My dear friend Dr. Cathy Alinovi was bullied into accepting lies or resigning her veterinary license. Being the strong woman she is, she refused to accept the lies and resigned her license.
Would you sign a contract that named you an animal abuser – when you are not an animal abuser? What if you were forced to give up everything you’ve worked for – for decades – if you didn’t sign? Your business, your livelihood – all gone if you don’t sign a piece of paper. That’s what the State of Indiana did to Dr. Cathy Alinovi.
I’ve known Dr. Cathy for many years. She is the hardest working woman I know. She goes full speed at all times (I suspect she even sleeps fast). She has heart, she’s brave – fearless. As reminder, Dr. Cathy was who spoke against an AAFCO discussion on grocery store waste foods (including plastic packaging) being fed to livestock. She was boo-ed by industry. Needless to say, she truly cares about animals and what they consume.
She doesn’t do anything half-hearted. As example, she believed that food – real food – can cure many ailments with pets. True to her heart, her clinic did NOT carry any prescription pet foods – none. She refused to sell feed grade ‘pet food’ even if Big Pet Feed sales reps told her she needed to.
Enter an employee that worked for Dr. Cathy several years ago. I suspect this employee wasn’t fond of Cathy’s hard work ethics. The employee was fired. And then accusations began.
Local authorities investigated the accusations in 2014 – Dr. Cathy was cleared of every accusation. But the accuser wasn’t done. This time accusations were delivered to the State Attorney General’s office of Indiana. And that office proceeded to bully her which ultimately ended with Dr. Cathy resigning her veterinary license.
The State of Indiana gave her two choices. 1) Sign a contract admitting she abused animals for which she would be penalized 6 months without practicing medicine or 2) Resign her veterinary license forever. She refused to lie. She refused to admit to harming animals when she worked so hard to protect animals. She resigned her license.
Yesterday, Dr. Cathy’s clinic was filled with people who have for years been her clients. Filled with people who trust her, appreciate her for the fantastic veterinarian she is. They came because they too are devastated that ‘the system’ can be so wrong. They are devastated that ‘the system’ didn’t listen to them, didn’t hear the true evidence validating the truth about Dr. Cathy Alinovi. The one abuse accusation that Dr. Cathy agreed happened (one – of over 8 pages of ridiculous fabricated accusations) was kicking a dog. Yes…Dr. Cathy reacted and kicked a dog to stop the dog from attacking a cat. That dog – yesterday – was in Dr. Cathy’s care at her clinic. That’s how much the dog’s owner believed it was ‘abuse’.
The truth about Dr. Cathy Alinovi is this: she is a hero. She is brave beyond brave. She is beyond ethical. The truth is that a small handful of people told big time lies against her, and the State of Indiana chose to believe them instead of believing the truth from hundreds of others.
The State of Indiana Attorney General’s office is tasked with protecting individuals within the state. Well, here’s a huge thing that Indiana Attorney General is ignoring…right now, in every grocery store and big box pet store across Indiana are illegal pet foods. They are being purchased by unknowing pet food consumers and those consumers are bringing illegal, adulterated (per federal law) pet foods into their homes. The State of Indiana Attorney General’s office bothers to go after one single veterinarian based on testimony from a disgruntled fired employee but Indiana Attorney General’s office ignores federal food safety law and neglects to protect hundreds of thousands of consumers and their pets. Who is the State of Indiana really protecting?
One more quick story about my trusted friend…When I first met Dr. Cathy, she called me. She had a client with several cats seriously ill (a couple had died). She suspected it was the pet food and reached out to me to learn what she could do to prevent other pets from getting sick or dying from this pet food. I asked her if I could quote her in a story – quote her that she believed it was the pet food that was making these cats sick. Her response: “absolutely”. In the end, this pet food was recalled – which did save lives. I’m confident it never would have happened without her taking a stance.
Her response allowing me to quote her is rare. VERY RARE. Many, many veterinarians won’t take a stand against a pet food even if they do believe it was the cause of the pet death or illness. But Cathy did. She is 100% all in. She believed the pet food made these cats sick, and she was not afraid of standing behind her belief.
If you read anything negative about Dr. Cathy Alinovi – I assure you, it is untrue. I believe in her today as much as I did the very first day I met her. I take it back, I believe in her more.
Susan Thixton
Sandy Blackburn
February 6, 2016 at 12:17 pm
Dr. Cathy is one of the dearest people you will ever meet, I cry not just for her but for me, my animals and the thousands of animals she helps! I don’t trust any other vet!! I am beyond devastated as I know the employees who started this mess!! There needs to be a full investigation of the atty generals office for allowing this to happen! I love you Dr. Cathy!
Cathy C.
February 6, 2016 at 12:26 pm
Has anyone started a petition to the State of Indiana Attorney General’s Office to help Dr. Cathy? If so, I would love to sign it and start sharing it with the huge number of pet activists on social media. This is outrageous!
Ann
February 6, 2016 at 1:22 pm
My thoughts exactly, great idea! Let’s do it.
Carol
February 6, 2016 at 1:50 pm
I would be willing to also if it would be allowed since I am not one of her clients. It makes me sick that these kinds of things can happen to honest, decent people.
Mark H.
February 7, 2016 at 3:56 pm
You do not need to be a customer of a person or business for whom you are signing a petition or letter. You don’t even need to have ever had any contact with that person or business.
.
You can sign simply for the reason that you believe an injustice is being committed against someone or some thing. Sign for the principle.
Carol
February 8, 2016 at 8:15 pm
Thank you Mark. I didn’t know that. So, if there is a petition, I will definitely sign it.
Dionna Nash
February 8, 2016 at 10:38 am
I don’t reside in Indiana….but am more than willing to assist with the petition….
Laurie Raymond
February 6, 2016 at 1:52 pm
This calls for a strong campaign! Credo is one organization that puts up petitions for tens of thousands of people to sign. There are others, too. It makes a difference, but personal letters from her clients would be even more heavily weighted. It is a shame that vindictiveness can triumph for awhile and do so much damage. But it doesn’t always win in the end. What about letters from her professional colleagues? Bullying cannot be allowed to prevail. Let’s get a serious campaign underway immediately, and not give up.
Pat Catania
February 6, 2016 at 3:27 pm
Please post where we can sign a petition
Mary Sue
February 6, 2016 at 3:33 pm
Yes, there is power in numbers. Campaigns, petitions, etc. will get attention if enough people participate. I wish I were one of her clients.
I wish we had a vet in my area who refused to sell “prescription foods” when usually all that is needed is good and appropriate food for the condition.
Cathy, you are an example for us all to follow in whatever pursuits we believe.
Patricia Curran
February 7, 2016 at 5:08 pm
This would be petitioning the wrong people as it was the State Atttorney General’s office which prosecuted her to begin with. A petition to investigate and rescind simply won’t happen since they’re the ones who forced that choice upon her.
Pat Catania
February 11, 2016 at 5:04 pm
I would sign too!
Karen Kinleyside
February 6, 2016 at 12:27 pm
Sandy- can her clients write k (kletters to fhe Atty General, protesting her losing her license due to one disgruntled individual? It may not do a thing, but it never hurts to try. I totally agree with what she did- I wouldn’t have signed anything when I wasn’t guilty of the accusations. I hope that idiot is happy that she has taken away years of hard work this caring vet has put into the community. This is quite upsetting. With my hubby being a vet, I can understand how devastating this would be. I hope something can be done.
Sandy Blackburn
February 6, 2016 at 1:51 pm
We wrote letters before, but the asst atty general Patricia Gibson is out for blood…the vet board just follows their recommendations.
Rosemarie
February 8, 2016 at 10:29 am
If these peole are up for election, campaign against them! Run a candidate if possible.
Maxine Schmidt
February 6, 2016 at 12:35 pm
Is there anything I or we as a group can do to help her get this erroneous situation rescind and get her license back?
Marge
February 6, 2016 at 12:48 pm
This is nothing new for vets. Both the AAEP and the AVMA require all vets to follow their rules or they will lose their license.
Jude from Maine
February 6, 2016 at 1:52 pm
Marge, how do the false accusations relate to the AAEP and the AVMA requirements that all vets follow their rules?
