Fort Worth Vet Accused of Keeping "Euthanized" Dogs Alive Is Being Sued. Again.

By Stephen Young Tue., Jun. 3 2014 at 2:52 PM

Dr. Lou Tierce's veterinary practice

Fort Worth veterinarian Lou Tierce has been sued by another dog owner who claims he kept her pet dog alive after telling her it had been euthanized. The lawsuit filed Monday claims that the doctor kept her pet Chihuahua Hercules alive and suffering for more than four months without her knowledge.

Kimberly Davis claims she was told by an employee at Tierce's clinic that Hercules was experimented on by Tierce before it was found during an April 29 raid of the clinic, according to news reports.

Lou Tierce

That raid was executed by Fort Worth police and members of the Texas State Veterinary Board of Medical examiners after Jamie and Marian Harris of Aledo filed a complaint with the board upon learning their dog, a 5-year-old Leonberger named Sid, was similarly kept alive by Tierce long after the couple believed the animal had been put down.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that Davis first brought Hercules to a vet because the dog was having difficulty walking. When the problems continued after her visit, Davis sought a second opinion from Tierce. Tierce initially prescribed antibiotics and sent the dog home with Davis after two days.

Davis brought Hercules back to Tierce's clinic for the last time after the dog fell off the bed unconscious on Thanksgiving Day, the suit says. Tierce then asked Davis if she wanted to experiment with the dog's treatment.

Despite phone calls assuring her Hercules was doing better, when Davis went to visit the dog on December 14, it was covered in feces and urine and "unresponsive with his eyes rolled back in his head," the Star-Telegram reported, quoting the lawsuit.

Davis bathed and cleaned the dog, but made the decision to put him down because Tierce told her Hercules' condition had deteriorated.

When she received a call from a Fort Worth police detective four and a half months later informing her the dog had been seized, "Ms. Davis was shocked beyond belief to learn that Hercules had not been euthanized as had been represented by Tierce and was still alive."

Davis' suit accuses Tierce of deceptive trade practices, theft liability, breach of fiduciary duty and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

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arthurposter

Don't believe the hype. Tierce is a very good vet. He puts the welfare of animals before his own. When reading these stories, it is useful to keep a few things in mind that more and more appear to be common denominators.

1. Follow the money. So far we're getting virtually 100% of the "news" in this story from those with a vested financial interest. With $1m on the table I'm sure plenty of people would be tempted to embellish or lie. Which brings us to....

2. In each case, the pet owners now claiming to be severely (monetarily) traumatized by these alleged actions were flippant enough about ending their dog's life that the deemed it unnecessary to even stick around long enough to see the dog off. You know who never has an animal surreptitiously not euthanized? Pet owners that give a shit enough to stay with their dog during its most difficult time. But then, those pet owners don't later have an angle to get paid at the dog's (and all dogs') expense.

Tierce has been my dogs' vet for as long as I've had dogs. You know wha they think of Tierce? They freaking love him. Seriously. They light up when they see him. I've been back in the kennel area plenty and there were no - zero - feces covered dogs or cages or anything. I did see, during our most recent ice storm, Tierce manning his clinic solo while he himself had a catheter in. He slept at the clinic that week so that the animals who needed treatment (including my dog) got it and his staff didn't have to risk Texas drivers on icy roads.

So yeah, just like doggy Mengele.

ozonelarryb

More and more like canine Mengele.

JackJett

This story is getting more national coverage than local. And there seems to be far more to this story than what we have heard so far. I keep thinking some local journalist might take this issue on. The actions of this vet seem beyond cruel.