PALMDALE – About a dozen protesters gathered Saturday outside Mission Animal Hospital in Palmdale to call attention to the facility’s quality of care.
“We’re just trying to make people aware to avoid this practice,” said Lancaster resident Linda M. Monson-Cianciosi.
The protest was organized by a group called AV Animal Services in response to a letter Monson-Cianciosi submitted to The AV Times. In the letter, published Feb. 9, Monson-Cianciosi claimed her English Bulldog Max was sent home bleeding profusely after a procedure at Mission Animal Hospital. [Monson-Cianciosi’s letter here.]
The AV Times contacted Mission Animal Hospital before the letter was published. An office manager who did not give her name said Mission Animal Hospital had been communicating with Monson-Cianciosi’s husband about Max’s care, but she did not go into specifics about the procedure.
Monson-Cianciosi’s letter spawned hundreds of comments at TheAVTimes.com and on Facebook, many of them negative testimonials against Mission Animal Hospital.
Owner Ayman Ibrahim requested and was granted the opportunity for Mission Animal Hospital to publish a letter on TheAVTimes.com responding directly to Monson-Cianciosi’s allegations. Then Ibrahim, through his attorney, demanded that The AV Times retract Monson-Cianciosi’s letter or face possible legal action.
The attorney’s Feb. 12 letter claimed there were “numerous false statements” in Monson-Cianciosi’s version of the events but failed to specify the allegedly false statements. The attorney also claimed Mission Animal Hospital was bound by confidentiality requirements from publicly disclosing specific information without the pet owner’s approval. [Read the attorney’s letter here.]
Monson-Cianciosi on Saturday said she had not been contacted by Mission Animal Hospital representatives or their attorney for permission to disclose any information.
The AV Times on Saturday attempted to speak with Mission Animal Hospital regarding the protestors gathered outside; however, a representative said the hospital had “no comment.”
We will continue to follow this story.
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Linda says
IF ANYONE IS WILLING TO COME FORWARD WITH THEIR OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH MALPRACTICE AND WOULD LIKE TO LEAVE THEIR STORY, PLEASE GO TO AVANIMALSERVICES.ORG AND LEAVE YOU NAME AND STORY. THERE IS AN ATTORNEY INVOLVED AND THE MORE STORIES AVAILABLE TO HER, THE BETTER OUR CHANCES OF SHUTTING DOWN MISSION. PLEASE HELP US GIVE OUR PETS A VOICE!
Danny says
Took my jack-a-lope their once no issues not sure what all the fuss is about.
truth? says
On February 9th an article was published accusing Mission Hospital of Malpractice. On February 16, people were picketing outside of Mission Hospital demanding they be shut down. A vigilante lynch mob decided to take matters into their own hands, without waiting to hear from both sides. In this system we are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. Well it doesn’t matter now, because all of you that took part in this shark frenzy have already done your damage. Lives have been damaged because of an accusation, and after that accusation, people were more than willing to stone the people working at Mission Hospital. The seed was planted and a weed came up.
Ana says
Vigilante lynch mob? Shark frenzy? Damaged lives? Stoning Mission Hospital workers? Give me a break! Those protesters felt strongly about the quality of care at this hospital. I read the comments posted and out of 200 plus, too many posted to avoid this pet hospital because of the type of care their animals received. We took our dog there to Mission Hospital because he was stung by wasps. He was treated but I brought him back the next day because he started throwing up. We left him overnight for tests. While waiting for results the next day, mid-afternoon, we spent time with him. He was whining and crying until I asked if I could take him outside to go to the bathroom, the I. V. was unhooked and we headed to the back, we barely stepped outside and he ran then started peeing, for quite a while. I told the tech when we brought him back that he had needed to go to the bathroom and had held it, her response “I took him for a bathroom break in the morning.” What! After inconclusive test results, I said no to keeping him for a second night of observation. For meds, overnight stay, I.V. and tests, we spent close to $900.00. The posted comments from the owners with bad experiences horrified me and I will not be taking any of my pets there ever again. Insulting comments about the negative posts, threats of legal action, the few positive comments will not change my mind about returning to this hospital.
