Complaint Review: State of Maine Veterinary Licensing Board - Augusta Maine

Rich: I wish you were right and that Maine was an "exception" to good standards upheld by state boards of veterinary medicine. But truth be known, approximately 95% or better complaints are dismissed without penalty. New Hampshire is just as bad, neighboring your state. My complaint filed Nov '06, promptly was dismissed by both the board and attorney general's office. I guess in my state it is not only "no big deal" to perpetrate fraud, but ok to let a pet suffer in a cage for a week, and then inject it with a caustic chemical right in from of the owner. Hard to belief below Bangor? Well, I am far below Concord, but yes, there is zero accountability in the veterinary profession. No matter if humans are harmed along with their pets. Read my ripoff about Edgefield Veterinary Hospital, Hampstead, NH and Dover Veterinary Hospital, Dover, NH to find out just how bad it can be. Barbara A. Albright/Chester, NH Pocket's Story from New Hampshire

I saw this several weeks ago and I wanted to write something, but I couldn't find it for some time. Although I respect everyones views and the serious nature of what these people have done I think that this information posted to the web could actually make things worse. I think it should be removed and before I rattle a cage here, let me make a few points as to why I have this opinion. First of all this can make things worse because bad vets will see that Maine has poor quality controls (or lacks the money to enforce laws) and bad vets in other states will say, "I can go to Maine and I can do anything I want in a state like that." I know that the point of this site is to improve things, but bed vets are not like bad tv's or computers. This information may actually cause an increase in the number of poor vets in Maine. Next, in one case the vet may have treatable psychological problems and in the other case the people should not have returned when the vet gave them medications without seeing their pet or calling the prior vet. I think that is a misdermeanor. It seems they knew it was wrong, so why go back to a place like that? I think that the other vet should not have his name all over the internet when he may be treated for his problems. Everybody should have an opportunity to make things right and it is not possible with so many things posted about him. My last point is that Maine has new people in Augusta who are really working hard to improve things. Just to give you an idea, our new governor is pressing criminal investigations and audits of state agencies including the state department of education. I don't know. Perhaps they will investigate these boards that use taxpayer funds and do nothing. We need to give his administration an opportunity to improve things and I really think that he's trying very hard (so far) for that goal. There are many other considerations her too. Maine, as is the case in many other states, is low on funds. There are many social problems, new security issues and other things that have become priorities. I'm not saying that what these vets may have done is right, but the funding is not available to do it all. If the owner of this web site feels that he (or she) cannot remove this and give the vets and Maine another chance, I do have some recommendations. Maine, like everywhere else, has good vets and bad vet, good doctors and bad doctors. Most of the educated people in Maine depart for other locations (something the current governor is making an effort to turn around). So, you end up with a group in the professionals that may not be "top notch". This does not mean to say that you can't find them, you just need to look longer and harder. In Maine, your best bet to find a quality vet (or doctor) is to look in major population areas like Portland, South Portland, Augusta, Bangor, Brunswick, etc. Check their references, visit the clinic, ask your friends or co-workers. There was some advice out from some vet group or association that gave some points on what to look for in a good vet for your pets. I can't find it right now, but they had points like make sure the place doesn't smell bad, the place should be clean, and the staff professional and friendly. We have a rule when we look for any professionals: "No RF OR U" What that means is "No Rude Fat or Ugly". And when we say that what we mean (again before I step on toes here) is that the people should be nice in their demeanor and neat in their appearance. Our reason for this is if you are going to a health professional (including a vet) and they don't even care about their own health or how they look or treat people, why would they care about your health or the health of your pet? Anyhow, I still thing that comments about Maine and the people noted should be removed. If the new governor does not improve things in a couple of years (and I think he will), by all means put this stuff back up. From the investigations that are going on right now I think you'll see big changes for the better in this state.

