Suki's Safe Haven is exactly what it sounds like - a safe place for victims of veterinary incompetence, negligence, and abuse to obtain information about this disturbing but important subject. It's a companion site to The Veterinary Abuse Network, which grew out of a site founded in 2000 in memory of Suki the Cat, REPEATEDLY MISTREATED BY EDWARD J NICHOLS DVM, CRESTWAY ANIMAL CLINIC, San Antonio, and to alert the public of serious flaws in state board systems that routinely look the other way to protect the vets - and not our pets. You'll find original posts and articles as well as links to victims' stories, resources, other sites and blogs, and media coverage from all over the net. We'll also cover First Amendment issues for those of us who have been sued by the very veterinarians who mistreated our pets and then used the legal system in an attempt to silence us.

We will never forget. We will never be silenced.

This is an independent consumer advocacy blog and not associated with any government agency in any way.

March 27, 2012

There's a Reason It's Called 'Safe Haven'

This is probably a good time to tell you that this will not be an interactive blog. Sad to say, I will not be accepting or publishing comments. While the vast majority of people are understanding and supportive of victims of veterinary abuse, you can't imagine some of the vile, cruel, abusive, and downright threatening statements that “fans” of vets (i.e., staff, techs, family, friends, and of course, the vets themselves) will say and do, and the unending flaming, taunting and ridiculing that takes place of those who dare to speak out for those who have no voice. 

I simply can't allow these predictably vicious attacks on veterinary victims, mostly from “animal lovers” who – as frightening as this thought is – have your innocent pets in their hands every day. It would be tantamount to allowing batterers into a battered women's support group, so they can further attack, mock, and torment their victims.

Here's a very tame sampling of things that have been aimed at me, either by private email or in a public forum. I refuse to reprint the more explicit, disturbing ones.

  1. “You're crazy.” Yawn. A tired old standby. Fine, I'm crazy. But that doesn't change what the vet did. Those are two entirely different subjects.
  1. “You are loco de la cabeza.” Sometimes it's flattering to be insulted bilingually, assuming I can find a translator. Bottom line: the vet did what he did. In any language.
  1. “You need psychiatric help.” Maybe. But wouldn't that mean that the three veterinary experts in my case -- who put in writing just how many different kinds of wrong Ed Nichols did -- also need psychiatric help? Especially my testifying board certified expert witness from Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine, who outlined nine violations of the standard of care on one day (April 19, 1999) alone.
  1. “You're a liar.” Nice try, but that doesn't work when I have proof in the vet's own records, lab work, and timeline exactly what he did – and when, where, why, and how.
  1. “I will pray for you.” I think this is my favorite. You can't imagine the hate mail I get claiming to “bless my soul,” or quoting song lyrics, or telling me that “Jesus wouldn't want you to be doing this.” I tell them to save their prayers for the innocent animals at the hands of the worst of these “doctors.” I hope there's a special place in hell for this type of so-called “Christian” – preferably right next door to the one for abusive vets.
I couldn't keep Suki safe. I fully intend to keep this blog cruelty-free.

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