In the human services field in which I worked, it was not uncommon for disgruntled parents to make vile, false accusations that had to be investigated, but never were workers cleared of wrongdoing and then forced to admit the false accusations were true or lose their license.
Petitions can be very effective in making genuine differences, and that might well be worth exploring.
Barby
February 6, 2016 at 1:52 pm
I also was going to mention a petition. Hey if she gets enough signers the White House actually has to look at it.
alphadog
February 6, 2016 at 6:59 pm
Let’s not do Whitehouse.gov, it’s too hard tp get onto. Credo would be great!Hope someone will do it
I prpbably am not bright enough to do ot on my phone.It can’t even spell.
Zoe's dad Ronn
February 6, 2016 at 1:53 pm
I’m a Gent so no street mouth, the first words that did come to mind were Bovine Waste. There is a site that I must look up and re-post that permits anyone to begin a petition on the net that will get the attention of any arm of the government. “I’ll Be Back”
How can I get more information on the case?
Eddie
February 6, 2016 at 1:54 pm
What EXACTLY was she charged with?
Susan Thixton
February 6, 2016 at 2:00 pm
the charges are out there – I refuse to post them here because I refuse to give the charges any credit what so ever. More than 8 pages of animal abuse. The only true incident – is the one I mentioned above. And when the dog’s owner doesn’t believe it is abuse, it speaks volumes.
Patricia Curran
February 7, 2016 at 5:11 pm
Amen to that! I’ve been her client and I stand by her as well. Her handling and choices with my very difficult to handle cat have always been very open and approved by me.
Sharon
February 6, 2016 at 1:59 pm
What can we do to help Dr. Cathy battle this witchhunt?
Susan Thixton
February 6, 2016 at 2:01 pm
I don’t know if anything can be done now. I will ask her however.
Mary
February 6, 2016 at 2:14 pm
I do believe that this should be taken on by people who know and care.
Might you inform us of exactly HOW the authorities stated she SHOULD have responded to the dog attacking the cat?
I have a sanctuary for dogs. I am a nurse. I too, have had to give a dog a swift boot in order to stop a fight. In the past I have attempted to extract one or the other of the dogs who might be in a fight…….and the results qere catastrophic for one of the dogs….an eye that was ripped from the socket because as I was lifting the dog being attacked, the pther dog lunged and bit and managed to snag a ligamenrt beside the eye. The eye was ripped loose.
I have also been severely bitten by an aggressive dog I took in here. No amount of positive traing worked with him. He continued to be ready amd willing to bite at the least frustration. My personal MD and my “to die for bet that sounds just like Dr. Cathy”,told me to put the dog to sleep. I declined to do so. I did have to engage in several “take the bully out behind the woodshed lessons” with him. Today, he is a model canine citizen,…….sweet and loving as can be.
In the animal world we see the alpha animal doing what Dr. Cathy did.
Sometimes it is necessary.
alphadog
February 6, 2016 at 7:15 pm
Susan
A little off topic, but not really….A friend of my sons was accused of raping a young woman.He didn’t, she has accused many of this. The youngman refused to plea bargain which is what most honest people do. He has ended up woth am indeterminate sentence, life if he doesn’t eventually show remorse . How will he show remorse of not guilty? This is the way of our justice system now, and I’m sure the stat of Indiana is no different. And as we have seen recently, if you are an MD or alternative human practicioner espousing nutrrional healing, you will be found inexplicably dead.
We as an entire nation, with one voice need to stand up and change this kind of stuff as it is already oit of control!
Susan Thixton
February 6, 2016 at 7:22 pm
That is close to what Dr. Cathy said to me – Indiana wanted her to admit to abuse and admit she lied about the abuse in previous testimony. She told me, ‘if I sign the agreement – it would make me a liar’. Same type of situation. How horrible for this young man.
Anonymous 1984 with a temp of Fahrenheit 451°
February 7, 2016 at 4:42 pm
This is also a Prosecutors legal trick. If they can get the accused to falsely admit they lied in previous statements in order to keep their freedom, or to keep a license in this case, then they will prosecute that person for perjury.
.
Thus, the prosecutor “gets” their quarry “coming and going”. Prosecutors are legally allowed to make such an offer, without having to tell the person that they are setting them up. Then, the accused gets to keep their license only for a short time, because they are soon surprised with charges of perjury.
.
The perjury case will go through as a slam-dunk because of the accused signing a letter agreeing that their previous statements contained lies, even though the accused knows he/she did not lie in them. If the vet checks a copy of the written “offer” from the prosecutor, she will NOT find a clause stating that the prosecutor, or any part of the legal system was committing to immunity from perjury charges, nor immunity from ANY other charges.
.
They leave those doors open as a trick, to distract the accused only long enough to get them to go for the “deal”, then they hit them with the rest.
.
Then, the accused loses their license anyway—thus, the “gets them coming and going” thing.
.
Luckily, she stuck to her guns, so she avoided a trumped-up perjury charge entrapment. You can be sentenced to jail for many years on perjury. Even more than a person gets for drug possession, and sometimes drug dealing.
.
There are drunk drivers who have killed people, who went to prison for one-third the number of years of the AVERAGE perjury case in the U.S.
Sue
February 11, 2016 at 6:30 pm
@ anonymous 1984: Thanks for that eye-opener. I can well imagine how many people, exhausted from dealing with the false accusations and fearful about their loss of income, would eventually throw in the towel and sign the “agreement” admitting that they lied. This is a totally shameful tactic by prosecutors — a much maligned species in our justice system that too often abandons reason and convicts at all costs, regardless of the facts. They should either prosecute a case on the merits or bow out, but no, they have to “go for the gold.” We keep hearing about people convicted of crimes serving decades in prison because they knew they were innocent and would NOT lie (with a false ‘show of remorse’) to get parole and people on death row who are later proved by DNA to be innocent. I’m quickly losing respect for prosecutors and the entire justice system.
Jude from Maine
February 11, 2016 at 8:21 pm
When I was a young thing right out of college and working for our state’s child welfare system, a judge took me aside and told me that the justice system has never been about justice, just about enforcing laws. I have never forgotten that info, that reality that smacked me upside my idealistic young head.
So folks, we need to think about that as we rail against justice not being served. Susan is 100% on the right track of trying to get better laws to protect consumers and their pets. I don’t know if any other way exists.
Jude from Maine
February 11, 2016 at 10:29 pm
I neglected to mention that even when there are good laws, they are useless unless enforced, and that is also what Susan is advocating so strongly for.
Carrie Ann Calay
February 19, 2016 at 10:58 am
Dear Susan and All, sending love and good energy to this situation. I also went to your facebook page which seems inactive. What happened? CAn we help?C
Linda Melichar
February 8, 2016 at 1:21 pm
Can she move to another State & practice?
SharonO
February 9, 2016 at 11:20 am
I have been fortunate enough to have “worked” with Dr. Cathy Alinovi since November 2012.
Like so many of us I lost a best friend to lung cancer that was probably associated to Xelda’s love of chicken jerky treats and our blind faith that they were good for her. My first reading about the problem immediately started me down the path to alternative food for my “fur”family! So long ago now I don’t even remember WHERE I heard about (your joint book) Dinner Pawsible which I started using in October 2012 ~ and along the way I had questions, especially after adopting a street dog that was old and in pretty bad shape. Without fail each email I sent was answered promptly and always ended with “Please let me know how else I can help”
. . . feeling horrible that this has occurred . . . and going on in the background while she was doing SO MUCH for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health.
Maxine Schmidt
February 6, 2016 at 2:44 pm
I agree. We have to come to a united decision as to what would work best. I don’t know, but very willing to participate in what we can decide.
Carol
February 6, 2016 at 3:06 pm
I will gladly do whatever needs to be done.
jan beardsley-blanco
February 6, 2016 at 2:10 pm
I am beyond sad for her – and for the evil which she refuses to perpetuate! good for her, to not sign anything false.
we stand behind you, Dr Cathy……………..
what’s that old saying……………payback’s a bit**! she’s in the right, she WILL be vindicated – she may not see it – but I know it will happen……
Barbara Fellnermayr
February 6, 2016 at 2:11 pm
What would motivate a person to destroy another person? I just don’t understand why the disgruntled employee would do it. What did she get out of it? I hope her name is posted so that no other vet ever hires her. Guess I’m just too Canadian.
