Dog owners want license pulled from Edmonton vet guilty of 'systemic unprofessional conduct'

Casey and Claire Yam in an interview with CTV News Edmonton, along with a photo of their dog Holly.

Two Edmonton women are calling for authorities to take away the license of a local veterinarian who has been sanctioned numerous times, claiming his negligence caused the death of their beloved pet back in 2018.

Sisters Claire and Casey Yam adopted Holly the miniature Schnauzer five years ago.

The dog was nine years old and they had her for about three weeks when they decided to take her to Edmonton South Animal Hospital for dental work and to get spayed.

"I think I did a quick Google search. There was nothing alarming at the time," Claire said.

That's where their journey began with Dr. Ignacio Tan.

Dr. Tan is no longer a veterinarian at Edmonton South Animal Hospital, one of the owners said Wednesday.

The sisters said Dr. Tan notified them that Holly, a breeding mom, was pregnant. They said he asked if they wanted to terminate the pregnancy.

"I was assured that she was medically stable and it wouldn't impact anything, that the procedure was safe to do," Claire said.

After surgery, Holly went home. But she took a turn for the worse and the Yams took her back. They say Dr. Tan wasn't there, instead a vet tech told them Holly needed to be monitored overnight.

The sisters say by the next morning, Holly was worse, so they took her to another clinic.

"She was obviously declining quickly and then they took her in the back. It was less than 10minutes and they came out and said she's gone," Casey recalled.

The sisters filed a formal complaint with the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association (ABVMA), which held a disciplinary hearing against Dr. Tan.

Dr. Tan admitted to 18 allegations of unprofessional misconduct and was sanctioned by the ABVMA.

The decision stated that Dr. Tan demonstrated "systemic unprofessional conduct." He was fined $5,000 and ordered to pay costs in the amount of $8,000.

The ABVMA found Dr. Tam "guilty of unprofessional conduct in the areas of medical management, informed consent, communication with clients, hospitalization, responsible veterinarian duties, failure to refer, and medical records."

"But all he got was a slap on the wrist. Pay a fine of a couple thousand, you can't supervise a vet student, which he still ended up doing, we found out from the other cases, and then do a course," Casey said.

"Someone like Dr. Tan should not have a license. Dr. Tan should not be practicing," Claire added.

While nothing can bring Holly back, the Yams hope that by sharing their story now, no one else will lose a pet.

The ABVMA has investigated four other complaints against Dr. Tan, all with multiple allegations.

They include: failing to perform an appropriate physical exam of an animal and failing to provide necessary treatment or providing incomplete treatment.

In each case, he was found guilty of some of the allegations and was fined and/or sanctioned.

He's also slated to appear in front of the association on three more cases in the coming months.

The ABVMA denied CTV News Edmonton's request for an interview.

"Only in cases where the member has demonstrated a repeated failure to comply with ABVMA professional standards and regulations will the ABVMA seek cancellation of a member’s registration," a statement from the association said.

CTV News Edmonton also made several requests to interview Dr. Tan, but he has not responded.

An employee at Mercy Animal Hospital in north Edmonton confirmed to CTV News Edmonton that he now works there. 

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Alison MacKinnon and Katie Chamberlain