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By Candy Webb
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Long time Hendersonville veterinarian Dr. Louis S. Graham III has been charged with 33 counts of criminal responsibility for allegedly teaching and/or directing his employees to perform euthanasia upon animals without the statutory required training or certification.
In addition, three of his former employees have
also been charged with misdemeanors involving their part in the illegal euthanasia acts. Tammy L. Shanes, age 41, of 100 Cheryl Court, is charged with 26 counts of violating T.C.A. 44-17-303–performing euthanasia upon animals without the statutory required training and certification. The incidents are alleged to have taken place between May 2008 and March 2009. Terry H. Kuske, age 53, of Nashville, has been charged with five similar counts, and Lydia M. Martz, age 21, of 1070 West Main Street, has been charged with two counts. An investigation is also ongoing into allegations that Graham allegedly performed x-rays on humans for the purpose of medical care as well as prescribed antibiotics and provided shots for employees and their relatives over a several year period. According to a press release Hendersonville police and the Tennessee Department of health were first notified of the allegations on April 27 however, Shanes said she filed complaints with the Tennessee Board of Veterinarian Medicine almost a year ago but did not get a response. In a letter dated April 23, 2009 Shanes alleges that she was initially trained to perform all aspects of a technician’s job. She also alleges that she was trained in euthanasia but was never licensed to perform the procedure. Shane alleges in her letter that when she began reading about veterinarian practices and topics she realized the practices she was being told to follow were substandard but when she brought her concerns to Graham he told her if she had a problem she could be replaced. Some of the things Shanes said she was concerned with include the alleged improper disposal of animal bodies after euthanasia; allowing unlicensed technicians to perform procedures, discrepancies in the drug log book, botched surgeries and misdiagnosis, unclean instruments being used, and improper x-ray techniques leaving technicians unnecessarily exposed to radiation. In addition, Shanes alleges that at various times Graham treated several of her family members for medical problems. “Dr. Graham at various times in my employment x-rayed three of my four sons. He told is that he was not allowed to do them; but did them anyhow. I guess he figured everyone in the clinic was close and no-one would tell,” she said in her written statement. Shanes also provided written complaints by her sons who allege Graham treated them for poison ivy with injections of medication and took x-rays of injured hands and told them to take the x-rays to their physicians but not tell anyone where they got them. Shanes also provided a statement that Graham has treated her in the past with Keflex when she was bitten or scratched by animals at work. Shanes, who was terminated by Graham’s practice recently has been charged with euthanizing the animals without statutory training after she admitted that as part of her job she euthanized animals brought in from the Humane Society, Freedom Farms and owners who declined to be present for the procedure. And she was aware that she was not certified to do so. All four defendants are scheduled to appear in Sumner County General Sessions Court on June 10 at 9 a.m.
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