Doreen
February 6, 2016 at 2:46 pm
What about a petition on Change.org? I am always signing various petions started there and they often are very effective. I would be glad to use my name to start one, but someone more familiar with the case would have to write a summary of the situation for the petition.
Patricia Curran
February 7, 2016 at 5:39 pm
Motivation: retribution for being fired
Outcome: bringing a highly educated, skilled person down and ripping her skill sets and
income away
Result: smug self-satisfaction
This is sadly how uneducated, low life people think and act.
Cheryl Mallon-Bond
February 8, 2016 at 7:29 pm
Patricia,
You are right on the money! & it is sad how many people like that are walking this earth!
I pray we can all join together to help Dr. Cathy! A women of her integrity deserves justice! These bogus allegations cleared & her license reinstated!
What I would like to know, is HOW in the world she could even be charged in the “supposed” abuse of that dog, when clearly she was acting from a standpoint of saving the literal life of the cat! When even the owner of the dog in question, has deemed her necessary emergency reaction appropriate in order to save the life of the cat being attacked! What “supposed professional” testified that that was in any way abuse?! Someone paid off, for sure!
I personally have not gone through losing a Profesional license, like Dr. Cathy did, but I have dealt with the wrath of low-rise LOSERS as well. Just because I was caring for (TNR & feeding feral cats), that were not on any of these people’s property, mind you. I was harrassed, physically threatened, followed & stalked, damage done to my car. Then w/ one situation, had lying false accusations, w/ a lying witness, that I got charges brought up against me, had to hire a lawyer, go court, etc.
It was a more than humiliating experience, especially for a person like myself, who was only looking to be a good person & help these poor cats. I did nothing! & yet these lying cat hating/killing BASTARDS got to tarnish my good name, & they got away with perjuring themselves, killing my beloved Ferals! I have ZERO faith in the judicial system! It’s all just BULLSHIT!!!
Dianna
February 9, 2016 at 11:41 am
Omigosh, Cheryl! How HORRIBLE! Have you tried reaching out to Ally Cat Allies? They have intervened many times to save ferals from being killed due to ignorance and malice. I’m not sure, now that the deed is done, what they could do but it’s worth a shot. Hopefully this link will help others finding themselves in your situation.
http://www.alleycat.org/page.aspx?pid=984
Jan
February 6, 2016 at 2:37 pm
This reminds me of another case where a holistic vet in our area was charged and lost his state vet license for practicing alternative vet medicine. He was very good at what he did and both my cats were happy with him, received excellent care and did not show fear as often happens with vet visits. Suffice it to say, he was charged by someone who was uncomfortable with what he did (he didn’t bring any harm to the animal) and we lost a great vet. 🙁 This must stop. I appreciate those cases where they are able to prosecute those who do abuse and mistreat animals but they also have far too much power.
Joan
February 6, 2016 at 3:03 pm
I agree ~ that’s one reason I think that this innocent victim should stand up to the vile person who has tried to ruin her life…I refuse to say ruined ~~ I hope the best is yet to come. “They”..Big Pharma..will be after alternative vets as they are already after alternative doctors ~ there’s no profit to be made from herbs & natural therapies
Mary
February 6, 2016 at 5:37 pm
Something very similar happened to perhaps just about the best Vet in our State. A vacationer called him on an emergency (he would answer day and night) because they themselves messed up and caught their dog’s leg in a motor or something. He did emergency surgery on it but to insure that the surgery was a success as the dog was regaining consciousness, he did not give it the larger amount of painkillers. This was because he was smart enough to know he had to observe if this dog could stand or walk right. If it were doped up too much it would possibly have hurt itself. He had planned to elevate the pain further on but he needed to see how the dog would stand. Well the person had a hissy fit wanting to go home and they insisted their Vet could help their dog even though the dog had not fully recovered and was on the road to recovery. Truth be told it appears the person wanted to make money off the deal. Well he ended up being put on suspension which was totally stupid because he actually did the best thing for this pup. Her moving the dog prematurely also caused a further issue and the dog again had to have surgery by her Vet which BTW, appeared he screwed it up and redid it again!!!!!!! Poor dog. Meanwhile this great Vet became unavailable in a rural area that people counted on him and he saved lives. I know as he was our Vet for 15 years and did miracles for over a dozen of our pets. He fought and fought the Vet Board and needed up having to cash in property and things to keep the fight for his reputation.They gave him back some sort of partial license. What a pile of hooey. Sometimes some people are thoughtless and ignorant about what they are doing when they do this to Vets without thinking how they ruin great reputations as well as animals in the process. This sort of stuff makes me angry.
Cheryl Mallon-Bond
February 8, 2016 at 7:40 pm
That is just dispicable!!! You can bet your life that if the same exact situation happened, & it was a regular standard Allopathic Vet involved, there would NOT have been any charges brought up against this vet.
The “powers that be” are constantly looking to degrade a good alternative Dr.’s reputation & they will stop at nothing! to try to do so!
traci
February 6, 2016 at 2:41 pm
where is her attorney?
Lora muston
February 6, 2016 at 2:42 pm
Wondering…why doesnt dr.kathy bring harrasment and slander charges against her accuser,? Lots of damages too.
TJF
February 6, 2016 at 2:43 pm
The ex-employee….who is this person? Why is her name not given in reference to this story? I notice that so many times, when things like this happen, the ‘accused’s’ name is in the public eye, but the ‘accuser’ name is never mentioned. Why do they get to be anonymous?
Sandy Blackburn
February 9, 2016 at 3:43 pm
Because when you mention it, likevI did on my Facebook post of this, they callv t hebatty gen, who calls Dr. Cathy’s lawyer and it ends up costing her $250 per hour so we can’t poke the bear. …..yet
Stacy Billingsley
February 6, 2016 at 2:49 pm
Dr. Cathy is a rematkable vet. She is also my friend. I know the accusations are false & i am saddend that such a caring person is paying a huge price for a disgruntled employee. She has built a clientele of patients that trust & value her experience & determination to help every animal that comes through her doors. I am proud of her for standing up for what she believes.
Joan
February 6, 2016 at 2:59 pm
If she’s already lost her license ~ why not make a fuss ~ what does she have to lose? She could at least be a / THE example of a vet standing up to lies. With character witnesses like you & LIVE witnesses ~ the bullying would be made clear, as would the lies. Even if she doesn’t win..unlikely I agree..she will have brought the whole incident out into the open. As it stands ~~ I might very well go to this “anonymous” vet, not knowing of her horrid ..lying.. deceitful.. character. I certainly would not want to entrust my companion’s well-being to such a person~!!! If she can’t name the accuser..have a friend leak it..in the town paper, maybe ~~ THIS is RIDICULOUS & should not stand.
T Allen
February 6, 2016 at 3:04 pm
I’d be happy to donate what I can if she would like to crowd fund an attorney. She needs to stand up to this abuse of power so it doesn’t happen to others!
sai
February 6, 2016 at 7:49 pm
I’ll donate. It’s one small way to stand with her.
marcus
February 6, 2016 at 3:22 pm
I am a huge fan of Susan Trixton and the work she does. I also believe what Susan writes in most cases and she comes across as level headed and objective. However, I think Susan is way off the mark here, for one she has a close relationship with Cathy Alinovi and wrote a book with her ( cookbook ) and also as I have done research on Cathy Alinovi, even though she has some supporters I also noticed there are a substantial number of people that claim rough handling, abuse and stated she was rude and horrible and a lot of complaints. Cathy even admits to kicking a dog from the story I read unless that quote was not accurate but I took it at its word. Even under mitigating circumstances, I can’t understand why you would have to kick a dog to break up a dog fight. I work in rescue, and manage large groups of large dogs and broken up many fights and never had to kick a dog to do it. My viewpoint is where there’s smoke, there’s fire and I am not sure what the employee had to gain by going filing the complaint and Alinovi is the one that caved in, basically admitting there’s at least some truth, why not keep fighting it if you did nothing?
