Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners v. T.H.

T.H. is a veterinarian who was alleged to have kept inadequate records after being called out by police in the middle of the night to aid in the apprehension of two horses running loose on the side of the road. The horses were extremely malnourished and sick, so T.H. ordered they be euthanized. T.H. successfully euthanized one of the horses without incident; however, the other horse was unruly and running wild. T.H. then obtained authorization to immobilize the horse with darts containing succinylcholine, but neither worked. T.H. then determined that the second horse would also need to be euthanized, so T.H. discussed the same with the law enforcement officials on the scene. When initial efforts failed and the law enforcement officials could not procure the items needed to subdue the horse, they were forced to fire at the horse to bring it down. After an investigation by the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners (TBVME), an informal conference (IC) was scheduled. We attended T.H. at the IC and presented evidence that he, at all times, was in strict compliance with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations.