Authorities arrested the owner of a Modesto veterinary clinic on charges of animal cruelty, theft and practicing veterinary medicine without a license.
Mahmoud Ahmed Kalil, owner of the Pelandale Veterinary Hospital, was arrested on July 12 at the clinic but was released hours later on bail.
Kalil refused to talk to The Bee or identify his attorney. He was reached at the clinic Thursday morning, which was open for business.
State authorities said they are investigating another veterinarian who worked at the clinic.
Kalil's patients contacted Thursday said they were pleased by the arrest.
Kim Hakola, of Modesto, filed a complaint against Kalil last year over the treatment of her dog, Bailey.
"I am so excited that he was arrested," Hakola said. "I have goose bumps."
Bailey was taken to the Pelandale Clinic on July 18, 2005 for an abnormal growth on his eye.
According to copies of the medical records she provided to The Bee, the growth was burned off the dog's eye using nitrogen strips.
When Hakola got her dog, she reported that Bailey's eye was "bruised, burned and raw," according to the complaint she filed.
Hakola and her husband took Bailey to another veterinarian who successfully treated the dog for the eye injuries.
That incident is what warranted the cruelty charge, said Gina Bayless, enforcement program manager for the California Veterinary Medical Board.
"Putting those strips into the dog's eye was considered cruelty and was something that should never be done," Bayless said. "He also was arrested on a theft charge because our investigation found that he charged patients for procedures that were never done."
Under the California Penal Code, a conviction for animal cruelty can result in a fine of $20,000 and three years in prison, said John Goold, chief deputy district attorney for Stanislaus County. The theft charge was a misdemeanor and could result in six months in jail. Goold was not sure of the maximum penalty for practicing veterinary medicine without a license.
A person without a veterinary license is not allowed to examine, diagnose, treat or prescribe medications to an animal, said Sue Geranen, executive officer of the veterinary board.
Investigation began in 2005.
State officials began investigating Kalil and the Pelandale clinic last year after an article appeared in The Bee about a patient's complaint filed against Kalil, Bayless said.
The investigation took a year to complete because 10 more people filed complaints against Kalil and each one had to be investigated, she said.
The district attorney's office filed a case against Kalil on July 6, Goold said.
Kalil was arrested about 3 p.m. Wednesday by officials from the district attorney's office with the assistance of investigators from the veterinary board, Bayless said.
Kalil was booked at the Stanislaus County Jail but released several hours later on $10,000 bail.
Juliet Peters, of Salida, filed a complaint against Kalil after her cat Sadie died while being treated at the clinic. Her case led to the most recent investigation.
"I am extremely pleased of today's news," she said. "I'll do anything to get him put away."
This is not the first time that Kalil has been investigated by the veterinary board.
In 1987, investigators looked into 11 complaints of negligence and incompetence, six of fraud and deception, 19 of unprofessional conduct, six of not meeting the minimum standards of a veterinarian and nine of failing to pass inspections.
That year, he also was arrested and charged by the Solano County district attorney's office with six counts of animal cruelty and six counts of theft. He was convicted of the criminal counts, and was put on probation.
In 1988, the state revoked his veterinary license.
The current investigation is continuing, Bayless said.
State investigators also are looking into the actions of George C. Ferguson, a veterinarian at the Pelandale Veterinary Hospital. Under California regulations, every veterinary hospital must have a licensed veterinarian on record and Ferguson served that role at the Pelandale clinic, Bayless said.
"We will be looking at his role in the aiding and abetting since he is the managing licensee," she said. "It could be citation or fine, formal discipline, but at this point we don't know. But he's ultimately responsible."
'I didn't do anything wrong'
Ferguson, who lives in Stockton, said Thursday he wasn't surprised the state board was investigating him.
"I didn't do anything wrong," he said. "But I quit my role at the hospital about a month ago."
Ferguson is a faculty member at the University of the Pacific, Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, said Phil Oppenheimer, dean of the School of Pharmacy and Health Science. Ferguson teaches veterinarian pharmacology, lectures on diseases that can be transmitted between humans and animals and serves on the university's animal safety committee, Oppenheimer said. University officials declined to discuss the investigation.
Ferguson said he never saw Kalil do any of the things he's accused of.
"But somebody must have had some information on him," Ferguson said. "They were really after him for some reason." Neighborhood MapFor more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.
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