Veterinarian accused of keeping sick dog alive to harvest its blood

Update: http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2014/05/update-vampire-vet-suspended-charged-with-abuse/

The vampire vet of Texas, Lou Tierce, who told a family their dog needed to be euthanized but then kept him in a feces-filled cage for months to use him for blood transfusions, has had his medical license (at the very least) suspended and has been charged with animal cruelty.

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Story gets worse though.

A Texas veterinarian arrested for animal cruelty has admitted to keeping alive five dogs meant to be put down, among them his own pet, which was discovered lying motionless with one of her legs missing.
Dr Millard Lucien 'Lou' Tierce, 71, turned himself in at the Tarrant County Jail at around Wednesday and was later released on $10,000 bail.
His veterinary license has been suspended by the state pending an investigation.

According to the suspension order, officials inspecting Tierce's popular Camp Bowie Animal Clinic found 'unsanitary conditions, animal organs kept in jars, bugs in exam rooms, open and unsecured medications' strewn about the office along with laundry and pieces of paper.
They also discovered that five pets the veterinarian had accepted for euthanasia were still alive, one of them kept in a cage for two or three years.

Three dogs rescued from the veterinary office by police were described as being in 'such a decrepit shape' that they had to be euthanized to put an end to their suffering...

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Ten grand bond? Pfft.

Also, why is there no prosecution discussed of the horror-show fuckwits who worked there? The person in this article, a vet tech, says she'd seen a dog laying with a dislocated leg and other ailments, in the same position, since last June. Unless she herself was tied to something since June, she deserves to be in prison.

heza said:

Yeah, I would not leave my dog at the vet's for that long. Short stays, sure, if necessary, but she'd be cared for in between at home. I like our vet, but I'm paranoid, and I just wouldn't trust anyone to care for her that long.

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I'm so glad that I'm not the only one. I get anxious when I have to leave my dog for the day for anything. Our vet offers drop off and pick up at the end of the day for routine check ups and not once do I consider doing that. I make an appointment, show up with dog under my arm, stay the entire time and leave with her when it's over. She is not ever out of my sight unless absolutely necessary.

I even have problems leaving her in the care of the groomer.

heza said:

This case is certainly a good argument for staying with your pet through the euthanasia if it becomes necessary. I know some people can't handle it, but I plan to be there if the time comes. She deserves that.

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It was hard for me when I had my elderly dog euthanized. It just about killed me. It was five months ago and I was there in the room with her when they did and I still have random paranoid thoughts of 'what if they didn't really and they sold her off for medical experiments?'

I just breathe through it and remind myself that I trust my vet. That he's a good man and a caring man and the whole staff is caring and loving....

Then I read this.

bearilou said:

I'm so glad that I'm not the only one. I get anxious when I have to leave my dog for the day for anything. Our vet offers drop off and pick up at the end of the day for routine check ups and not once do I consider doing that. I make an appointment, show up with dog under my arm, stay the entire time and leave with her when it's over. She is not ever out of my sight unless absolutely necessary.

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We don't go to the groomer any more since they wouldn't let me go back with her the first time we went, and they clipped one of her toenails too short and didn't tell me... so blood all over the car seats. Yay. But yeah, we don't do that anymore.

And I super freaked out when we changed vets. They all seem nice, but the take my dog to a different area for the exam. My husband has gone with her the last two times and just helped himself to that other area when they took her.

I have giant anxiety attacks if I have to leave her at a kennel. Omg.


But yeah, I'm with cornflake, everyone who ever saw those dogs needs to be charged for contributing to this and not reporting it... what's that, aiding and abetting?

bearilou said:

It was hard for me when I had my elderly dog euthanized. It just about killed me. It was five months ago and I was there in the room with her when they did and I still have random paranoid thoughts of 'what if they didn't really and they sold her off for medical experiments?'

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I'm so sorry for your loss. We had to put down our 17-year-old cat last year and we stayed in the room just so he'd have us there. But a few friends were shocked that we did and said their vets discouraged them. I am sure those vets were concerned for my friends, but I can't help but think about that now. I don't blame anyone who can't stay for the procedure, but I would worry now if we hadn't (and I love our vet).