I saw this several weeks ago and I wanted to write something, but I couldn't find it for some time. Although I respect everyones views and the serious nature of what these people have done I think that this information posted to the web could actually make things worse. I think it should be removed and before I rattle a cage here, let me make a few points as to why I have this opinion. First of all this can make things worse because bad vets will see that Maine has poor quality controls (or lacks the money to enforce laws) and bad vets in other states will say, "I can go to Maine and I can do anything I want in a state like that." I know that the point of this site is to improve things, but bed vets are not like bad tv's or computers. This information may actually cause an increase in the number of poor vets in Maine. Next, in one case the vet may have treatable psychological problems and in the other case the people should not have returned when the vet gave them medications without seeing their pet or calling the prior vet. I think that is a misdermeanor. It seems they knew it was wrong, so why go back to a place like that? I think that the other vet should not have his name all over the internet when he may be treated for his problems. Everybody should have an opportunity to make things right and it is not possible with so many things posted about him. My last point is that Maine has new people in Augusta who are really working hard to improve things. Just to give you an idea, our new governor is pressing criminal investigations and audits of state agencies including the state department of education. I don't know. Perhaps they will investigate these boards that use taxpayer funds and do nothing. We need to give his administration an opportunity to improve things and I really think that he's trying very hard (so far) for that goal. There are many other considerations her too. Maine, as is the case in many other states, is low on funds. There are many social problems, new security issues and other things that have become priorities. I'm not saying that what these vets may have done is right, but the funding is not available to do it all. If the owner of this web site feels that he (or she) cannot remove this and give the vets and Maine another chance, I do have some recommendations. Maine, like everywhere else, has good vets and bad vet, good doctors and bad doctors. Most of the educated people in Maine depart for other locations (something the current governor is making an effort to turn around). So, you end up with a group in the professionals that may not be "top notch". This does not mean to say that you can't find them, you just need to look longer and harder. In Maine, your best bet to find a quality vet (or doctor) is to look in major population areas like Portland, South Portland, Augusta, Bangor, Brunswick, etc. Check their references, visit the clinic, ask your friends or co-workers. There was some advice out from some vet group or association that gave some points on what to look for in a good vet for your pets. I can't find it right now, but they had points like make sure the place doesn't smell bad, the place should be clean, and the staff professional and friendly. We have a rule when we look for any professionals: "No RF OR U" What that means is "No Rude Fat or Ugly". And when we say that what we mean (again before I step on toes here) is that the people should be nice in their demeanor and neat in their appearance. Our reason for this is if you are going to a health professional (including a vet) and they don't even care about their own health or how they look or treat people, why would they care about your health or the health of your pet? Anyhow, I still thing that comments about Maine and the people noted should be removed. If the new governor does not improve things in a couple of years (and I think he will), by all means put this stuff back up. From the investigations that are going on right now I think you'll see big changes for the better in this state.

I saw this several weeks ago and I wanted to write something, but I couldn't find it for some time. Although I respect everyones views and the serious nature of what these people have done I think that this information posted to the web could actually make things worse. I think it should be removed and before I rattle a cage here, let me make a few points as to why I have this opinion. First of all this can make things worse because bad vets will see that Maine has poor quality controls (or lacks the money to enforce laws) and bad vets in other states will say, "I can go to Maine and I can do anything I want in a state like that." I know that the point of this site is to improve things, but bed vets are not like bad tv's or computers. This information may actually cause an increase in the number of poor vets in Maine. Next, in one case the vet may have treatable psychological problems and in the other case the people should not have returned when the vet gave them medications without seeing their pet or calling the prior vet. I think that is a misdermeanor. It seems they knew it was wrong, so why go back to a place like that? I think that the other vet should not have his name all over the internet when he may be treated for his problems. Everybody should have an opportunity to make things right and it is not possible with so many things posted about him. My last point is that Maine has new people in Augusta who are really working hard to improve things. Just to give you an idea, our new governor is pressing criminal investigations and audits of state agencies including the state department of education. I don't know. Perhaps they will investigate these boards that use taxpayer funds and do nothing. We need to give his administration an opportunity to improve things and I really think that he's trying very hard (so far) for that goal. There are many other considerations her too. Maine, as is the case in many other states, is low on funds. There are many social problems, new security issues and other things that have become priorities. I'm not saying that what these vets may have done is right, but the funding is not available to do it all. If the owner of this web site feels that he (or she) cannot remove this and give the vets and Maine another chance, I do have some recommendations. Maine, like everywhere else, has good vets and bad vet, good doctors and bad doctors. Most of the educated people in Maine depart for other locations (something the current governor is making an effort to turn around). So, you end up with a group in the professionals that may not be "top notch". This does not mean to say that you can't find them, you just need to look longer and harder. In Maine, your best bet to find a quality vet (or doctor) is to look in major population areas like Portland, South Portland, Augusta, Bangor, Brunswick, etc. Check their references, visit the clinic, ask your friends or co-workers. There was some advice out from some vet group or association that gave some points on what to look for in a good vet for your pets. I can't find it right now, but they had points like make sure the place doesn't smell bad, the place should be clean, and the staff professional and friendly. We have a rule when we look for any professionals: "No RF OR U" What that means is "No Rude Fat or Ugly". And when we say that what we mean (again before I step on toes here) is that the people should be nice in their demeanor and neat in their appearance. Our reason for this is if you are going to a health professional (including a vet) and they don't even care about their own health or how they look or treat people, why would they care about your health or the health of your pet? Anyhow, I still thing that comments about Maine and the people noted should be removed. If the new governor does not improve things in a couple of years (and I think he will), by all means put this stuff back up. From the investigations that are going on right now I think you'll see big changes for the better in this state.