Greg says
Lynching involves death, often by hanging.
Shark frenzy, again death to prey while eating.
Stoning people, intended to cause death by great bodily harm.
Picketing, direct blocking and control of access to a place.
The completely non-violent sidewalk demonstration did none of the things you mentions other than possibly damage the reputation of a business, that seems to be damaging itself and has finally brought out in the public view.
notreally says
Greg, those words were used as metaphors. Whenever you intend to cause damage to a business Greg it might be a good idea to wait before all the facts are in. Accusations are different than facts! You might want the same process to apply to you, “innocent until proven guilty.”
Greg says
They were used as metaphors, very badly. That was my point.
No where did I state that accusations were facts, nor that all facts were know. I did however mention that it SEEMS the business has already been damaging itself, which is my opinion.
Proper use of language is important.
let's hear it then says
The people have been waiting for a response BUT instead a letter from the lawyer was the response- typical guilty move!
smartmove says
No, actually it’s a smart move! That’s the way the process is supposed to work. Not the way it went down these last two weeks.
Linda says
It wasn’t the 16th, it was the 14th. It wasn’t a lynch mob. Unfortunately it wasn’t the story printed but similar experiences that inspired people to speak out about their own situations. Read the FB page. Hundreds of people have come forward, not to mention former employees who commented on the abuse going on inside that business. There are too many “licensed” veterinarians. They shouldn’t be in the business to harm animals. People trust them with their pets life. What their doing is so wrong! And there is another protest on Saturday the 21st with even more stories. Don’t take my word, let the veterinary licensing board decide. Malpractice is malpractice. These animals need a voice. Any reputable vet lets you go back to the kennel area if your pet is there. What are they hiding?
Tiger says
The owner SAVED the life of my 2 lb dog and has operated on 3 others. Gr8 vet
PeaceInTheAV says
I have know a couple of people who worked there. The hospital’s doctor at the time was very unsanitary. He would eat lunch, and go straight into surgery without washing his hands. He would move patient to patient (pet to pet) without washing his hands. He was insensitive to patient/pet parent needs. He was a tyrant to the employees, even to the point of unprofessionalism: yelling at employees and not observing employment law in regards to break times. I have heard horror story after horror story. I am glad that this vet is finally getting the attention he deserves.
Cooper says
I’d be curious to see if the newspaper itself is open to any liability on this kind of reporting where the newspaper becomes a vehicle for spreading information without taking any ownership of the factuality of the information. Essentially this lady says the business is bad, the business disagrees, and the av times has raised the issue to the level of slander by making it public. If someone wrote a letter about me and published it in the newspaper, I would feel that the letter itself could not have been public without the aid of the newspaper. I really don’t know what the legality and potential exposure the AV Times has, probably none, but I do wonder.
Irena says
Letters to the Editor, as that article was, can be grounds for defamation lawsuits in some cases. The tricky part is that the veterinary clinic has to prove the allegations are false first generally. Basically it isn’t defamation if it is actually true.
A newspaper will then just be required to either print (or post) a retraction and/or apology.
And... says
When newspapers do that they usually bury them deep where they are not found easily.
Brenda says
I took my English bull dog here too, my pup got Parvo and we paid more than 1000 for them cure my pup and after 4 days they said it wasn’t looking good n they left it up to us to leave him there more day or take him and us thinking maybe they know what they are doing we left him for 2 more day. When we took him in he was active just not eating as much but when we went to see him 2 day later he was real skinny n dry from the mouth n nose they said it was normal. The brother of my pup was tested Parvo 3 days after we took our dog in. And we had told him n the peso who has him took him to another vet n he was sick real bad the second day he came out positive and he was saved withing 4 days he was cured. I lost my English bull dog in this vet all because they didn’t care.