Is Jaime Pickett DVM a Reliable Vet or a Fraud? (Find Out Here)

Originally Syndicated on May 14, 2024 @ 3:42 pm

Jaime Pickett DVM is a veterinarian based in Virginia. She is the President/CEO of Hannah Pet Society – Hannah Pet Hospital in Portland.

Based on her interviews and press releases, she might look like a reliable veterinarian. However, when you look into her professional history, you’ll notice a long list of disciplinary proceedings and mysterious deaths of innocent animals.

This article goes over the different aspects of Dr. Pickett’s professional history and present to help you determine if she is a reliable vet or not:

Hannah Pet Hospital Reviews Paint a Painful Picture:

According to her own press releases, Jaime Pickett DVM became the CEO of Hannah Pet Hospital in June 2023.

So, I’m sharing some reviews of the place AFTER she took the helm. Please be aware that some of the Hannah Pet Hospital reviews might be a bit too disturbing.

Review #1

Here’s a review from Melissa. It highlights that she took her small breed dog for a full-blood panel on November 14th. However, she didn’t hear back from the place for over a month.

Apparently, she finally had enough and posted a review hoping they’ll respond there.

Review #2:

This is a serious complaint. Joan complains that her pet was abused at an appointment.

She found a mammary mass in her other pet this morning and called the Tigard location of Hannah Pet Hospitals before 9 am. Nobody answered. She highlights that she waited till 3:06 and she didn’t hear anything.

According to Joan, the place doesn’t really care about puts but they care a lot about the $220 a month they collect. What’s alarming is that this review is from April 2024, which means even after a year of Dr. Jaime Pickett’s leadership, the place is making such grave errors.

Review #3:

Here, Jill highlights that the customer service of Hannah Pet Hospital is poor. She disliked how they would have to re-chip her cats.

Jill points out that her cats have their own chips inserted already but the hospital wants their ownership.

Review #4:

In the review above, Marvin pointed out that the service of Hannah Pet Hospital has horrible service with no communication whatsoever, He points out that if you have an emergency with a pet, you’re left on your own as they never answer calls or get back to you regarding test results. In fact, he alleges that they never even inform you about your pet’s general well-being.

Marvin shares that he had an emergency with his pet but didn’t get a call until 5 days later from Pickett’s hospital.

Review #5:

In this review, Benjamin highlights that Dr. Pickett’s vet hospital might be a scam. He alleges that you’d expect a scam like this would hide it better with capable service but they are “inept at every turn”.

He wonders if their medical staff is anything like their office staff, what would happen to the pets they teat. Benjamin also alleges that the place is a fraud through and through.

All of these issues are taking place at Hannah Pet Hospital under the leadership of Jaime Pickett DVM. Before you wonder why I’m pointing her out, I want to share some instances of her professional past:

Jaime Pickett DVM’s Involvement in the Death of a Dog:

In 2018, there were news reports about the mysterious death of a pet dog. The owner of the dog highlighted that his pet passed away within days of returning from the vet.

John Delaney, the owner of the pet, claimed that his 11-year-old Bichon Frise appeared to be in good health when the family dropped her off at Pet Paradise Resort and Spa at Jacksonville International Airport the Sunday before the holiday.

However, Delaney received a call on Saturday evening, informing him that Chloe had experienced a seizure. After twelve hours had passed, there was no improvement in her condition. Following the veterinarian’s advice, Delaney made the difficult decision to have her pet put down.

“It was said that it was renal failure — acute renal failure.” “But what caused it, they didn’t know,” he said.

Delaney was uncertain about what to make of it all. Chloe seemed to be in good health prior to the trip, having received a clean bill of health from the veterinarian just days before being dropped off for boarding.

When he picked up his other dog, Teddi, from Pet Paradise, he mentioned that she had been feeling unwell. He decided to voice his concerns to the management at Pet Paradise. He was informed that the staff had taken excellent care of his family’s pets.

Adding to the unfortunate situation, Delaney received an automated email from the spa after two days. The email claimed to be from Chloe, expressing how much fun she had and requesting to be brought back to paradise.

At the time, Jaime Pickett DVM was the chief veterinarian of Pet Paradise. She apologized for the incident as well as for the automated email.

While Delaney didn’t press any charges against Pet Paradise or Jaime Pickett DVM, he cautioned others from going to the place.

What Type of Veterinary Errors Can Cause an Animal’s Death?

The death of Chloe is a tragic tale. Whether Jaime Pickett was responsible for the death of that beloved pet is unknown. However, it’s important to be aware of the kind of negligence that might lead to such situations. Veterinary errors that can lead to animal deaths include:

• Drug errors, such as administering the wrong medication or incorrect dosages. Drug errors are the most frequently reported type of veterinary medical error.
• Iatrogenic errors are mistakes made during procedures or treatments other than medication administration, like surgical errors. One study found that 41% of veterinary malpractice claims involved surgical errors.
• Failures in communication, such as miscommunications result in the wrong patient being treated. Communication errors are the second most common type of veterinary medical error after drug errors.
• Oversight errors, where a diagnosis is missed or there is a deviation from the standard of care. For example, misdiagnosing a patient’s condition can lead to improper treatment and potentially death.
• Equipment errors are where a piece of equipment needed to monitor a patient is unavailable or broken. This can prevent the detection of life-threatening issues.