There are more and more vets offering in-home euthanasia services. Not for this horrifying reason, but because it's less stressful on everyone. Just in case ppl don't know, I believe you can call around and find them in lots of places if your vet doesn't.

bearilou said:

I'm so glad that I'm not the only one. I get anxious when I have to leave my dog for the day for anything. Our vet offers drop off and pick up at the end of the day for routine check ups and not once do I consider doing that. I make an appointment, show up with dog under my arm, stay the entire time and leave with her when it's over. She is not ever out of my sight unless absolutely necessary.

I even have problems leaving her in the care of the groomer.



It was hard for me when I had my elderly dog euthanized. It just about killed me. It was five months ago and I was there in the room with her when they did and I still have random paranoid thoughts of 'what if they didn't really and they sold her off for medical experiments?'

I just breathe through it and remind myself that I trust my vet. That he's a good man and a caring man and the whole staff is caring and loving....

Then I read this.

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Actually, most ordinary animal clinics (even when they call themselves animal hospitals) don't have round the clock staff to care for animals who are hospitalized. When the animals are left in the clinics overnight, they're generally kept in cages with their e-collars and bandages, so it's not really any better than having them crated at home. At least in the latter case, the owner can take them to a 24 hour emergency clinic if they take a turn for the worse.

In my state (CA), they're required to have signs in the lobby if this is the case, so people will know the animals are unsupervised overnight. Our vets will usually send animals home at the end of the day, as they'll tend to get better care at home--unless there's a quarantine issue or a reason the owners feel they can't keep their animals confined and safe overnight.

There was one case when we were discussing having a very sick dog transferred to a 24 hour facility overnight, but I elected to take her home and give her the fluids she needed (but I know how to give injections and things).

This vet sounds like he's both incompetent and crooked. I honestly wonder if there isn't something strange going on with him mentally. Early stages of dementia, maybe, or some mental illness that's leading to odd hoarding behavior. Not excusing his behavior, and I wonder why his partners (if he has any) or staff wouldn't have noticed something odd and reported it (anonymously, at least) to their state veterinary licensing board, what with the animal organs in jars, general filth, and neglected animals being kept in feces-filled cages at the clinic.

I also have been present with every one of my animals when they took that final journey at the vet's office. I know they were really euthanized, because I saw them take their last breaths. It's hard, but I think it was easier for them having someone there that they knew, and it gave me closure to be there with them.

It never occurred to me that it might be a good idea in case the vet lied. Not that my vet is like this.

Y'know, to me, this isn't a whole lot different from the Phoenix VA hospital case we're discussing in another thread. Where are the employees? The employees (at least based on what we know so far) aren't to blame for what happened. But they didn't know? And if they knew, what did they do?

This is a tough, tough situation. I get how scary it is to think of the possible consequences for one's self. A lot like the staff at the VA hospital. I can't condemn that.

But it leaves an aftertaste, realizing these people said nothing about what was going on.

Yeah, I've been wondering the same thing. I get that people might be afraid of losing their job if they turn in the owner of the clinic they work at for egregious violations, but what was happening was so horrifying. I wouldn't want to work for a vet who treated animals (and his clients) this way.

I've worked in animal research facilities and been on animal care committees at colleges, and there are very strict state and federal guidelines for the care, treatment and housing of the animals, even when their only "purpose" is to be experimented on. They have regular inspections, and they're not always announced, at least in the states where I've worked.

Is this not the case for veterinary clinics?

Roxxsmom said:

Actually, most ordinary animal clinics (even when they call themselves animal hospitals) don't have round the clock staff to care for animals who are hospitalized. When the animals are left in the clinics overnight, they're generally kept in cages with their e-collars and bandages, so it's not really any better than having them crated at home. At least in the latter case, the owner can take them to a 24 hour emergency clinic if they take a turn for the worse.

In my state (CA), they're required to have signs in the lobby if this is the case, so people will know the animals are unsupervised overnight. Our vets will usually send animals home at the end of the day, as they'll tend to get better care at home--unless there's a quarantine issue or a reason the owners feel they can't keep their animals confined and safe overnight.

