Stop the Killing News
January 24, 2007
Inside Informants SPEAK!
Since the beginning of December, ADL-LA has received some very interesting and informational letters from individuals employed or who used to be employed at LAAS and the City. The letters do not specify that they are to be kept confidential, rather, it appears they indeed want this information to be exposed (they did request we not release their names at this time.)
A few of these letters have been sent anonymously, and our attorney suggests that some details be redacted in order to preserve the anonymity of these individuals who could be putting themselves at risk for retribution by the department or the city of Los Angeles.
The compilation below is taken from several anonymous letters sent to ADL-LA recently regarding the Veterinary problems going on inside LAAS.
"The division of Veterinary Services in the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services has never been so badly managed as at the present time.
When Dr. Mangamele left the department as Chief Veterinarian, Dr. Smith who was a field veterinarian for a very short while, was appointed as acting Chief Veterinarian. She came to the department having no experience in shelter medicine or shelter management, and was simply egregious in her practices regarding animals. In her desire to be appointed and confirmed as Chief Veterinarian she never cared for the working conditions of the Registered Veterinary Technicians (RVT) who are the backbone of the veterinary health work in the department. Whenever she visited shelters she never went to the hospital areas and talked to the medical staff but consulted the shelter management and kennel staff.
From the time of her appointment she had medical problems and was not able to concentrate fully on her work. She is now on medical leave due to disability with full pay. Before she went on leave she invited her friend Dr. Rainey to join the Department of Animal Services. Dr. Rainey worked in the Veterinary Public Health Division in the Rabies Control Division of the Los Angeles County Veterinary Public Health Department. She had problems with her supervisor in the Rabies Control Division as she always questioned the supervisor's directives and did not carry them out satisfactorily. So, when Dr. Smith invited her to join the Department of Animal Services she readily jumped at the idea.
When Dr. Smith went on medical leave, over a year ago, she appointed Dr. Rainey as acting Chief Veterinarian in spite of other more senior and competent veterinarians who could have been appointed. Dr. Rainey never had any shelter medicine experience or even proper clinical experience. No sooner was she appointed as acting Chief Veterinarian she gave instructions that Veterinary Technicians have to do every aspect of the veterinary health duties. She informed the veterinarians that they are there only to direct RVTs and not required to examine animals, do minor surgeries or administer medications like injections. So Drs. Kristo and Cotton who are supposed to be her contemporaries in the same Veterinary School, did not do anything in the shelters except to sit around reading, and sometimes watch RVT's.
The shelter staff at North Central Shelter say that Dr. Rainey is never available for work at the clinic. They say she is always in her room and not available for urgent calls. Instead, she spends her time copying the California Practitioners' Act, protocols from other local government agencies and circulating to department staff. She has appointed an assistant for her. She is an Animal Care Technician -Patricia Ott. Patricia Ott who has absolutely no education or knowledge in veterinary matters and shelter medicine, yet she brags to other employees that she is in contact with the American Veterinary Medical Association and The California Veterinary Board, and that she is formulating guidelines and protocols for the veterinary medical staff. Dr. Rainey has also authorized Patricia Ott to monitor the work of the veterinary staff in all the shelters. This has created lots of displeasure among the veterinary staff that their work is monitored by a member of the kennel staff who has no knowledge in veterinary law or disease prevention.
Dr. Kristo who is the veterinarian at West Valley Animal Shelter came to the department after working ten years in a vaccine clinic and has little experience in clinical or shelter medicine. The shelter staff at West Valley and at West Los Angeles which she also overlooks, nicknamed her as 'lactator', as she orders lactated Ringer solution administered to every animal which sneezes; so much so, the Veterinary Technicians administer fluids to animals the whole day and have no time to perform other important duties for animals. This behavior of the Veterinarians is because of the department not training them in Public Service Rules, Regulations nor do they put any importance on hiring progressive clinicians who would save animals lives instead of killing them.
Dr. Kristo does not appear to have confidence in treating animals. The Animal Control Officers (ACOs) who impound these animals get frustrated when she tells them to take them to private hospitals. The ACOs who have worked in the department many years, know to some extent what the problems are and often times tell her to treat them instead. Very often the private veterinarians question the ACO why an animal was brought with such minor ailment and why the shelter veterinarians did not treat them. The private veterinary hospital, and private laboratory expenses for obvious clinical conditions are enormous. The department does not seem to bother about these unnecessary expenses when the city is faced with financial crisis.
There is hardly any proper veterinary care at the East Valley Shelter. The last veterinarian, Dr. Cotton, does not come out of his room. After many attempts in paging him he comes out, looks at the animals, scribbles some notes on a piece of paper and goes back to his room. Shelter management has observed him coming late for work, and leaving early and have reported the matter to Dr. Rainey. The shelter staff informs, that the entire veterinary work in the East Valley Shelter is now being done by Veterinary Technicians without any assistance what so ever from a shelter veterinarian.
Complaints have been made by shelter management and others to General Manager Ed Boks. The General Manager, seems to be in his own world. Two RVTs have resigned from the department in recent months, and reported a senior veterinarian in the department will be leaving soon, as it seems that "The management is not doing anything about the inexperienced Dr. Rainey."
Dr. Rainey has been making frequent transfers of the medical staff, her personal whim and fancy, without considering the requirements of the veterinary staff. The morale of the veterinary staff is at its lowest. The department is unable to recruit new veterinarians or veterinary technicians, as news of this dismal administration of the Veterinary division is known in the veterinary community in Los Angeles, and people reluctant to join the department.
It is imperative that the city hires a private consultant in shelter medicine and management to study the functioning of the Veterinary Division of the Department of Animal Services and make recommendations for improving management and practices. It is also a must that the department calls for applications from experienced, progressive and caring veterinarians to fill the position of Chief Veterinarian immediately to prevent the collapse veterinary services in the shelters."
ADL-LA Disclaimer: Nothing contained in this publication is intended to encourage or incite illegal acts. Many of the reports contained in our Action Alerts and on our web site at www.StopTheKilling.net have been received anonymously and the Campaign cannot make any guarantees for the accuracy of these reports. Any views or comments stated in reports, Action Alerts or on the web site are not necessarily the views of STK or ADL-LA.