In one study, 15% of reported veterinary medical errors resulted in patient harm, with 8% causing permanent morbidity or death. Another study found that 51% of veterinary errors occurred due to cognitive limitations like distraction or incorrect application of knowledge.

While the exact number of animal deaths caused by veterinary errors in Virginia is unclear from the available data, these studies demonstrate that medical errors, especially drug errors and communication failures, are a significant cause of mortality in veterinary medicine nationwide.

Negligence and Other Kinds of Veterinary Errors Can Have Serious Consequences:

The consequences of veterinary medication errors can have significant impacts on both animals and veterinary professionals. Here are some key consequences outlined in the provided sources:

1. Patient Harm: Medication errors can lead to adverse drug events (ADEs) in animals, potentially resulting in harm or even death. While most errors do not cause serious harm, when adverse events occur, they can be serious or fatal.
2. Impact on Veterinary Team: Medication errors can affect the confidence, concentration, and happiness of veterinary team members. They can also lead to feelings of guilt and burnout among veterinary professionals, highlighting the emotional toll of such errors.
3. Frequency of Errors: Studies indicate that medication errors are relatively common in veterinary practice. For example, one study found that medical errors may occur in approximately 5 out of every 1000 veterinary medical visits, with medication errors accounting for a significant portion of reported errors.
4. Types of Errors: Dosing mistakes, administration of the wrong drug, and administration at the wrong time are common types of medication errors in veterinary practice. These errors can stem from knowledge deficits, miscommunications, and other factors.
5. Preventable Nature: While errors are inevitable due to human imperfections, many medication errors in veterinary medicine are preventable. By applying lessons learned from human medicine, veterinarians can take steps to reduce the risk of medication errors and improve patient safety.

Overall, veterinary medication errors can have serious consequences for animals, impact the well-being of veterinary professionals, and highlight the importance of implementing strategies to reduce errors and enhance medication safety in veterinary practice.

Jaime Pickett DVM’s Long History of Facing Disciplinary Actions

In the minutes from the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Board meeting on October 12, 2017, Dr. Jaime Pickett is mentioned in relation to her licensing. The board discussed her application to take the North Carolina veterinary licensing exam. It was noted that Dr. Pickett had faced disciplinary actions in Virginia, and the board decided to allow her to take the exam but agreed to hold her scores until a decision was made regarding her application for a license in North Carolina. This decision reflects the board’s procedure for handling cases where a veterinarian has a disciplinary history in another state.

However, that’s not the only veterinary board talking about the disciplinary actions Dr. Pickett has faced in the past.

I found another board discussion, this time on the Tenessee’s government website. This discussion went into more detail about why so many medical boards were questioning whether they could allow Dr. Pickett to take her licensing exam in their jurisdiction.

Apparently, Jaime Pickett DVM had faced multiple disciplinary actions in Virginia in the years 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2016. Furthermore, The Texas Veterinary Board had disciplined her license as well because of the discipline received from the Virginia Veterinary Board.

Based on the number of years alone, we can assume that Jaime Pickett faced at least 6 disciplinary actions in Virginia. This is a staggering number and it certainly puts her reliability in question.

Unfortunately, I was unable to find any concrete information on her disciplinary proceedings. However, there can be a variety of reasons why a veterinarian like Jaime Pickett would face such proceedings.

In the US, veterinarians can face disciplinary action for various reasons, leading to sanctions such as reprimands, suspensions, or license revocations. Disciplinary actions are typically taken when veterinarians are found to have violated standards of care, engaged in unprofessional conduct, or committed other infractions. Common reasons for disciplinary action include:

1. Professional Negligence: Cases where veterinarians fail to provide the standard of care expected in their profession, leading to harm or death of animals.
2. Records-Related Violations: Instances where veterinarians fail to maintain accurate medical records, which are essential for tracking patient history and ensuring proper care.
3. Incompetence: Situations where veterinarians demonstrate inadequate skills or knowledge in performing medical procedures, resulting in harm to animals.
4. Unprofessional Conduct: Actions that reflect poorly on the veterinarian’s professionalism, such as altering medical records, failure to communicate effectively with clients, or violating regulations related to practice standards.
5. Drug Errors: Dispensing dangerous drugs without medical necessity, failing to document drug administration, or violating regulations related to controlled substances can also lead to disciplinary actions.
6. Facility Violations: Operating without a responsible licensee manager, failing to meet minimum standards for facilities, or violating sanitation requirements can result in disciplinary measures.
7. Failure to Establish Valid VCPR: Violating regulations related to establishing a valid Veterinarian-Client-Patient-Relationship can also lead to disciplinary actions.

We can only speculate and hope that the reason for her disciplinary hearings didn’t involve the death of any innocent animals.

Would You Trust Jaime Pickett DVM With Your Pet?

Currently, Jaime Pickett DVM’s marketers are running a major misinformation campaign to bury any mention of her disciplinary hearings or the negative reviews.

You can look up “Jaime Pickett” and you’ll see a long list of articles and profiles praising her. None of them talk about her professional past.

Misinformation campaigns make it difficult for people to find out the truth. Here’s a great example of how propaganda can affect wars.

The best way to counter misinformation campaigns is to call out the culprits and spread the truth. So please, share this story with as many people as possible.

Also, support organizations that are fighting propaganda and misinformation on a daily basis such as Al-Jazeera and OCCRP.