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Hi Ed,
This will serve as my one and only comment to your wildly inaccurate accusations (I will answer any questions you might have).
I owned All Care Cat Hospital from 5/98-9/07. In about July of '06 we made the difficult decision to sell the practice due to personal family issues (absolutely nothing to do with the practice---also absolutely none of your business). We also decided to move to Phoenix, in part due to those issues as well as my finding a job at Anthem College (which at that time was called High Tech Institute).
Unfortunately it took us an entire year to sell the hospital, during which time I was working in Phoenix part of the week and then at the hospital the rest of the week.
At points during that year, I also had relief vets working for me...each worse than the next. After an extremely hard year, I managed to sell the practice. That is why the letter to the clients is dated 9/07.
From 9/07-9/08 I worked full-time at the school. I can assure you that there really is a school, with 4 CVT instructors, 53 students (as of 9/12/08) and a great facility. The first students enrolled in 3/06. To date we have had 20 graduates. I am not sure who you talked to (or if in fact you actually even called the school), but maybe the confusion is over the fact that the school is not presently enrolling new students and won't be until the new year.
The memorandum with Maricopa shelter was signed in order for us to be able to have them bring some animals to the school to be spayed/neutered and have their teeth cleaned. Dr. Rodrigo Silva is the director of the shelter and over the past two years he and I did become friends.
Please note that Dr. Silva does NOT care for Ed Boks and actually tried to dissuade me from accepting the position here. I had NO prior knowledge of who Ed Boks was until I met him for the first time at my interview.
I have no idea why the other Dr's were not chosen for the position. To be honest I don't care. I am here now. I know what my strengths are and I know that I can be a force for positive change here. I will do my utmost to help this community and this department have the finest municipal animal care system it possibly can.
Lastly, you note that there are decidedly mixed reviews of me. While I am sure that there are some people who may not think highly of me, I am willing to bet my house that many, many, more thought highly of me and my wife. Please make sure that those negative views were of us and not the prior vet (Dr. Doss) or the relief vets.
I look forward to a time when this community will be able to put away its pettiness, immaturity and callous nature and start working together to help those that we all care about...the animals.
As I said, I will try to answer any questions you might have.
Sincerely,
Jeremy Prupas, VMD
Thank you Jeremey for the clarification. The woman I called and spoke to at length said there were no classes or instructors listed. There was no brochure about the vet tech program that could be mailed to me, only a generic one about the college. You were still listed as the director, but no faculty. She said Anthem may start enrolling in two months, but as of now there was no program or instructors. One other person claimed they called the same number without response.
If you look at Anthem college's website there is no mention of a vet tech or other vet program. Nada.
If you look at the AVMA site, it only points to the college site, which has no information.
As I said, I have no vet expertise and can't tell a good one from a bad one except over a period of time. Bad reviews or good by clients mean almost nothing unless there are a lot of them. The only reviews I saw were of you and Middleton.
My whole life is cats, caring for them, loving them, managing colonies, TNR, etc., and LAAS has a horrible record in saving them. Some shelters, even large shelters, are saving 80% or more. They have better adoption and foster programs. The director of the San Francisco AC&C says they lose very few neonatals, that they have a large foster base.
All this stuff is analyzed as infinitum in 739 previous posts over the past 2.7 years.
You might note that I was a staunch defender of Boks the first year until I found out that the live save rate was down compared to the year before and that he has a very strained relation to truth, but a close one to spin.
Then there is the Mason case where Ed attacked a "hoarder" claiming his cats had distemper and they killed 25 kittens. Antech lab results came back negative but positive for garden varieties of URI. The cats were seized without legal process in front of TV cameras and dozens of City and County officials. Ed pilloried him calling him mentally ill. The cats were impounded for three months until a bunch of us help Mason get the cats adopted. Many were killed.
As I stated above, if you can do the job I'll stand by you 100% and then even more.
About when we will put away our pettiness, immaturity and callous nature, it sounds like you are putting it all on the rescue/humane community, when you have not taken a look at the sociopath who hired you and the constant lies we have heard over the past 2.7 years about what enormous success LAAS has in adoptions, his background, his successes, etc., even when the numbers didn't compute.
In March of 2007 Boks announced LAAS had its first No-Kill month ever, and in the same announcement said 700 cats and dogs had been euthanized.
A week ago over 100 employees, maybe more than that said Boks had to go. Not only employees, but there were many rescue community and volunteers also.
So I don't know who you are addressing your complaint towards but be aware of Boks, Jim Blackman, and our sleazy mayor who, despite over 2 years of complaints, made no effort to reign Boks in.
Take a look at the link to the video of the dozens of complainants that appeared before Council, but apparently only 4 or 5 were allowed to speak.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icMenNjCs6Q
You have entered a community where there is a war and you are now part of it.
