Veterinarian who told elderly woman to "rot in hell" can't be punished

[Champ]

By MARK SCOLFORO, Associated Press Writer

HARRISBURG, Pa. - A veterinarian who told an elderly woman she would "rot in hell" for complaining to state regulators about how he euthanized her sick dog can't be disciplined, a Commonwealth Court panel ruled Tuesday. The court called Dr. James W. Nelson's conduct "inexcusably rude" but said it did not amount to incompetence.

"'Unprofessional conduct' is not the same as 'professional incompetency,' and we reject the board's attempt to treat them as identical concepts," wrote Judge Mary Hannah Leavitt.

The decision overturned Nelson's public reprimand by the State Board of Veterinary Medicine and its requirements that he undergo anger-management counseling, attend classes in dealing with owners of euthanized animals and write a letter of apology.

Betty Voorhies brought Lady, a cockapoo, to Nelson's clinic on Sept. 4, 2001, after the veterinarian had urged her repeatedly to put down the dog. Lady, 17, was blind in one eye and suffered breathing problems from an enlarged heart.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=816&ncid=816&e=1&u=/ap/20041208/ap_on_fe_st/rude_vet

[roguevalley]

1. That dog was dying. That woman did what a friend could in

having this done. Having put down my baby, Gretchen, at 22 for the same reasons, I can tell you this was neither easy nor frivolous.