There was one case when we were discussing having a very sick dog transferred to a 24 hour facility overnight, but I elected to take her home and give her the fluids she needed (but I know how to give injections and things).

This vet sounds like he's both incompetent and crooked. I honestly wonder if there isn't something strange going on with him mentally. Early stages of dementia, maybe, or some mental illness that's leading to odd hoarding behavior. Not excusing his behavior, and I wonder why his partners (if he has any) or staff wouldn't have noticed something odd and reported it (anonymously, at least) to their state veterinary licensing board, what with the animal organs in jars, general filth, and neglected animals being kept in feces-filled cages at the clinic.

I also have been present with every one of my animals when they took that final journey at the vet's office. I know they were really euthanized, because I saw them take their last breaths. It's hard, but I think it was easier for them having someone there that they knew, and it gave me closure to be there with them.

It never occurred to me that it might be a good idea in case the vet lied. Not that my vet is like this.

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I've never heard of a vet's office that kept animals overnight but didn't have medical personnel there. That's kind of terrifying - I mean if they need to be in the hospital, they should need monitoring. Mine has a full-on nurse doing rounds every 15 or 30 minutes, and another nurse that mans the phones 24 hours, so you can call to check on your animal and you can also call in an emergency and they'll decide whether to contact the vet on call and have the vet come in if you want to go in after hours.

The other vet near me I don't know their emergency procedures but I know they have a nurse there 24 hours with the inpatients.

robjvargas said:

Y'know, to me, this isn't a whole lot different from the Phoenix VA hospital case we're discussing in another thread. Where are the employees? The employees (at least based on what we know so far) aren't to blame for what happened. But they didn't know? And if they knew, what did they do?

This is a tough, tough situation. I get how scary it is to think of the possible consequences for one's self. A lot like the staff at the VA hospital. I can't condemn that.

But it leaves an aftertaste, realizing these people said nothing about what was going on.

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The fuck they're not to blame. I don't know if they participated in any of the procedures on the kidnapped and tortured animals, though it seems highly unlikely he did everything on his own. Even if they didn't, they walked by them, they didn't help them, they didn't even call in a report. That, to me, is to blame.

If we were talking about people, they'd qualify for prosecution. I want everyone who knew what was going on, who saw what was going on, but did nothing, in prison.

cornflake said:

If we were talking about people, they'd qualify for prosecution. I want everyone who knew what was going on, who saw what was going on, but did nothing, in prison.

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Because they have mandated reporting laws for situations involving the abuse or neglect of children or people who are vulnerable (like hospital patients or nursing home patients).

Animal cruelty laws and the legal responsibility of people working in animal care professions probably vary greatly by state.

I guess we'll have to see how this plays out and which laws are invoked. I too am horrified that people would work in a vet hospital and ignore something like this.

cornflake said:

I've never heard of a vet's office that kept animals overnight but didn't have medical personnel there. That's kind of terrifying - I mean if they need to be in the hospital, they should need monitoring. Mine has a full-on nurse doing rounds every 15 or 30 minutes, and another nurse that mans the phones 24 hours, so you can call to check on your animal and you can also call in an emergency and they'll decide whether to contact the vet on call and have the vet come in if you want to go in after hours.

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It may vary with state and locale, but it's quite common out here in CA. My brother (who is an MD) was shocked when he rescued a cat that had been poisoned (it had to be hospitalized for a few days) when he discovered that the "veterinary hospital" he'd taken the cat to had no after-hours staff to monitor the animal. He actually had to transport the cat to a 24 hour emergency and specialist referral hospital because it was too sick to be left overnight without supervision. The poor little guy pulled through, and my brother had a new pet.

I've worked in an animal hospital, so I know some of what goes on in the back, but this is just disgusting to me. I can't help but think that, especially at 71, the guy had some mental issues contributing to this, but that's no excuse for any of the staff. Especially if they could tell he was having problems. They should all be held accountable.

But then, not all veterinarians are in it for the animals. Some are just in it for the money or other reasons. My current Vet I trust about as far as I could throw her (which wouldn't be very far. Probably.), because of the way she works and a few things I've caught her on. My mom likes her though, and with my working experience, there really isn't anyone else in driving distance I trust much better. My mom gives me final say on stays and procedures though, so it works for now.