I believe that she may have a good heart, love animals etc.. but that means nothing in regards to what happens behind closed doors as I have seen similar people in rescue orgs be very rough to the point of abusive in stressful situations, the difference is it should NEVER happen with a trained professional and if it has then it’s unacceptable. I believe the people with strong opinions on this need to do their own research prior to jumping to conclusions and assuming it’s a conspiracy. Again, I like Susan but am vert skeptical about this being a railroad and that Cathy Alinovi is a completely innocent victim.
I have supported Susan and hopes she publishes this post since I am giving a very respectful, objective opinion from my point of view.
Susan Thixton
February 6, 2016 at 3:50 pm
Marcus – my last name is Thixton – not Trixton. Do you know Dr. Cathy? Have you met her? I know her well. We did publish two cookbooks together, and believe me if she was abusive in any manner, I would have known. During the process of developing recipes – I had a zillion questions. I was a royal pain. Had Cathy had an abusive bone in her body, I would have seen it. It’s like a dog that people say suddenly bites someone. There is nothing sudden about it. There are signs – for years before the bite happens. Again – if Cathy was abusive – I would have known. She’s not perfect – that is not what I am saying. No one is. But she did NOT deserve this. I read all of the accusations. They were close to laughable – had anyone done what she was accused of doing…there would be signs decades before. Mighty fishy that nothing was ever reported until someone got fired. One of the fired employees was interviewed – her statement to the media was that she was glad that Cathy wasn’t making all that money now. She didn’t say she was glad no animals were being abused – she said she was glad Cathy wasn’t making all that money. Doesn’t that speak volumes about the motive?
marcus
February 6, 2016 at 4:10 pm
Sorry about the typo Susan – However, that’s only your opinion based on your dealings with here and I don’t feel it’s very objective. Reading about this and doing the research on my own I don’t find many things you’re stating as accurate. Looking at the entire story as a whole and I still think the facts add up against her. She surrendered her license, why if she was innocent?
Also, other people are posting on social media supporting her, meanwhile, I have read where many people posting under their real names saying that felt she was nasty and abusive. So Yea you’re right I don’t know her, I suspect she loves animals but by going off the facts that have been presented, I would agree that she’s not fit for licensing.
Susan Thixton
February 6, 2016 at 4:15 pm
I’m not going to argue with you Marcus, you believe the hype if you choose. She surrendered her license because Indiana demanded she sign a statement that she was an animal abuser. I would not have signed either.
Julie C.
February 6, 2016 at 8:34 pm
I have been working in this field as an advocate for vet victims for 17 years, 16 of them online. I have to weigh in on this because I have seen this scenario play out many times and I am very involved in watching the vet board procedures in Texas, along with others who also have an interest. This is how it really works, for those who are interested and can put aside their emotions for a minute: When a vet board draws up an Agreed Order on a vet who has been found in violation of board statutes, it is done after many months, sometimes years, of investigation and evaluation of credible evidence. Considering the high rate of complaint dismissal in all 50 states (we’re talking up to 90% in some states), the idea that “disgruntled employees” could have that much sway over what ultimately could amount to a trial (the SOAH – State Office of Administrative Hearing) is not realistic. If anything, complainants are treated as if they ARE lying from the very beginning; it’s not like vet boards are welcoming complainants with open arms. Boards do everything possible to give the vet every benefit of the doubt, believe me, because their livelihood is on the line. The vet’s license defense atty is on the job and on the scene, fighting the allegations every step of the way from day one. Like any defense atty, they are not concerned with guilt or innocence; they are concerned with keeping their vet client’s record clean and continuing to practice. Complaints with no legs, allegations with no basis in fact, liars making things up about an innocent vet would in no way stand up to the scrutiny of board investigators. (In fact, more often than not, complaints with tons of evidence are routinely ignored and dismissed.) Like any investigator, district attorney, prosecuting atty, or anything of that ilk, they cannot afford to be made fools of by taking a case that would disintegrate in front of a SOAH judge. The reason that an Agreed Order is presented to a vet is to give the vet a chance to keep practicing but with a disciplinary record, in some cases a serious one. Thousands of vets have signed Agreed Orders while vehemently denying they ever did anything outlined in the Agreed Order. In fact, I’ve never seen an AO that didn’t include some variation of the following phrase: “without admitting to guilt in the following” etc. The boards put that in there to protect the vet, who will loudly proclaim their innocence til the end of time. But they still sign because they want to continue practicing and this is the price they pay after being found in violation of statutes. So they sign, accept their suspension, pay their fines, etc. while grumbling all the way that they were framed, there were “disgruntled” employees, the board is out for blood because they’re jealous,/corrupt/stupid, and telling everyone who will listen that the AO is filled with lies but they love animals, they love their clients, they love their job, and on and on. Unfortunately, the vast majority of their loyal clients frankly don’t care what their beloved vet has done to other animals. We see this over and over–the wholesale smear of concerned citizens who speak out against vets who are “beloved” by hundreds, sometimes thousands, of loyal fans. The vets roll the dice and they mostly win–they chalk up their troubles to being someone else’s fault, confident that their likability factor will carry the day. And you know what? It usually does. Now having said that, we have also seen vets fight the charges by refusing to sign an AO because when that happens–and this is the important part–the board has to and will be prepared to take it to full public board hearing, which is the equivalent of a trial conducted by the aforementioned SOAH. For a guilty vet who knows what she’s done and knows the evidence is pretty damning, this public hearing presents a real problem. The vets know they can count on their diehard loyal following who is willing to believe the “conspiracy” against their friend, but they also realize that they cannot control the quality and quantity of evidence and witnesses that are going to be presented in that hearing which, again, is the equivalent of a trial. From a PR standpoint, the indignant strategy to refuse to sign an AO is brilliant. The vet’s “heroic” stand of refusing to sign anything that they claim is filled with lies preserves the vet’s image of being a “wronged” vet forced to agree to lies by the big bad vet board and disgruntled employees. Truly innocent vets–of which we have seen NONE who got to this point in the board process, btw–would fight the charges to the death, would appear before the SOAH judge, would be placed under oath and testify, would stand front and center and tell the truth and either 1) take her medicine, or 2) be fully exonerated by the judge and board jury. (BTW, I have to interject here that character witnesses by uninjured parties mean nothing in a trial–that’s like a serial killer parading in front of a jury all the people he *didn’t* kill, or to use a more apt analogy, having a physician bring forth “witnesses” who didn’t have family members harmed or killed by him.) I know that nothing I say will have any effect on people who support this vet, but I just wanted to give some insight to how the board process works and also be respectful to the people and animals harmed by her (.again, it is irrelevant how many animals she helped or saved–that’s like saying we get to break laws because most of the time we don’t, so it’s okay). I doubt petitions will help you either, mostly because any reopening of the case puts her in the hotseat where she obviously does not want to be. I also want to caution people on any misguided efforts to “destroy” people they believe are lying about their hero. You could very well give those witnesses (and remember they were credible enough to get it this far) an opening into a viable defamation suit, and something tells me that they, and not the vet, would win. All I know is that when you see a vet running from a hearing/trial where they have an opportunity to set the record straight and squash their “enemies,” and they choose not to fight all the so-called “lies,” those are very telling choices you should pay attention to. The vet who killed my cat made similar self-serving statements about being targeted, describing me as “revenge” this, “vindictive” that, expertly playing the victim and garnering much sympathy, but when it came time to put his butt on a witness stand and prove to the world what a “liar” I am, he ran the night before trial. Bailed big time. Even his most loyal fans had to admit that that spoke volumes. Innocent people generally stay and fight. Guilty people generally go on the run. However, your friend will be fine. She has a good income from activities not related to practice, she can make a living from speaking engagements, and she has a devoted following who truly believes that if they personally didn’t see any abuse, well then, it couldn’t have possibly happened to anyone else (I hope they don’t feel the same way if a teacher abuses their children’s classmates, because obviously it couldn’t have happened if their own kids weren’t abused!) Finally, I would not underestimate the impeccably concealed Jekyll and Hyde nature of some of these vets (they know when to behave themselves and when it’s safe to let loose), and for that reason I will save my sympathy and support for the victims in this case. Thank you for listening.