Thank you for replying. It was not necessary for you to reply, but thank you. I am inclined to believe you and I will call again and see if I can talk to anyone else. She (had a difficult name to remember) could not/did not refer me to anyone else to better comment on the program.
My "wild" speculations are based on the fact Boks never responds to my questioning. LAAS is a black box and you have to rattle it to get a response or even a defense.
15 comments:
Again though, taking a look at High Tech, Anthem, high tech/Anthem I find only:
http://www.hightechinstitute.edu/locations/anthem-college/
http://www.hightechinstitute.edu/accreditations/anthem-college/
http://www.anthem.edu/
http://www.hightechinstitute.edu/locations/anthem-college/
http://hightechinstitute.edu/
There is no mention of any veterinary program on any of these sites at all. None.
Nor does the AVMA site say anything but provisional accreditation and says nothing more about the program.
There is nothing else I can say to convince you other than to say hop in the car and drive 400 miles to Phoenix. The main building is 1515 E. Indian School Rd. The vet tech building is the next building just west 1445 E. Indian School Rd. The facility is on the ground floor. Tell them Jeremy says Hi.
Whether you believe me or not really doesn't matter to me. I have attempted to answer some of your concerns about me. If I've helped aleviate some, great. If not, then I wish you the best and I will let my actions speak for themselves.
Jeremy
Jeremy, you said you'd try to answer my questions. Can you give me a phone number contact for someone at that program in Phoenix? Someone to verify the program exists?
To say drive 400 miles to verify what you say is pretty sarcastic when you can just give me two or three phone number contacts.
As a matter of fact though, I usually do go to Phoenix every October or November, but I can't wait until then.
You are a creep. You are a rude, dishonest, gossip-monger; who do you think you are, casting aspirsions when a few weeks ago, you didn't know who the new chief was, much less implying he was a crony of Boks!? You are not a one-man, self-appointed board of medical examiners! You are insane! You are beset by demons, confusing you, because you have turned your back on the one true God, and worship pagan idols.
A dirtbag creep, addressing a doctor you don't know by his first name! How dare you try to diminish a doctor's status with your smarmy rudeness because you have appointed yourself proector of imaginary cats.
CREEP! You impolite, lying creep.
No one owes you anything!
Do you have a job?
I find it hard to believe that Jeremy did not google Boks and LA Animal Services before accepting the job. Who would want to work for the Dept in its current state. I think he's in it just for the money. I also think he has no animal sheltering experience. Trying to get a tiny vet tech school off the ground and running a private practice in San Diego is VERY different than dealing with 45,000 animals of all types per year. All animals in the shelter get ill, some get injured, some are taken to the shelter after being hit by a car, there are fighting pitbulls, feral cats, cows, wildlife. I don't think this guy is prepared. He doesn't have the right experience and is thin skinned like Boks. He really needs to know that it's not the rescue community that is the main problem. Some of the employees will eat him alive. He'll end up running away from this like he ran away from his practice and the AZ school. Time will tell. Maybe someone can ask him what is his plan to turn things around, what will he do differently than Feldman to help the animals. Will he be able to force the employees to medicate the animals? or will he just fudge the books for Boks to merely make things appear better. I have a feeling this may just be the dead horse story. What do you do with a dead horse? You put a new rider on him, tie two dead horses together for greater speed...
Not really a question but I'll respond anyways. I was fully aware of the problems facing the dept. before I agreed to come. I even flew in and had a meeting with Ed and some other folk before making my decision.
Money? I can easily make more money in private practice (with much less headache).
Do not make any assumptions about my character. You do not know me. You do not know what I am capable of. Responding to this blog was not due to being thin-skinned (I have been actually quite humored by all this attention at such a non-issue as my resume). My intention has always been to try and start the dialog moving forward and stop the constant negativity directed towards the dept. If you prefer to continue to slog away at me, please go ahead and do your worst.
I have never put any blame on any rescue org. All I said was that the community (meaning all of us) needs to get over the bickering and start working together. Rescue groups, foster people and volunteers and vitally important to what we want to accomplish and I have great regard for all of those who give up their time and money to help. I do think that some groups and/or people can sometimes overstep their boundaries which can (and has) lead to lots of resentment among all of the interested parties.
Lastly, Ed (Muzika) said that I have become involved in a war. Let's leave the histrionics out of this. People are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan...that is a war. What we have here is different personalities with different agendas disagreeing over who is to blame for a problem that has been around for a long time... heated certainly, but calling it a war only serves to inflame the tensions.
Jeremy
Jeremy, I don't know you and I do hope you succeed.
Though, I find the offer of your home tempting, so I'll take you up on the bet. Keep me posted.
Maybe you will be an strong agent of change. Hopefully.
Do you have a plan? Have you analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of the various processes and procedures that have led to failure and increasing died in shelter and increased euthanasia?
