Update: The veterinarian who treated our cat, Smokey, at College Park Animal Hospital received a formal letter of censure concerning his ""failure to recognize cardiomegaly and increased pulmonary interstitial pattern on the thoracic radiographs taken of Smokey on January 8, 2008."" This excerpt is from an October 29, 2009 letter from the Maryland State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, addressed to my wife. The letter goes on to state that prior to accepting censure, this veterinarian ""participated in classes offered at a regional conference as a means of improving his ability to read readiographs and ultrasounds."" The letter from the State Board also stated that a letter of censure is a matter of public record. \r
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Clients of this hospital are still urged to to BE EXTREMELY CAUTIOUS, especially with elderly pets, who may be exhibiting signs of a heart disease. Even though one of the veterinarians at College Park Animal Hospital received this additional training, there is no evidence of any such training completed by the others, particularly the owner and the head vet of the hospital, Thomas McMichael, DVM, who apparently believes that congestive heart failure cannot be seen on an X-ray, as per his statement to my wife when she questioned Smokey's treatment. The fact that the primary diagnostic tool for Congestive Heart Failure is an X-ray is a very basic medical fact, and any veterinarian who does not know this basic fact cannot adequately ensure the safety of a pet at risk for heart disease.
Pros: can't think of any
Cons: problelms with honesty, integrity and competence
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