Susan Thixton
February 6, 2016 at 10:49 pm
Julie – with respect for the work you do to protect pet owners from true veterinary abuse – your comment was judge and jury for a woman you don’t even know. Your comment stated all veterinarians are guilty that get to this stage of the process. It makes me think of the countless people who spent years in prison for crimes they did not commit. Wrongs do happen. And they do happen to good innocent people.
Dianne
February 7, 2016 at 12:30 am
Julie, I would ask if you do your work in the same state as Dr. Cathy? Perhaps what you describe is your experience, but can you be sure that all vet associations are as conscientious? I agree with Susan on the point that many people plead guilty to get a known shorter sentence rather than take the risk with a jury doing a proper job and getting a much longer sentence. People have been bullied into confessions, so personally, I am more inclined to believe a person is innocent unless I saw the crime even if they went to prison. True justice no longer exists. The guilty get off and the innocent end up in prison.
Maybe she could move to another state and continue to practice. In Canada, some doctors just move to a different hospital or to another city.
Athena
February 6, 2016 at 4:17 pm
I agree that the accuser just sounds vindictive..it reminds me of the OJ case (though obviously of a different type)…when OJ was told that Nicole had been killed, he did’t ask how…that’s a very good indication of being the person responsible for the crime…it sounds like the true crime in Dr. Cathy’s case is that someone just wanted to see her suffer…it doesn’t sound at all like the animals were part of her accuser’s concern…
Sandy Blackburn
February 9, 2016 at 3:50 pm
Bottom line is it costs money to fight it and now she is out of money….
Michelle
February 6, 2016 at 3:43 pm
The PEOPLE will need to fight tirelessly to save Dr. Cathy and bring this lair to justice! These people that are her clients will have to dedicate their time and efforts to give back to Dr. Cathy what she has given their animals. Big corporate payoffs to government officials have tainted the dog food business and our animals are the victims. Dr Cathy dared to reveal their lies and they spanked her for it. STAND UP FOR DR. CATHY!!! Please don’t let this verdict stand!
This makes me so angry! I have seen what bad food can do to an animal (my daughters Maltese almost died from Nutro). All of the doctors knew it was the food (there were crystals in his stomach!) but would not admit it. Thankfully, after many weeks in The Animal Hospital and many weeks with a feeding tube he survived but he needs to be watched very closely now. We could never hold them accountable even after there were many, many reports of the food making pets sick. A friend tested the food and found questionable levels of protein and there was some kind of rancid potato matter in the food. My friend that worked for the FDA was literally shut down in a meeting when he brought his findings to them. Fearing for his livelihood he had to cease his investigation.
I hope that Dr. Cathy can get her life back.
Meg C
February 6, 2016 at 3:43 pm
I agree on two counts. One, a petition needs to be started. Two, she needs to bring a civil suit against her accuser, and must obtain excellent representation. This happened to another Vet I know of, as well. These witch hunts can’t be allowed to continue. Surely, someone will listen to the testimony of dozens of people who are willing to speak on her behalf.
Alex
February 6, 2016 at 4:20 pm
Another very sad case where big business and politics overrides public needs. I too am willing to sign any petition.
John and Deborah Haynes
February 6, 2016 at 5:03 pm
PLEASE POST A PETITION. WE WANT TO SIGN IT. THEY CAN BE VERY EFFECTIVE, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE SIGNERS COME FROM ALL OVER THE U.S.
CJ
February 6, 2016 at 6:02 pm
Why don’t they go after the animal ABUSERS like they did this poor vet. They are the ones that kill, mame and everything else and nothing happens to them except sometimes MAYBE a slap on the hand. You can bet if a political person had their animal abused by one of these real abusers the laws would change fast.
I agree with the person that said to file slander etc. charges against the former employee. She has nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Patti Lee
February 6, 2016 at 7:04 pm
This is a tragedy not only for Dr. Cathy but for the thousands of companion and farm animals that are being compromised by government and big pet food companies!!! It’s an outrage! Laws are set up to protect TRUE animal abusers and those people who walk around with a “chip on their shoulder” always seeking revenge on great people who work hard for a cause they so believe in!! Yes, I agree that the State of Indiana needs to be taken to task over their decision AND the disgruntled employee taken to court in a law suit for slander!!!
It makes me sick that so many precious animals have died because of the pet food industry and the government that protects them…..FOLLOW THE MONEY!!
Marie
February 6, 2016 at 7:07 pm
This is astonishing!!! An amazing vet who actually heals animals is forced to give up her license for not lying?!! You know what I think? I think this will blow up into the biggest viral (youtube) ever, and then the tables will turn on these assholes! I hope I’m allowed to say that. What about the ex-employee? Any dirt on that person? I see a huge lawsuit here! HUGE!!!! She can’t lose her livelihood over this, especially given her extreme quality of care and healing. We won’t have it! This is going to blow up in their faces! And since she’s been on TV, I see a LOT of guest appearances that can blow the cover OFF this bullshit!! And the lies that have gone hidden for too long!
Marsha
February 6, 2016 at 7:08 pm
What a shame! To think that one person has so much power to harm another.
I also agree with the person that said to file slander etc. charges against the former employee. And she does has nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Sarah
February 6, 2016 at 7:09 pm
I’m a bit confused. Does this have anything to do with pet food? The way it is written, going from a paragraph about how she refuses to carry prescription foods (good for her!!!) right into being charged with 8 pages of abuse,without naming the charges, heavily implies that her dietary beliefs were the reason she was forced to give up her license. Is that the case?
Susan Thixton
February 6, 2016 at 7:14 pm
This has a great deal to do with pet food – Dr. Cathy is one of a small handful of people that go to AAFCO meetings and stands up for the rights of pet food consumers. If we lose her, we’ve lost a great deal.
Dianna
February 9, 2016 at 11:58 am
Well, well, well. You just spoke the real truth here. As they say – follow the money, eh? We can’t lose Dr. Cathy. Can you imagine how AAFCO will boo her the next time she stands up for the rights of animals at their next meeting? Yeah. Methinks I smell the real rat in this situation. Good point, Susan.
James Richardson
February 6, 2016 at 7:23 pm
Mail 60 Minutes and other expose TV producers, with the facts laid out as completely and concisely as you can. Edit and re-edit. leaving nothing of substance left out, but keep it simple and short paragraphs. To easy to read pages max; supporting material on a separate document.
Tell them what you are going to tell them in one lead paragraph, and that an outrageous injustice has been committed.
People today love muckraking stories, especially when it’s the establishment vs. individual, and when the general public won’t write off the victim as a crackpot.
Yeah Right
February 8, 2016 at 3:50 pm
I agree, contact an expose show…and you are right, don’t leave ANYTHING out, because they will find out what you left out and turn it around on you.
Kathryn
February 6, 2016 at 7:25 pm
My heart hurts for her, and for all of you who know her. This is wrong on so many counts – Blessings and Bright Lights to guide and comfort her, and each of you during this time of transition – I truly believe she will use this as a stepping stone to move to bigger and better ways to fulfill her ambitions to truly help those that cannot help themselves.
Robin
February 6, 2016 at 7:59 pm
Too bad the Indiana Attorney General and the State Vet don’t go after puppy mills with the same vengeance they turned on this veterinarian.
