On Tuesday, April 27th, the veterinarian Dr. Balpal Sandhu, of Santa Clarita, was revoked after board members reportedly ruled that the doctor failed to comply with certain regulations and committed negligent and unprofessional behavior.
The California Veterinary Medical Board decided Tuesday that veterinarian Dr. Balpal Sandhu has reportedly committed negligent and unprofessional behavior, among other things.
“The files show that the defendant committed numerous negligence, incompetence, unprofessional behavior and inadequate records in the treatment of his animal patients,” said the decision of the Veterinary Medical Board. “In his capacity as the managing licensee of AVVC, All Creatures and Canyon Country, the defendant failed to comply with regulations regarding radiation safety, operating room sterility and accountability in protocols for the release of controlled substances.”
The ruling also stated that the doctor had “violated his probation requirements by not following all laws and submitting quarterly reports, evidence of community service and evidence of completing advanced training courses.”
Dr. Balpal Sandhu operated all three clinics on the file, including the All Creatures Veterinary Center in Newhall, Canyon Country Veterinary Animal Hospital in Canyon Country, and the AV Animal Veterinary Center in Lancaster, each of which had also been ruled by the court to own their premises be revoked.
Of the 15 cases included in the application, eight patients – including two cats and six dogs – are believed to have died in connection with their medical problems and subsequent treatment at the clinics in question.
See Related: Santa Clarita Veterinary Trial Commences On Alleged Misconduct
Back in 2016, when Sandhu was reportedly on parole, complaints about Dr. Sandhu has been submitted. The complaints affected 15 different pets, eight of which had died while being looked after at Sandhus facilities or shortly after treatment.
“I am very grateful to the Assistant Attorney General Nancy Kaiser and very grateful to the Veterinary Office for taking such cases seriously,” said complainant Edward Feinstein about the case. “It’s a little bit bittersweet though, since I’ve waited three years of my life for a result.”
Feinstein got involved after his 3-year-old Chihuahua Fiona was attacked by a large dog. She was reportedly taken to Sandhu’s office for treatment and then transferred from the office to Acute Critical Care and Emergency Surgical Service (ACCESS) in Los Angeles before succumbing to her injuries.
“Now that the result is finally here, I’m grateful that you were able to see through this story,” said Feinstein. “He who loses his license is not going to bring my or anyone else’s pet back, but there are people out there who will help and send a message to people like that.”
Feinstein is one of over a dozen reportedly testifying against Sandhu after the case was filed in November 2019, including several professional witnesses.
“As the case turned out, that’s exactly what had to happen,” said Wendy Hand, a registered veterinarian and professional witness against the doctor. “When I was working there, I noticed that not only did he keep his parole, but he also had no intention of ever meeting his parole.”
Hand reportedly worked for Dr. Sandhu at the All Creatures Veterinary Center in Newhall, providing testimony in the case of the doctor’s conduct.
“My biggest concern was that they were checking in a number of patients that they didn’t have the staff to attend to,” said Hand. “They took the owner’s money to care for and the animals never got the care they needed. Many pets died as a result. “
The verdict, presented to the Veterinary Medical Board in the California State Department of Consumer Affairs, was passed Tuesday by Ji-Lan Zang, a judge with the Office of Administrative Hearings.
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