In an amended allegation, the California Veterinary Health Commission revised its original set of complaints against the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) medical director, Jeff Blea.
However, the additional information is mostly “refining” what is included original accusation George Wallace, Blea’s attorney, said.
Based on Various top veterinary medical professionalsThat big picture is a big part of loose record keeping.
What the revised charge does, however, is put the ball rolling at a difficult time leading up to a full hearing, giving Blea 15 days to file a defense notice.
Wallace said once Blea has notified the defense, a formal hearing is required to be scheduled within 30 days. But given the complex nature of the case, it could take longer, he said.
“We are expected to protest and refute almost everything here when the time is right. It remains the case that the Accreditation’s allegations are contested, and will be either dismissed outright or proven consistent with the professional and legal obligations of equine veterinarians in general, and in particular equine veterinarian at the California racetrack,” Wallace wrote in an email, regarding the revised accusation.
Blea has been brought in administrative leave from the position of Chief Veterinarian of the California Racecourse by UC Davis in January. According to a administrative law judgment Since earlier this month, Blea’s veterinary license has also been temporarily suspended pending a formal hearing.
In the meantime, Blea can still seek sanctions in California Superior Court to lift the temporary ban on his veterinary license due to the suspension having “serious problems of lack of basis”. proved,” Wallace said. He said a decision on such a move could be made next week.
Following an administrative law judge’s ruling earlier in February, CHRB chief executive Scott Chaney explained that the agency was considering a similar legal intervention in the Superior Court on behalf of Blea.
According to a CHRB spokesperson on Wednesday, no decision has yet been made on the agency’s legal approach to the case.
The Veterinary Board accused Blea of a number of crimes, including administering medication to racehorses without prior testing to diagnose and determine medical need, failing to establish a “any” relationship between customers and veterinary patients and release non-FDA approved drugs for equine management.
A follow-up TDN investigation found a broad consensus among veterinary health professionals that violations were largely due to poor recordkeeping, often resulting in less severe punitive actions than license suspensions.
Veterinary experts also suggest that the investigation likely fails to explain the unusual nature of veterinary practices on the farm, where veterinarians have multiple pens under their care. can build relationships with their animals without traditional small animal practices.
In its initial argument for the temporary suspension, the veterinary panel also stated that Blea posed a “danger to public health, safety and welfare”, due to his oversight as was the equine medical director in the high-profile inquest into the death of Bob Baffert-trained Medina Spirit (Protonico), GI Kentucky Derby winner, who collapsed and died after a scheduled workout on the 6th. December at Santa Anita.
The end result of that abdominal surgery is released to the public last week, with the last Medina Spirit’s cause of death being “unknown.”
According to UC Davis, Blea is still on administrative leave, despite having completed the autopsy.
“The conclusion of Medina Spirit’s necropsy does not affect the status of the position of equine medical director. Dr. Blea remains on administrative leave. In the meantime, school staff continue to fulfill the duties of equine medical director for the California Jockey Board,” a UC Davis spokesperson wrote in an email.
The revised accusation includes details not included in the original complaint.
Perhaps most interestingly, it included a list of “identical drugs and therapeutics” that Blea allegedly supplied to 3,225 equine patients in 67 working days. This number has been given many times by the veterinary panel when justifying the temporary suspension.
List the following substances commonly found along the track: A sufficient, Gastrogard, Aspirin powder, Acepromazine, Uniprim, Otomax, Legend (a hyaluronic acid) and Tucoprim powder.
The revised allegation also adds supplements to those that Blea reports possessing or using that have not been approved by the FDA.
But as Bryan Langlois, former president of the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association, previously told TDNJust because certain medications aren’t FDA-approved for use in horses doesn’t mean veterinarians are prohibited from prescribing them.
“A lot of drugs are approved by the FDA but only in certain species or only in humans. The companies have never done the tests to test them on animals for FDA certification. So a lot of times, we prescribe these drugs for off-label use,” Langlois told. TDN.
“Usually, that means there is no FDA-approved equivalent for that species. The research has been done and the drug dosage has been calculated so that it can be used safely on animals, you just have to let the owner know that you are using off-label medication,” he said. .
Among the punitive outcomes the veterinary medical board is seeking against Blea is the complete revocation or suspension of his license.
The TDN asked Langlois to review the revised accusation. In a statement, he explained that the nature of the charges had not yet reached the point of requiring an immediate license suspension.