I saw this several weeks ago and I wanted to write something, but I couldn't find it for some time. Although I respect everyones views and the serious nature of what these people have done I think that this information posted to the web could actually make things worse. I think it should be removed and before I rattle a cage here, let me make a few points as to why I have this opinion. First of all this can make things worse because bad vets will see that Maine has poor quality controls (or lacks the money to enforce laws) and bad vets in other states will say, "I can go to Maine and I can do anything I want in a state like that." I know that the point of this site is to improve things, but bed vets are not like bad tv's or computers. This information may actually cause an increase in the number of poor vets in Maine. Next, in one case the vet may have treatable psychological problems and in the other case the people should not have returned when the vet gave them medications without seeing their pet or calling the prior vet. I think that is a misdermeanor. It seems they knew it was wrong, so why go back to a place like that? I think that the other vet should not have his name all over the internet when he may be treated for his problems. Everybody should have an opportunity to make things right and it is not possible with so many things posted about him. My last point is that Maine has new people in Augusta who are really working hard to improve things. Just to give you an idea, our new governor is pressing criminal investigations and audits of state agencies including the state department of education. I don't know. Perhaps they will investigate these boards that use taxpayer funds and do nothing. We need to give his administration an opportunity to improve things and I really think that he's trying very hard (so far) for that goal. There are many other considerations her too. Maine, as is the case in many other states, is low on funds. There are many social problems, new security issues and other things that have become priorities. I'm not saying that what these vets may have done is right, but the funding is not available to do it all. If the owner of this web site feels that he (or she) cannot remove this and give the vets and Maine another chance, I do have some recommendations. Maine, like everywhere else, has good vets and bad vet, good doctors and bad doctors. Most of the educated people in Maine depart for other locations (something the current governor is making an effort to turn around). So, you end up with a group in the professionals that may not be "top notch". This does not mean to say that you can't find them, you just need to look longer and harder. In Maine, your best bet to find a quality vet (or doctor) is to look in major population areas like Portland, South Portland, Augusta, Bangor, Brunswick, etc. Check their references, visit the clinic, ask your friends or co-workers. There was some advice out from some vet group or association that gave some points on what to look for in a good vet for your pets. I can't find it right now, but they had points like make sure the place doesn't smell bad, the place should be clean, and the staff professional and friendly. We have a rule when we look for any professionals: "No RF OR U" What that means is "No Rude Fat or Ugly". And when we say that what we mean (again before I step on toes here) is that the people should be nice in their demeanor and neat in their appearance. Our reason for this is if you are going to a health professional (including a vet) and they don't even care about their own health or how they look or treat people, why would they care about your health or the health of your pet? Anyhow, I still thing that comments about Maine and the people noted should be removed. If the new governor does not improve things in a couple of years (and I think he will), by all means put this stuff back up. From the investigations that are going on right now I think you'll see big changes for the better in this state.