Sue
February 11, 2016 at 7:17 pm
Puppy mills, yeah. And what about County animal ‘shelters’ where dogs live terrified, noisy, chaotic lives on concrete floors?That’s pretty cruel too, not to mention the whole euthanasia thing when the shelters get overpopulated because county commissions are too cowardly to compel pet guardians to spay/neuter. Any of that has to be worse than what Dr. A did because to my knowledge she was not accused of any convenience killings of dogs or cats, or of indiscriminate breeding. And what about going after vet tech “animal abusers?” I’ve seen plenty of them. But vets don’t usually harass and prosecute, or persecute, employees who are abusive toward animals, or try to sic the state machine on them — they just fire them. Oh wait, that’s what happened here! But the state of Indiana didn’t see fit to investigate the accusers for whatever they did to animals to get fired, did they? Well from the authoritarian, statist viewpoint, vet techs and other staff don’t make good targets because they are the ‘little people’ and are, by definition, innocent and ‘vulnerable’ sympathetic figures who are slaves to the over-privileged vets. They are ‘less fortunate’ and don’t get paid as much, and usually don’t have large, hard-won, expensive-to-obtain-and-maintain veterinary licenses and practices to be revoked as punishment. Where would be the fun in going after someone who doesn’t have so much to lose? That wouldn’t be any kind of fight at all; wouldn’t satisfy the state’s lust for authoritarian power and control. The statist mentality that is evident in this kind of case is something we all need to beware of because in the US today people who think like that about animals might decide to take it upon themselves to judge whether or not you are ‘cruel’ and abusive if your kid complains because you made him eat his peas. Just look at the news to see cases where parental rights were destroyed by self righteous government employees who decided their way of raising a kid was better than the way the parent of that kid chose to raise him. And, while I very much appreciate commenter Julie C.’s love for animals and her explanation of the process by which a vet’s license is revoked, when I read her comment and realize that despite having no facts and no ‘skin in the game’ she seems absolutely convinced of the likelihood of Dr. A’s guilt, it scares me. How can she or anyone else with such biased views even hope to make fair and just judgements? I wonder if her counterpart in Indiana looks at this process, and the accused vets, in the same way. If so, it gets easier to understand what happened to Dr. A and how nothing, NOTHING — not even actual innocence — could have prevented this outcome.
Laurie Raymond
February 6, 2016 at 8:14 pm
I don’t understand how this has come to the point of surrendering her license. There are usually multiple appeals processes, and if there is bias, it is usually in favor of the professional. In an investigation where the only evidence is “he said, she said” surely there would have been a lengthy adjudication process, and the credibility of witnesses on both sides would have been thoroughly probed. How long has it been since the original charges were made, and in what venue? If a petition campaign is to be undertaken, we need to know exactly how things reached this point. Has Dr Cathy had no support from professional colleagues? Has there been a court case with a full public record — or have these just been administrative proceedings? If we knew the date and title of the finding and the jurisdiction, we could request the written record — depositions, transcripts, evidentiary hearings. This would provide a basis for going forward in her defense. Is she willing to have people do this?
Laurie Raymond
February 6, 2016 at 8:21 pm
I just re-read Susan’s post and noted that Dr Cathy was cleared of all allegations (by what body?) in 2014. It would seem to be double jeopardy to bring them again after a full vindication. To help her, to stand with her, we need more info, and to know that she is willing to have us reopen the case on her behalf, with a petition campaign or some other. Any attorneys reading this who can suggest how to go forward?
Greg Swann
February 6, 2016 at 8:21 pm
Susan-
Thanks for posting this information. I’m willing to sign a petition if one becomes available for those of us who have not been clients of Dr. Cathy. Does owning and having read your book Dinner Pawsible authored by Dr. Cathy and co-authored by you, make me a client? : )
Keep up the great work. God Bless you for everything you do for the rest of us!
liz
February 6, 2016 at 8:59 pm
This is so sad and so unfair.
Jean-Pierre Ruiz
February 6, 2016 at 9:03 pm
Sigh…follow the money trail. It might be interesting to find out who funded the AG’s election. It might not be surprising to find out that the pet “food” industry may have had some influence.
https://votesmart.org/candidate/campaign-finance/110902/greg-zoeller#.VralfRgrLIU
May
February 6, 2016 at 10:46 pm
Jean Pierre, I think you’re spot on. The pet food industry is ridding itself of someone who has the courage to blow the whistle on them.
The arrorney general probably owes them, maybe has friends in the industry.- something along these lines. This doctor needs a great lawyer and our support. We need to find a way to help. Anyone able to contact “Sixty Minures.”
Paul
February 6, 2016 at 9:25 pm
Get the accuser hooked up to a lie detector and see how he or she does.
Sue
February 6, 2016 at 9:54 pm
I am so sorry to hear of what was done to Dr. Alinovi. I don’t live in Indiana, and don’t know any of the people involved. My only connection is from being on this email list, but I have benefited from the info here and I respect and trust Susan’s assessment of what happened. I absolutely hate what they did to her and can’t help noticing that it seems to have followed the pattern most of these cases follow. I swear I think some consultant somewhere must give seminars on how to use the power of public office to carry out private vendettas against targeted citizens.
I’ve seen this abuse of power in my state more than once, and I believe it highly likely that Dr. A’s accusers were less concerned about animal welfare than they were causing trouble for their former employer in order to discredit her and destroy her career. At this point I am suspicious that the accusers were not the point of origin, but rather were just weak minded haters enlisted by other parties whose identities are as yet undisclosed. Nonetheless I would like to see the list of charges, the names of the accusers, AND the names of all the “officials” in the state attorney general’s office who participated in this witch hunt. They should all have to answer for what they’ve done, just as they tried to make Dr. A “answer” for something she did not do.
Dr. Alinovi is a whistle blower, and for some reason in our country, although we all benefit from the actions and courage of whistle blowers, in the end no one with any clout ever steps up to enforce the laws that are supposed to protect them. This is utterly reprehensible. I feel it is most likely that Dr. A was put in this positions precisely because the people who wanted to shut her up KNEW she is too principled to sign a document that was a lie; they knew she would have no choice but to surrender her license. They played this perfectly didn’t they?
This tactic of using the power of government to “get even” is becoming a way of life for many people. It’s a kind of hidden domestic terrorism that is being carried out against selected targets by government employees, at all levels, on behalf of private individuals who have a personal agenda; and all of us taxpayers are making it possible. It terrifies me to see so many people willing to commit such evil toward others, and willing to disregard their oath of office in order to do officially that which would be illegal if they attempted to do it as a private citizen.
The widely accepted practice of coercing a confession to cut a sentencing deal, or coercing a “show of remorse” from prisoners who are up for parole, is diabolical and pointless, and now it has trickled down to these administrative procedures. If I were on a parole board that did that or if I were the Indiana attorney general who held Dr. A’s license hostage to force her to confess to something she did not do, I would cringe in shame every time I looked in the mirror and saw my gutless amoral self looking back.
It is probably too late to save Dr. A’s license. There probably will be no justice for her. That being the case, the only thing to be had is revenge and IMO revenge is appropriate sometimes. Here is what she could do: She could turn the tables on those who ruined her life. Just do to them what they did to her. Those of you who know her could start raising money for a private investigator and the best attorneys you can find. Then you could look closely — and I mean do a “deep dive” — into the lives of anyone who was involved in the persecution of this woman. Look at their credit, their work history, their financial history, their associates etc and make sure they know you are looking. Look for motive; look for connections. Do the same for every person in the attorney general’s office who participated in this attack. Look for political contributions etc that would indicate bias in favor of the pet food industry, or in favor of the accusers; look for the connections that HAVE to be there somewhere, because this doesn’t make sense otherwise. Don’t forget to take a look at the person who steps into Dr. A’s practice to make sure those hands are clean. Also do a deep dive into Dr. A’s practice records and look for any areas where she did something wrong, especially anything that went wrong and was not later resolved. If there are example of this, then talk to the pet owners involved and see what they have to say. If you turn up any evidence that suggests Dr. A was railroaded, and I suspect you will, call a press conference and expose what they did, then sue those pieces of crud for everything they will ever be worth. And do not stop.
Meanwhile, Dr. A, should continue advising all of us about pet food and the best ways to care for our animals. The only up side to what they did to her is that now she can fully speak her mind without fear. I encourage her to begin a blog where she can tell the unvarnished truth about the slop and lying that has become the standard of care in so many vet practices. At this point it no longer matters who she offends.
Zoe's dad Ronn
February 6, 2016 at 11:09 pm
Sue, here is the link to begin the petition for Dr. Alinovir, perhaps you and or informed individuals with full knowledge of the case can present it and follow up with email information to your followers on how to sign it.
http://www.standunited.org/?keyword=start%20a%20petition&matchtype=b&geoID=9012263&device=c&adpos=1t2&gclid=CKDBxpbh5MoCFUuPHwodB3AIUA
Julie C.