Most places in my area don't hold animals overnight with the exception of a few 24 hour clinics, and if an animal does need that kind of attention and sending them home isn't an option, most of them will transfer an animal to one of those clinics for care.

So glad that I was there, holding Old Kitty's paw, and stroking his head when the vet euthanized him. And I was only worried that they'd put him aside 'til they had a quiet moment, and I didn't want my old stray to feel he'd been abandoned again.
At the very least, the appropriate authorities should be lifting the licenses of everybody involved. I can't think of any circumstance in which the staff didn't know what was going on. So what if they can't find new jobs? I can't think of a better bunch to be jobless.
*And something in their records so that they can't get jobs where defenceless people are under their thumbs.

Roxxsmom said:

Because they have mandated reporting laws for situations involving the abuse or neglect of children or people who are vulnerable (like hospital patients or nursing home patients).

Animal cruelty laws and the legal responsibility of people working in animal care professions probably vary greatly by state.

I guess we'll have to see how this plays out and which laws are invoked. I too am horrified that people would work in a vet hospital and ignore something like this.

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The variation is certainly true. Someone on another board once posted about suspecting animal abuse by a neighbour or some such. I suggested calling the ASPCA cops. No one else had any idea what I was talking about and were shocked there was such a thing (they're what they sound like - cops, with patrol cars, badges, guns, handcuffs, etc., and the power to arrest, ticket, etc., - they have the powers of 'real' cops, respond to calls and work exclusively on animal abuse, neglect, rescue.). I was shocked they weren't everyplace. I'm sure they're probably other places but not as ubiquitous as I'd assumed.

It may vary with state and locale, but it's quite common out here in CA. My brother (who is an MD) was shocked when he rescued a cat that had been poisoned (it had to be hospitalized for a few days) when he discovered that the "veterinary hospital" he'd taken the cat to had no after-hours staff to monitor the animal. He actually had to transport the cat to a 24 hour emergency and specialist referral hospital because it was too sick to be left overnight without supervision. The poor little guy pulled through, and my brother had a new pet.

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Yay for your brother and his fuzzy buddy! I'd be shocked too. I wasn't doubting you, just never heard of anything like that. Even the places that just board pets here (not vet offices) that I know of have a person there 24 hours and you can call and check up and stuff. I expect a hospitalized animal to be under observation by a live person 24/7, like with rounds and notations and stuff; dunno what I'd do if someone said that wasn't what they did. Find a 24-hour place I suppose.

I don't know how to differentiate between vet hospital and vet office. To me, the vet hospital is the big 24-hour, walk-in place for emergencies and stuff. It does everything but that's what I think of as vet hospital. The vet offices I know of are, I think, mostly for regular stuff? I dunno. My vet's office isn't open 24 hours, but if you call after hours with an emergency and want the on-call vet to come in and the nurse thinks there's a need, you meet them there (for more than double the normal office visit fee).

I will say I've not thought anything of it until this discussion (and absolutely don't think they're doing anything untoward), but while you can go in with your animal for a regular exam, the hospital area is off-limits to visitors, because of procedures going on and to keep animals from being stressed and such. If you have an animal in the hospital, they can bring the animal out to you in their like, visiting room, but you can't go in the 'back.' Now I wonder if that's the norm.

I've been a vet tech for 13 years, and this story really pisses me off. I think every person working there, not just the vet, should be held liable and charged with cruelty. And if they have licensed techs, their licenses should also be taken away. None of those people should be allowed to work with animals again. I've had the pleasure of working with hundreds of different vets and techs, and most are wonderful. But there are definitely some bad ones out there.

As for overnight care, most vet clinics do not staff overnight because they only do routine procedures, so there is no need. They are like human doctor offices. Some will keep animals over night, and have an on-call tech stay to take care of them at those times. Other places leave the animals unsupervised, which I don't agree with. And still others will transport to a 24/7 facility.

There is a process to follow because that is how boards of licensing work. He is suspended so the delay until the next board meeting is not of any real consequence.

Ambrosia said:

Texas veterinarian says he was too busy to euthanize pets.