The following information is from public action alerts to put pressure on the State of Maine Veterinary Licensing Board. Just more of the same from the state that doesn't care about animals. Maine - The Way Life Should Be - NOT FOR ANIMALS! There is something seriously wrong with the Government in the State of Maine and the way that invesitgations are conducted. This is the action alert: UPDATE: Maine Veterinarian Who Admitted to Beating Dogs Gets a Slap on the Wrist ----------------- Sometimes it is necessary to use more force than some people might find acceptable. Veterinarian John Carmody to Maine Board of Veterinary Medicine, on his restraint of animals he had admitted to beating Thank you to all who wrote in support of strict disciplinary action for John Carmody, the Maine veterinarian who admitted to committing four separate acts of cruelly beating dogs: Repeatedly striking a German shepherd on the face and torso with a rabies pole while the animal was confined to a kennel. Pinning a dog named Bullet to the ground with a rabies pole and repeatedly kicking the animal while he was fully restrained. Abusing an unnamed Labrador retriever in the same manner as Bullet, above. Repeatedly striking an Italian greyhound named Tara with his hand or fist. Tara allegedly died while under Dr. Carmodys care. Carmody went before the Maine Board of Veterinary Medicine for a disciplinary hearing on October 3, 2002. After an eight-hour hearing, the board voted to suspend Carmodys license to practice for six months, place Carmody on two years probation, and require him to undergo a psychological evaluation and to take 12 hours of classes in animal behavior, animal restraint, and ethics. No criminal charges have been filed against Carmody. The state police are currently investigating the case. ///END ALERT/// A letter to the State of Maine Veterinary Licensing Board: Anne L. Head, DirectorMaine Office of Licensing and Registration #35 State House Station Augusta, ME 04333-0035 ph: 207-624-8633 or 207-624-8603 fax: 207-624-8637email: [email protected] Dear Ms. Head, I call upon your compassion and good judgment to thoroughly investigate DVMs charged with abusing the animals they are entrusted with. Please interrogate those who violate accepted veterinary practices and cruelty laws and hold them accountable for their actions. As reported in the Portland Press Herald, John Carmody of the Forest View Veterinary Clinic in Lebanon has confessed to the State of Maine Board of Veterinary Medicine that he callously beat dogs under his care on four separate occasions. At the October 3 disciplinary hearing, please ensure that Carmody receives the maximum penalty of complete revocation of his veterinary license. Despite claims from Forest View partner Craig Hollbrook that Carmody is "a gifted veterinarian...and is taking some steps to correct the problem as best he can," cruel beatings appear to be Carmody's routine response to the animals brought to him for treatment. In a signed document, Carmody acknowledged that he smacked a kenneled German shepherd in the face and body; repeatedly kicked another German shepherd, Bullet, while a rabies pole restricted the dog; kicked a black Labrador restrained in the same fashion as Bullet; and slapped a gravely ill Italian greyhound, Tara, who died while under his supervision. These acts, along with the fact that former employee Beth Breton reported Carmody's abusive behavior to Attorney General's Office in March, warrant a comprehensive suspension of his license. I strongly encourage the Maine Office of Licensing and Registration to prohibit Carmody's future contact with all animals. Thank you, ////END LETTER//// Well, the State of Maine Veterinary Licensing Board and Dr. David Spahn seem to prove themselves once again. Yep! In six months you can take your dog or cat to this veterinarian! We can't wait!

Rich, Do you really think that Governor Angus King or Dr. David Spahn of the Down Maine Veterinary Clinic really cares about pets or bad veterinarians? I hate to break it to you Rich, but these people don't even care about humans in Maine, let alone animals! Main's economy has been wiped out since Governor King has been in office, there is a near negative population growth and people with any education at all run away from Maine. It has one of the worst busienss climates in the United States, elementary and high schools are closing since so many families have fled the state. This is Governor King's last term in office and we can all be happy about that. Most people will not even admit that they elected him to a second term. One person I asked even joked that Maine governors are actually elected based on the size of their "Maine overbite" LOL! But really, Maine is a mess and we will be moving away from here and I could see that you are doing the same. You can add to that thousands of people who leave this state every week for better places to live. P.S. Don't worry so much about this place. They are doing a great job of taking care of themselves!