Do you have a plan on how to dramatically reduce neonatal killing?
Do you have a plan on how to increase isolation areas for cats?
Or, are you going to wing it?
Died in shelter numbers have increased dramatically over the past 2 years despite having three times as many vets. Why? What can you do?
I too wish you luck.
On another note, I called Anthem again today. This time I talked to two different women, both different from the one I talked to Monday.
"Wini" was a "representative." She said she could give me no information as to instructors, courses, the program or students because enrollment for the new year had not begun.
So, I said, apart from the fresh information about the program, can you give me an overview of the program to date. She said she could not at this point.
We beat about this bush for awhile.
Finally, I asked in frustration, "Does any program exists at all," to which she responded it did. I asked for more details or a referal to someone who could tell me more about the program.
She could not. She said there was nothing to say until enrollment began.
I finally asked does the program have any students at all, does it even exist? She responded it did exist, but could not tell me about the students in the program.
I asked if any had graduated. She said no, but some were in the process of completing the program. None had graduated.
I have no interest in getting you into trouble there by even mentioning you, I just want to know who I can talk to there about the program who actually knows about the program. Can you help me out here?
This will end the last doubt I, and any of us have. Then we can get behind you.
About the war thing. You have no idea what you are talking about. Just hand around for awhile.
Anytime you want to write a column or anything about making a statement, or talk about sucesses or problems, ask for help, etc., I will post whatever you want.
Well, here's a vote against your credibility, Dr. P.:
Today you told me that you approved for my dog, Stu to be put under general anesthesia BEFORE a blood test (completley contraindicated by any responsible vet..sedation, maybe...general anethesia ...NO).
As I described to you, Stu has been suffering from periodontal disease, bleeding gums, losing teeth since after 1 year in his 3 years in captivity at the hands of your new boss. Why not tell us what you think of 3 years of refusing to treat an animal in need of vet care?
AND you told me that it would "take 6 people" to hold Stu ( a 60lb. lab mix) down to draw blood.
Really? If you'd followed my written terms for treatment of Stu, which included that I be present...which Boks agreed to IN WRITING...then I would have proved you wrong.
So...after Boks agreed IN WRITING, to NOT allow Stu to be treated or anesthetized without my WRITTEN CONSENT, he went ahead ,secretly and without my knowledge or consent-- and did exactly that.
AND you said, "He hasn't lost any teeth." However, the Dr. that treated him said, "He's missing A LOT of teeth."
Who should we believe, you? Or the guy who did the procedure?
Read this (below) and then read this from from the The 31st Congress of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (2006)
Periodontal Debridement by
Loic Legendre, DVM, FAVD, DAVDC, EVDC
http://www.vin.com/proceedings/Proceedings.plx?CID=WSAVA2006&Category=2667&PID=15774&O=Generic
Then, you can read my letter to you tomorrow. Then, hopefully you will cooperate in getting Stu what he truly needs or you can be forced to do so by a judge. Yes, I was appreciative of your call today. And yes, I told you that if you allowed Stu to be put under anesthesia without my consent again, that I would have your license. And yes, I mean it. And yes, then I hung up on you.
Yes, you have entered a war zone. So far, I'm not impressed. But hopefully you have the courage to be your own man and not Boks's puppet. We'll see...
From Dentistry "When to Call the Specialist" by Jerzy Gawor, DVM
Specialist Cases
"The following cases (as well as many others) require specialist input which will provide a wider spectrum of treatment options and a diminished risk of failure. All cases will be illustrated during the presentation.
Case# 1
Dog: complicated crown fracture (slab) of the mandibular first right molar (409) with pulp exposure. In addition, the fracture line extends below the gingival margin. Radiologic evaluation is mandatory. Therapeutic options include: endodontic therapy followed by restoration or extraction. Both are advanced procedures.
Case# 2
Cat: tooth resorptive lesions (TRs) of the mandibular left fourth premolar and first molar 308 309. At this stage, surgical extraction is the only option. The dental radiograph reveals the necessity of complete removal of the roots. A post-operative radiograph is indicated to ensure complete removal of the roots.
Case# 3
Dog: squamous cell carcinoma. T3b, N1a, M0; III stage of growth. Wide resection of the tumor (e.g., rostral mandibulectomy) is the treatment of choice. Tumor resection, maintenance of vital oral structures, proper closure and functionality of remaining jaw are necessary for a successful outcome.
Case# 4
Cat: class 1 malocclusion. Possible therapeutic options: orthodontic treatment, crown shortening followed by vital pulp therapy (or root canal therapy), extraction of affected tooth with odontoplasty of lower canine to protect upper lip. All of these options are best performed by a specialist.
