edited: August 8th, 2007

Malpractice ranks at this Banfield location

Hello all- I know that I'm long gone from this world, since December 16, 2006 thanks to unprofessional, uneducated, and unqualified doctors (Dr. Bayomi & Dr. Kim) at Banfield in Fair Lakes VA., but I can't rest in peace just yet until everyone in Virginia with dogs/cats are aware of how irresponsible and inhumane these doctors are. Please read the following fragment of the letter that my mommy sent to Va. Board of Veterinary Medicine. My case is currently pending for ruling. On December 7, 2006, Sharkey Kim was taken to Banfield in Fair Lakes for dental cleaning with Dr. Bayomi. The Nurse confirmed with me that blood work would be done in order to ensure that his kidney and liver were healthy before putting him under anesthesia. Banfield also stated that if any abnormalities were found they would let my family know before proceeding with the procedure. By 3p.m. I had not heard anything, so to verify that everything was in order I called Banfield and was told by the receptionist that the blood work results looked good and that Sharkey was slowly waking up from the anesthesia. I checked Sharkey out and brought him home that same day. On our way home, he vomited in the car so I called Banfield and they assured me that that was normal after receiving dental work and anesthesia. That night, my family tried to feed Sharkey so that he could take his antibiotics, however he refused to eat and he was extremely lethargic. We observed Sharkey throughout the weekend of the December 8th through the 10th and he began to vomit more and also experienced symptoms of bloody stool, constant diarrhea, loss of appetite, and loss of energy. On Monday, December 11, 2006, I took Sharkey back to Banfield and I explained Sharkey’s symptoms to Dr. Kim who was on duty that day. Dr. Kim performed a fecal exam and told us that he had gastroenteritis and then gave him IV fluids. Over the next few days, Sharkey continued to lose weight and lack of motion. On Tuesday, December 12, 2006, I took Sharkey back to Banfield and informed them that his condition had gotten worse. Dr. Kim informed me that Sharkey could be experiencing possible stress, infection (viral/bacterial/parasitic/fungal), dietary indiscretion, or exposure to toxin/chemical/drug. She said according to their records and testing, he looked normal. At this point, I repeatedly asked Dr. Kim on numerous occasions whether or not the dental cleaning, specifically the anesthesia, had caused his condition, but she confirmed that his symptoms were not associated with the procedure. As my family continued to witness Sharkey’s condition worsening everyday, we decided to take him to Aldie Veterinary Hospital on December 14, 2006 to obtain a second opinion. After the first look at Sharkey, Dr. Dougher was able to tell that his symptoms had something to do with his liver due to discoloration in his skin and the yellow pigment in his eyes. We were informed by Dr. Dougher, who had reviewed Sharkey’s lab work from Banfield, that his liver value was at 471 at the time of his dental cleaning which should have been an indicator that further testing was necessary instead of proceeding with the procedure. She also informed us that the average healthy liver value should be approximately up to 100 and when beyond the standard liver value measure, a veterinary clinic should notify the owners and discuss the necessary protocols. Dr. Dougher followed up with Banfield and verified Banfield’s standard protocol procedure when the liver value is high and found that their standard liver value was also at 100 per Dr. Bayomi. Sharkey was on IV fluids all day Thursday and on Friday morning, December 15, 2006. Dr. Carlson from Aldie referred Sharkey to SouthPaws Veterinary Specialists and Emergency Center for further testing with Dr. Dahlgaard. They completed another ultrasound and concluded the same results as Dr. Dougher and stated that biopsy was needed. Later that afternoon, they did a biopsy of his liver and Sharkey was diagnosed with lymphoma by Dr. Sheafor, an Oncologist at SouthPaws. That evening, Sharkey started 12 week ACOPA protocol chemotherapy. By Saturday afternoon, December 16, 2006, his condition worsened to the point that he experienced diarrhea every 30 min to hour, extensive vomiting, severe depression, and little to no appetite and energy. 24 hours after Sharkey began chemo, the hospital performed more blood tests to review his current health status and found that his liver had only gotten worse. After seeing no improvements and witnessing Sharkey’s suffering, our family decided to put him down. On December 19, 2006, my brother Timothy Kim and I went to Banfield to speak with Dr. Bayomi and Dr. Kim. Dr. Bayomi was not present; however we spoke to him over the phone. Dr. Bayomi advised my brother that the actions that he took by proceeding with Sharkey’s dental cleaning was the proper protocol and that the anesthesia they had used would not have caused any further damage to Sharkey’s liver condition, but that was found to be false according to the doctors at Aldie and he also stated that there has been a miscommunication between Dr. Kim and himself and also with us. However, we found out that Dr. Kim who had followed up with Sharkey on the 11th and 12th of December, confessed that she had never reviewed his blood work and was not aware of the fact that his liver value was at 471 which is a clear indication that there was no communication and sharing of information between the two doctors as they rotated their patient visits nor have we been informed of Sharkey’s blood results by Dr. Bayomi or Dr. Kim. Upon our request, Dr. Huntington, a regional director of Banfield, reviewed the case and concluded that Dr. Bayomi made a mistake, but that Sharkey would have come to the same end regardless of the dental work events and that Dr. Bayomi should not have gone through with the dental work although the anesthesia would not have had any effect on his liver, which I beg to, differ. She also stated that “things sometimes happen”, referring to Sharkey’s death and was not able to explain why or how anesthesia would not effect Sharkey’s liver. On behalf of Sharkey, my family is requesting that Virginia Board of Veterinary Medicine review this case to investigate the substandard care and unprofessional conduct of Dr. Bayomi and Dr. Kim at Banfield Veterinary Hospital located in Fair Lakes, Virginia. Sharkey’s blood test results were reviewed by 3 different veterinarians at Aldie Vet Hospital and they all came to the same conclusion that they would not have put him under anesthesia when his liver value was at 471. Instead they stated that they would have informed us of his condition and requested further testing be done as his liver value became a greater concern than his dental cleaning. One of the veterinarians at SouthPaws also told Dr. Carlson at Aldie, off the record, and they too agreed that they would not have put Sharkey under anesthesia under these circumstances. We are seeking justice in hopes that these unfortunate events will not occur again to other beloved pets in Virginia due to negligence and unprofessional conduct as testified by veterinarians at Aldie Vet Hospital. We also hope to bring justice to the sudden death of Sharkey, who was not given proper care and treatment. Had appropriate protocols been taken sooner, he may still be alive today with the necessary treatment and care that he deserved. My family asks that you please take this letter into deep consideration to prevent other people from losing some of their most important family members due to substandard care that endangers the well being of the animal.

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