February 7, 2016 at 12:12 am
Susan, sorry, there was no button to reply to your reply, so I’m pasting it below. My comment was based on more than a decade of watching vet board procedures and how they work. It is not required to personally know a vet, or anybody for that matter, to see the similarities between this case and countless others that get to this stage. In fact, knowing the person involved can often blind people to facts they don’t want to face.
A perfect example was right here in Fort Worth. Lou Tierce was a vet so beloved and revered by his clientele they called him Santa Claus. When he was brought up on animal cruelty charges, had his license suspended, his clinic shut down (it has since reopened but without him) his fans went nuts with grief. They were crying, bereft, he was such a great vet, the staffers (all of them “disgruntled, lying, crazy” of course) needed to be punished for “ruining his life.” They made the whistleblowers’ lives miserable (as one of your commenters is proposing to do in Alinovi’s case, to get revenge by taking apart the staffers’ lives). The staffers in Tierce’s case stood firm, bless them, when it would have been so easy to cave under the vet fans’ constant abuse.
Meanwhile, we saw Tierce’s fans at the vet board meetings, holding hands, praying, wearing matching t-shirts in support, trashing the board, trashing the victims, trashing advocates like us (we didn’t “know”him either and didn’t need to–plenty of credible witnesses and evidence busted him, and his answers and testimony didn’t add up), putting out support videos, standing by him, etc. The board hearing, complete with the “lying” witnesses, won the day, and his lies were no match for the truth. As the truth continued to come out about him, the supporters… well, let’s just say they were stuck with a lot of t-.shirts. To this day there are people claiming he was framed but they sound ridiculous. They are free to sound ridiculous, but facts are facts.
And just to clarify, I am not the judge and jury here. The vet board was. Dr. Alinovi had a chance to take this all the way to a hearing to try to clear her name. There are appeals and motions to dismiss and all kinds of legal moves she could do, and it sounds like you’ve got plenty of people willing to fork over funds and go after the “liars” in revenge (your commenter’s word) so why doesn’t she fight back? Without “knowing” her, I’m going to bet that she won’t go near a fight because of what will come out — Agreed Orders are traditionally just the tip of the iceberg and once a hearing starts rolling she can’t control the flow of information or more victims or witnesses showing up. I suspect on the advice of her attorney, who would have a heck of a time defending her, she chose to cut and run. She will still have a very lucrative career as speaker and writer, I’m sure.
I’m afraid we will have to agree to disagree on this one. I have total respect for your work and wish you the best in that regard, but I stand by my comments. “Knowing” a vet is not proof of their innocence; it’s an empty argument that never holds up in court. There isn’t a criminal alive who doesn’t have loyal friends, but the truth trumps loyalty every time. Thanks for listening and good luck. Take care.
<>
Susan Thixton
February 7, 2016 at 8:56 am
No Julie – you are being judge and jury. I can certainly understand how that attitude could happen after years of the work you do, but there is no 100% in something like this. The truth is – many people have been sent to prison from those who believed in that 100% for crimes they did not commit. It wasn’t until years later when new evidence was found or a corrupt judge or attorney was discovered that they were released. This isn’t about loyalty – this is about knowing the whole story here. You stated “I suspect” – which means you don’t know. I know.
Pat P.
February 7, 2016 at 3:32 am
Rather than be neutral at best (not knowing or speaking with the vet) I am surprised that MARCUS AND JULIE C. appear to be so adamant about Dr. Cathy Alinovi’s guilt.
Although it may not mean much to others, the fact that Dr. Alinovi doesn’t carry “prescription” pet food says a lot about her to me. I attempt to avoid those vets who sell it, yet most do, since they make a lot of money from this garbage–bonuses, etc., pushing it on many patients/clients, despite the poor quality of the “food”, and are given a hard-sell marketing spiel by the manufacturer’s rep.
This loss of her vet’s license is a significant one to Dr. Alinovi, her clients, Susan Thixton and her presence at the AAFCO board meetings. If she claims that no abuse took place, then, unfortunately, the choice of resigning her license appears to be the right one.
I’ve known innocent people to lose their jobs because of false rumors spread by vengeful people. That is bad enough, but allowing a disgruntled fired employee destroy a vet’s career is unconscionable!
It would be ideal if authorities or those in charge were always honest and competent, but we all know that is not the case, time and time again. I even know human doctors with multiple complaints against them, still practicing, because doctors support/cover for each other–similar to the “blue line” of the police dept. My state is known for lax treatment of “criminal” physicians.
Sue
February 7, 2016 at 4:53 am
Julie C, thank you for your many years of animal advocacy and for taking the time to share your experience and views. You and I may have more in common than would seem from my earlier post in favor of Dr.A, because I dislike and distrust vets so much that I have reached a point where IMO the only bad thing about being a pet guardian is that I have to interact with vets. I truly have come to disrespect the entire profession after decades of watching it go more and more commercial, and watching the welfare of the animals slide from first place down to at least a distant third. I avoid them as much as possible, and frankly, my pets are healthier for it. Generally speaking, I don’t like the way most of them put profit before animal safety and well being, and I don’t like the way they treat pet guardians. I do know that somewhere out there are a few good ones still practicing despite the increasingly difficult circumstances imposed on them by lesser colleagues who have allowed standards to slip. I wish I could find one.
If I may, I’d like to share my most recent horror story with you, an episode that happened to my 3 yr old healthy cat just last summer. I took her in for a nail trim and the vet recommended cleaning her ears because she had excess wax in one of them. She never mentioned any risks, just described it as a 2 minute procedure that involved squirting liquid cleaner into the cat’s ears and swabbing with cotton. During the cleaning she ruptured my cat’s eardrum and damaged a nerve (nerves?) in the inner-most part of her ear. Almost instantly my cat lost the ability to stand or walk, she lost her blink reflex, one pupil became fixed and dilated, she couldn’t close her eye, couldn’t hold her head level, and couldn’t eat or drink. The vet said it was nothing, that she was just upset by the cleaning and would be fine. We took her back the next day and she finally admitted what had happened but then told us to take her to the vet school because her condition was so serious, and that infection had set in. Thus began 2 months of intense treatment eventually costing nearly $3000.00, and another 4 months of very slow recovery. We got lucky because she survived, but she will live the rest of her life troubled by residual neurological deficits. The thing that really got to me was that when I confronted the vet she shrugged and said, “Oh this happens sometimes.” She seemed to see my cat as, I hate to say this, a research animal that didn’t matter, like there should be no consequences for her actions.
Julie, you better believe I would like to see that vet’s license revoked. Unfortunately I see that cavalier attitude in a lot of the vets around here though, and from where I sit it sure looks like that attitude is part of the accepted “standard of care.” Why do I say that? Because not one of the three “experts” I consulted were willing to admit that what was done to my cat was malpractice; none would speak up for her and all made it clear that if I tried to pursue an investigation they would not testify that my vet had done anything wrong. I seriously doubt that there is any vet in this town who would speak up in defense of an animal injured or killed by an incompetent vet. There seems to be no abuse/malpractice significant enough to cause them to break ranks. So, like I said, I see where you are coming from.
But, as I mentioned earlier, I have also seen first hand how some officials in positions of authority in government are willing to use the power of their office to destroy whistle blowers, hence my suspicions in Dr. A’s case. The article said that she had been cleared of wrongdoing following a local investigation, but that the accuser(s?) persisted in their effort to get her license suspended or revoked by going to the state attorney general. Here is my question: If the state authority determined that she indeed was a dangerous abuser and should have her license revoked, why would they offer her a chance to just sign a statement, wait six months and then go back to abusing animals? Why would they settle for just embarrassing her? It seems that if they really believed that she was a danger they would not have given her the option of continuing to work at all. To me it seems that if they truly believed the charges it would be their duty to make sure she would never practice again; either the charges were serious to pull or license or they weren’t. The fact that they didn’t outright revoke her license, that they were willing basically to just toy with her and see what she would do, suggests to me that there was indeed grave doubt about her guilt and that their actions were driven by something other than professional oversight or animal welfare. Maybe something as common and ugly as just some sort of cover-your-butt exercise to placate the accusers.