Case# 5
Dog: unfavorable fracture with root tip in the fracture line. The treatment for affected molar tooth is required before stabilization of the fracture. Endodontic therapy with or without mesial root resection must be performed prior to fracture reduction and rigid fixation (e.g., an acrylic splint).
Case# 6
Dog: periodontal disease with pathologic pockets and gingival recession. The alveolar bone destruction may be arrested and controlled after numerous advanced procedures such as: subgingival debridement, periodontal flaps, open curettage, root planing, guided tissue regeneration, teeth splinting and last but not least: daily home care provided by the owner.
My name is Michael M and I am a former employee of Dr Prupas. I find it disturbing that Mr Muzika has made it his personal mission to discredit Dr Prupas based on google search results. I found Jeremy to be wonderful caring person. I learned volumes from him. In midsummer of 2006 due to marriage problems I had to walk away from All Care Cat Hospital. I did not give appropriate notice and I essentially left him hanging. Regardless of my bad behavior I received my full paycheck including holiday pay benefits and assurances that I would receive a great reference. During my time at All Care Dr Prupas worked 13-14 hour days 6 days a week and came in on Sunday to personally take care of boarding patients. I have since met 2 former clients of All Care Mrs Guyll and Ms Driussi both of them left when Dr Middleton took over due to a decrease in the level of care.
I would hope that Mr Muzika would give Dr Prupas a chance to suceed rather than condemning him without cause.
I am a former client of Dr. Jeremy and Prupas at All Care Cat Hospital and it took me until last month to find a vet as knowledgeable and caring after he sold the practice. LA is very fortunate to have someone as caring, motivated, and with an amazing work ethic. Dr Prupas cares deeply about the animals he treats and does not deserve to be maligned by people who do not know him personally.
Here's another example of the world class care under Prupas. A 2 year old female Chihuahua presents with broken radius and ulnar (front leg near the "wrist"). The break is set in a splint on 7/31 at LAAS without surgery. This can be fine, but surgery is often needed in small dogs with fractures like this one due to inadequate blood circulation which fosters healing. Chances that the bones will heal without reinforcement --metal plate, etc. are not great but only time will tell.
Prupas or his "team" says that if the dog is not adopted within 5 days and receives an "urgent" evaluation of the leg that the dog WILL be "euthanized" on August 6-- as it will be "inhumane" to keep the dog alive past that. Prupas or his vet (code name "Dr. 500" according to records)also specify a "recheck" in a week although "a week" will be the same day that the dog is killed.
The dog is pulled from the shelter on 8/4 under the threat of death. A REAL real vet...a respected orthopedic surgeon... completely disagrees that the situation would ever warrant euthanasia under these circumstances. The dog is alert, wants to be active and is in otherwise perfect health. If the bones don't heal correctly, then surgery would be warranted (a conservative and sane approach). Surgery will be $2500 +/- and that is the option the rescuer has....ONCE we see how the bones mend without it.
What we have here is a completely f*ckd prognosis and death warrant given to a tough little dog with a relatively minor injury. At the very worst, if surgery cannot be afforded , then amputation is an option (that won't be happening).
So, Jeremy, WTF? It's been nearly a year since calling your critics creeps and insane. Meanwhile, a perfect example of junk medicine comes hopping out of your clutches.
How many animals have you killed who were not "irremediably suffering?" due to your expertise? Sure, it looks better for the numbers to show killed animals as "unadoptable" or "irremediably suffering." The only thing we're suffering from is your uninformed or uncaring practices.
Can you move on now?
Update on the Chihuahua aka "Little Girl."
Again, a real ortho says she is not 2 years old..but only about 8 months...a puppy. This translates into an incredible chance that the bones will heal without surgery. AND THEY DID. She's fine--no surgery, no amputation, no OMG urgent eval or she must die because it would be "inhumane" to keep her alive with the splint on. The splint was all it took...most likely expertly applied by an RVT. The cost? One exam and 2 follow-up x-rays = equals a LIVE adoptable wonderful little dog. She would have been adoptable even with an amputation and that would cost the City what?...some antibiotics and close observation? I hear a duck.
Jeremy:
These people are C-R-A-Z-Y!!! To those thought people who honestly described you as a great vet, thank you. Jeremy your love for the animals & providing them with excellent care speaks volumes to your honorable character. You can't fix this kind of "crazy" they suffer from, because they live for this banter & they have pathetic lives. When it comes to lunatics, please ignore & walk away. If not they win & they rob you of what's truly important, which is your family & the animals. To you crazy people, thank you for being you! You're the reason why I heavily invest in Prozac shares & the stock keeps on growing, I'm on my second home thanks to you guys & I'm laughing all the way to the bank! Yahoo!!! Does this mean Jeremy gets the last laugh, since the good guys are winning in this situation?
Elysheva
Jeremy and lisa where two of the best vets I've ever known. I sorely miss both of them.
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