And the dog was too large for his freezer.

And he didn't have time to bury the dog on his ranch.


The board has to decide whether the man's license should be revoked? What in the world is there even to consider?

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I'm sure there's a process to follow, with evidence gathering, documents, depositions or the like, everything checked, noted, filed, etc.

While he's waiting, and thus not oh so busy, maybe some of the people who had animals there could, you know, meet up with him, in a back alley or something, with some blunt and/or sharp objects.

cornflake said:

I'm sure there's a process to follow, with evidence gathering, documents, depositions or the like, everything checked, noted, filed, etc.

While he's waiting, and thus not oh so busy, maybe some of the people who had animals there could, you know, meet up with him, in a back alley or something, with some blunt and/or sharp objects.

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I would much rather see him injected with some kind of debilitating, but not fatal virus and locked in a room in an abandoned warehouse somewhere ala SAW.

Seems closer to what the animals went through.

Unless there is some evidence that suggests this guy has been doing stuff like this for years and years, I'm guessing this veterinarian is not all there. Early dementia is a strange thing, and it's often down to the relatives, friends and coworkers around the person in question to step in when it becomes clear that the person's behavior is becoming erratic or irrational.

I still want to know why the people who worked for and with this man didn't do anything. I also want to know why the state agencies responsible for inspecting and licensing animal care facilities didn't notice that something shady was happening at this hospital.

Roxxsmom said:

Unless there is some evidence that suggests this guy has been doing stuff like this for years and years, I'm guessing this veterinarian is not all there. Early dementia is a strange thing, and it's often down to the relatives, friends and coworkers around the person in question to step in when it becomes clear that the person's behavior is becoming erratic or irrational.

I still want to know why the people who worked for and with this man didn't do anything. I also want to know why the state agencies responsible for inspecting and licensing animal care facilities didn't notice that something shady was happening at this hospital.

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One of the follow-up stories I linked to above mentions a cat he'd held captive for two or three years, so yeah, it's apparently been going on a while.

I too want to know when those horrible 'people' will be prosecuted. As to the inspection thing, I don't know but I'd guess it's like inspections of most things - way too few inspectors to get to everyplace in any sort of decent timeline.

It could be that the staff weren't told exactly what was going on. It's not actually uncommon in my experience for a veterinary practice to step in when it appears that an animal might be being abused and the staff might have been told that was the case here.

There was one case at the place I used to work at, where during a domestic dispute, the husband lashed out at the dog and kicked it in the face, breaking the front teeth and actually tearing the flesh of the muzzle off the bone. We just outright refused to give it back to the people and turned it over to the local humane society.

A more iffy case though, a family brought their dog in because it was choking and couldn't eat. It was probably two years old at that point, and we found the collar they had put on when the dog was a puppy had never been adjusted as it grew. The old collar actually had to be surgically removed and then the animal had to be kept for weeks for wound care. Eventually, one of the techs took him home and we were all told not to say anything about what happened to him. I don't know what they told the family. :-/

ShaunHorton said:

It could be that the staff weren't told exactly what was going on. It's not actually uncommon in my experience for a veterinary practice to step in when it appears that an animal might be being abused and the staff might have been told that was the case here.

There was one case at the place I used to work at, where during a domestic dispute, the husband lashed out at the dog and kicked it in the face, breaking the front teeth and actually tearing the flesh of the muzzle off the bone. We just outright refused to give it back to the people and turned it over to the local humane society.

A more iffy case though, a family brought their dog in because it was choking and couldn't eat. It was probably two years old at that point, and we found the collar they had put on when the dog was a puppy had never been adjusted as it grew. The old collar actually had to be surgically removed and then the animal had to be kept for weeks for wound care. Eventually, one of the techs took him home and we were all told not to say anything about what happened to him. I don't know what they told the family. :-/

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What they were being told?

The facility was filthy. The dog that was rescued had been kept in a too-small cage, sitting in his own excrement, for, apparently, months. There were other animals held captive, used as blood donors, left in cages.

I don't believe no one saw any of it. I know that's not the case, as the case was broken when a worker who'd left called the dog's people to tell them what was going on.

Those people knew; they saw it. They belong in prison.