Susan Thixton has proven herself, to me at least, to have a genuine interest in animal welfare that is not driven by a profit motive. Maybe she makes some money from her website, but my impression of her is that she would do this work even if she made no money at it and was having to support the website out of her own pocket. I think she works from her heart, from her genuine love of animals, and I don’t think she would defend even a close family member from these same charges if she had any doubt about their innocence. I think she is intelligent, observant, authentic, trustworthy, and devoted. She is nobody’s fool. She knows Dr. A personally and has all the facts, and if she says something is wrong with the way this was done, then I suspect she has good reason. For now, because I understand what drives the persecution of whistle blowers and understand the potential abuse of the power brought against her, and because I know how often government officials skate over details in order to support a theory of wrongdoing, usually for political reasons (or worse) — IOW because I do not trust those people to not abuse HER — not even your admittedly impressive experience is enough to persuade me that she is likely guilty of animal abuse. If the attorney general proved Dr. A is guilty, no evidence of that has been presented here.
Christine
February 7, 2016 at 1:04 pm
This is such baloney and what an injustice, set up and railroading to damage someone who is good. Doesn’t anyone have any commonsense pr compassion anymore! How the heck can they give this woman two options: accept the lies and if not, relinquish her license? God help us. This is evil at its best and it goes on in our government all the time! I was a vet tech for nearly 19 years and in those 19 years I saw first hand how some vets, and staff, can harshly react to some dogs and cats after those animals bit or attacked or tried to attack. I’m not condoning the actions of these people, but people are human. When faced with a situation such as a dog going after a cat, the normal/average human instinct would be to protect any way possible. If I was walking my small dog and another big dog ran up and tried to attack, I would do anything I could to that dog to stop it! The former employee should be beyond ashamed to know he or she ruined this doctors livelihood. This is what our country has come to. Guilty until proven innocent! Makes my blood boil.
Duncan Ness
February 7, 2016 at 3:05 pm
Looks like a smear campaign to me. Like Gregg Swan, I wonder if I count as a client: I use Dinner Pawsible (not only for my own pets but as a “text” for the classes I teach on making one’s own pet food. I am shocked at the highly emotional condemnations of a handfull of people on the web who–with one exception–are from out of state and couldn’t possibly know. At least those who could be tracked. It’s not surprising that the good doctor seems to have given up on Indiana; it’s tough to have to stand alone against big business. I value Dr. Alinovi’s work and trust Susan Thixton’s assessment.
Athena
February 7, 2016 at 4:55 pm
There was a previous post from someone who shared a link to all the charges…the link was to an entirely different case…I’ve looked back through all of the posts and now can’t find it…does anyone know the link, or why it was possibly removed???
Athena
February 7, 2016 at 5:08 pm
I did a little research and saw an article with Dr. Alinovi responding to the charges…I found it very interesting that for all the pets she supposedly abused, the pet parents are still going to Dr. Alinovi for care…I think that says something…
Athena
February 7, 2016 at 5:15 pm
One more thing (for now!)…when a cat escaped her care ( ? ) she was accused of replacing that cat’s body with the body of a dead cat and telling the owner their cat had died…fortunately there was an identical dead cat at the clinic to show the client (and yes, I’m being facetious)…wow…it seems more likely that they would have looked for the cat and explained to the client what had really happened…as an owner, I would rather think I had a chance of recovering my cat than thinking it had died…
The charges mentioned are very questionable…
Anne
February 7, 2016 at 6:16 pm
Cathy was my vet for a number of years (I no longer live in Indiana). She could be very difficult to deal with at times, BUT if they really believed she committed all the instances of abuse that she was accused of, WHY ON EARTH would they have agreed to restore her license after six months if she signed a paper saying she was guilty??? If she had committed all that abuse, why would they have restored her license AT ALL??? Something is fishy about this.
Sarah
February 7, 2016 at 7:57 pm
I can’t speak for Indiana, but a local mobile vet had her license suspended for 6 months because of an incident that definitely happened. Essentially they wanted to give her a chance to clean up her act and be able to maintain her livelihood. Sort of like in baseball, if you test positive for steroids, you get a small suspension and fine on the first positive and then it dramatically increases from there. In this vet’s case, she came back to her job (which is when I met her at a vaccine clinic), kept being a bad vet, and quickly lost her license completely.
John
February 7, 2016 at 6:42 pm
what can we say about this employee? have ya been able to learn about her from neighbors and past jobs or something?
Milena
February 8, 2016 at 4:17 pm
I don’t know why no one will say the employee’s name. She was on the news, and her name was posted. It was Sharon something.
Michael W. Fox, Veterinarian, Animal Doctor syndicated columnist
February 7, 2016 at 7:25 pm
The two choices that this good veterinarian was given by the Sate of Indiana regulatory authorities was surely motivated more than by one individual’s allegations toward her of animal mistreatment. The two choices are both punitive, and beyond being draconian. They are positively medieval, and no doubt are aimed to silence this veterinarian one way or another.
Jude from Maine
February 8, 2016 at 5:10 pm
I’m confused. Is her license permanently revoked or for just six months?
Jude from Maine
February 8, 2016 at 5:17 pm
Susan, I found the answer online, so please ignore my previous post.
Thanks.
Mike
February 8, 2016 at 11:52 pm
This seems to possibly be a smear campaign paid for my the big pet food and pet prescription diet food companies. After reading a few of the news channel forums, it seems people are so ignorant of what is in their pet food. I would love to have them read the ingredients in their grocery store foods they feed their furbabies that they apparently love and care for; ask them what all of the ingredients do, and then watch them squirm. I would then point out all of the harmful ingredients and then ask them why are they poising their pets daily? Bravo to a vet who takes the time to research various pet foods in an unbiased way. I would entertain a bet that 95% or more of vets who sell the prescription type foods have never truly researched where that company’s ingredients come from. One brand that starts with an H may have started out with decent ingredients, but like so many big name brands, has been quality chopped down to garbage.
Where can I make abuse allegations against the brainwashed people responding to the news articles? If we’re going to after offenders, we may as well go after the people that feed their pets garbage foods but yet want to cr*p on a vet who stands up against the big food conglomerates.
Sandra B.
February 9, 2016 at 2:33 am
I think this attack on Dr. Alinovi is an attack on all of us who are concerned about the food we give to our animals, especially the dogs and cats that we love. There are powerful interests who want to keep the pet food industry as it is, who do not want truths told about what they produce and what it does to our pets. Their interests are shared by the regulators and public officials who have turned a blind eye, or worse, to what the industry considers the order of business. Their interest is also shared, I believe, by institutions and individuals whose livelihoods depend on the industry, in total or in part. I don’t condemn the entire pet food industry, but I condemn a large part of it and its affiliates, and I think they are feeling the heat from consumers who get informed and educated by Dr. Alinovi, Susan and others. I am a mature, intelligent woman and I’ve had pets for most of my life. I have spent a large part of my life’s income on my animals and I think many of you reading this web site are the same. It is not paranoid to think that special interests target critics who reach a group such as you and I, especially when the criticism is so well-founded. Dr. Alinovi and Susan have touched nerves; they are making a difference, and when that happens in any movement, there’s payback. We just have to give our advocates, like Susan and Dr. A., even more support. To Julie C., I would just say that despite your years of experience, you seem naïve, at best, about the unfailing rightness and judiciousness of political appointees, elected officials and the system.
Michelle Pippin
February 11, 2016 at 1:51 pm
SO glad to see the outpouring of support for this woman who has been bullied and falsely accused. She has been great to me and to my pets. I am honored to know her… even more honored to stand beside her during this ordeal. her attackers are on a smear campaign and the attorney general’s office is shaming themselves by over-zealous prosecution ABSENT fact — except wild allegations by people whose reputation and history is questionable at best.
Nouble
March 25, 2016 at 10:36 pm
Thank you for posting about this injustice. Also, I think she made the right choice in kicking that dog. If she hadn’t, that’d either an expensive surgery for the owners or they’d be losing their pet.
D.Turgeon
February 16, 2017 at 4:37 pm
Why doesn’t Dr. Alinovi seek redress in court? If she has been wronged by false accusations to the point she was asked to surrender her license, she should be bringing a civil action against the vet board and her accusers. It’s beyond ridiculous to just roll over (no pun intended) and not fight back for justice.