.224.2836
Fax: 501.224.1100
California
Board of Examiners in Veterinary Medicine
2005 Evergreen Street
Suite 2250
Sacramento, CA 95815-3831
Phone:: 916.263.2610
Licensing Fax: 916.263.2621
Enforcement Fax: 916.263.0311
Colorado
Veterinary Medical Examining
Board
1560 Broadway, Suite 1310
Denver, CO 80202-5146
303.894.7755
Connecticut Board of Veterinary Medicine
410 Capitol Avenue, MS #13PHO
P.O. Box 340308
Hartford, CT 06134-0308
Phone: 860.509.7603
Fax: 860.509.8457
Delaware
Board of Veterinary Medicine
Cannon Building
Suite 203
861 Silver Lake Blvd.
Dover, DE 19904
Phone: 302.744.4500
Fax: 302.739.2711
District of Columbia Board of Veterinary Examiners
717 14th Street, NW
Suite 600
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: 877.672.2174
Fax: 202.727.8471
Florida
Board of Veterinary Medicine
Division of Professions
1940 North Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0783
Phone: 850.487.1395
Georgia
State Board of Veterinary Medicine
237 Coliseum Drive
Macon, GA 31217-3858
Phone: 478.207.2440
King Kalakaua Building
US Post Office Custom House and Court House
335 Merchant Street
Honolulu, HI 96813
Phone: 808.587.3295 or 808.587.3222
Idaho
Board of Veterinary Medicine
Idaho State Board of
Veterinary Medicine
P.O. Box 7249
Boise, ID 83707
Phone: 208.332.8588
Fax: 208.334.2170
Illinois
Veterinary Licensing and Disciplinary Board
320 West Washington Street
Springfield, Illinois 62786
217.785.0820 or toll free 888-4REGUL8 (888-473-4858)
Indiana
Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners
402 W. Washington Street, Room W072
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317.234.2054
Iowa
Board of Veterinary Medicine
Wallace State Office Building
502 E. 9th St.
Des Moines, IA 50319
515-281-5321
Kansas Board of Veterinary Examiners
1003 Lincoln St.
P.O. Box 242
Wamego, KS 66547-0242
785.456.8781
Kentucky Board of Veterinary Examiners
911 Leawood Drive
Frankfort, KY 40601
Phone:
Fax:
Louisiana
Board of Veterinary Medicine
263 Third Street, Suite 104
Baton Rouge, LA 70801
Phone: 225.342.2176
Fax: 225.342.2142
Maine
Department of Professional and Financial Regulation
35 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0035
Phone: 207.624.8689
Fax: 207.624.8637
Maryland State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners
50 Harry Truman Pkwy.
Annapolis, MD 21401
410-841-5700
Massachusetts Board of Veterinary Medicine
1000 Washington Street, Suite 710
Boston, MA 02118-6100
Phone: 617.727.3074
Fax: 617.727.1944
Consumer Line: 617.727.7406
Michigan
State Board of Veterinary Medicine
P. O. Box 30670
Lansing, MI 48909
517.335.0918
Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine
2829 University Ave. SE, Suite 540
Minneapolis, MN 55414
Phone: 651.201.2844
Fax: 651.201.2842
Mississippi
Board of Veterinary Medicine
Mississippi Board of Veterinary Medicine
209 South Lafayette Street
Starkville, MS 39759
662.324.9380
Missouri
Veterinary Medical Board
3605 Missouri Boulevard
P.O. Box 633
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0633
Phone: 573.751.0031
Fax: 573.526.3856
Montana
Board of Veterinary Medicine
Montana Board of Veterinary Medicine
P. O. Box 200513
301 South Park
Helena, MT 59620
406.841.2394
Nebraska
Board of Examiners in Veterinary Medicine
301 Centennial Mall South
P. O. Box 94986
Lincoln, NE 68509
402.471.3121
Nevada
Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners
4600 Kietzke Lane, Bldg. O, #265
Reno, NV 89502
702.688.1808
New
Hampshire Board of Veterinary Medicine
P. O. Box 2042
Concord, NH 03302
(603) 271-3706
Fax: 603.271.1109
New
Jersey Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners
P. O. Box 45020
Newark, NJ 07101
973.504.6500
New
Mexico Board of Veterinary Medicine
7301 Jefferson St. NE, Suite C
Albuquerque, NM 87109
505.841.9112
New York State Veterinary Board
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY
518.474.3852 12234
North Carolina State Veterinary Board
P.O.Box 37549
919.854.5601
North
Dakota State Veterinary Board
P. O. Box 5001
Bismarck, ND 58502
Phone: 701.328.9540
Fax: 701.224.0435
Ohio
Veterinary Medical Licensing Board
77 South High Street - 16th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
Phone: 614.644.5281
Fax: 614.644.9038
Oklahoma State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners
201 NE 38th Terrace, Suite 1
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
Phone: 405. 524.9006
Fax: 405.524.9012
Oregon
Veterinary Medical Examining Board
800 N.E. Oregon, Suite 407
Portland, OR 97232
Phone: 971.673.0224
Fax: 971.673.0226
Pennsylvania
State Board of Veterinary Medicine
P.O. Box 2649
Harrisburg, PA 17105-2649
Phone: 717.783.7134
Fax: 717.787.7769
Rhode Island Board of Examiners in Veterinary Medicine
3 Capitol Hill, Room 104
Providence, RI 02908
Phone: 401.222.2827 ext 100
Fax: 401.222.1272
South Carolina Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners
Synergy Business Park, Kingstree Building
110 Centerview Dr.
Columbia, SC 29210
803.896.4598
South
Dakota Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners
411 South Fort Street
Pierre, SD 57501-4503
Phone: 605.773.3321
Fax: 605.773.5459
Tennessee Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners
227 French Landing, Suite 300
Nashville, TX 37243
615.532.3202 or 800.778.4123
Texas
Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners
333 Guadalupe Street Tower III Suite 810
Austin, Texas 78701
Phone: 512.305.7555
Complaints only: 1.800.821.3205
Fax: 512.305.7556
160 East 300 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Phone: 801.530.6628
Toll free in Utah: 866.275.3675
Fax: 801.530.6511
Vermont
State Veterinary Board
National Life Building, FL2
Montpelier, VT 05620-3402
802.828.1505
Virginia
Board of Veterinary Medicine
Washington Veterinary Board of Governors
310 Israel Road SE
Tumwater, WA 98501
Phone: 360.236.4700
Fax: 360.236.4818
West Virginia Veterinary Board
5509 Big Tyler Road, Suite 3
Cross Lanes, WV 25313
Phone: 304.776.8032
Fax: 304.776.8255
Wisconsin
Veterinary Examining Board
PO Box 8935
Madison, WI 53708-8935
Phone, local to Madison: 608.266.2112
Phone, outside of Madison:
877.617.1545
Wyoming
Board Veterinary Medicine
1800 Carey Ave., 4th Floor
Cheyenne, WY 82002-3507
Phone: 307.777.3507
Fax. 307.777.3508
Puerto Rico Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners
PO Box 10200
Santurce, PR 00908-0200
(787) 725-7905
Virgin Islands Board of Veterinary Medicine
48 Sugar Estate
St. Thomas, VI 00802
(340) 774-0117
CANADA
Canadian National Examining Board
339 Booth Street
Ottawa, ON K1R 7K1
(613) 236-1162 ext. 116
Alberta Veterinary Medical Board
#100, 8615-149 Street
Edmonton, AB T5R 1B3
(403) 489-5007
British Columbia Veterinary Medical Association
1200 West 73rd Avenue, Suite 155
Vancouver, BC V6P 6G5
(604) 266-3441
Veterinary Medical Board of Manitoba
545 University Crescent
Winnipeg, MB R3T 5S6
(204) 945-7651
New Brunswick Veterinary Medical Association
P. O. Box 1065
Moncton, NB E1C 8P2
(506) 851-7654
Nova Scotia Veterinary Medical Association
15 Cobequid Road
Lower Sackville, NS B2N 5E3
(902) 865-1876
College of Veterinarians of Ontario
2106 Gordon Street
Guelph, ON N1H 1G6
(519) 824-5600
Prince Edward Island Veterinary Medical Association
Kensington Veterinary Clinic
P. O. Box 10
Kensington, PE C0B 1M0
(902) 836-3410
Ordre des Médecins Vétérinaires du Québec
800, ave Sainte-Anne bureau 200
St-Hyacinthe, QU J2S 5C6
(514) 774-1427
Saskatchewan Veterinary Medical Association
102-108 Research Drive
Saskatoon, SK S7N 3R3
(306) 955-7862
International Veterinary Boards
Germany
United Kingdom: Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS)