Roman advises against the rabies vaccine

Sixteen months later, on December 16, 2016, the Board of Veterinary Medicine served Dr. Roman with an Order to Show Cause as to why the Board should not revoke her license. In the filing, the Board cited two new complaints.

On November 8, 2013, a woman (who is identified as “the victim” in the filing) was bitten by a dog, “Turk”. Roman spoke with the woman and, among other things, told the victim that she was “crazy” to receive rabies shots and/or that “rabies vaccines are terrible for her body and harmful to humans.”

Turk had been a patient of Dr. Roman’s, and Roman had previously written a letter to Hopkinton Animal Control seeking a medical exemption from the rabies vaccine for the dog, citing her opinion that it was unnecessary based on blood work she had performed.

The Board concluded that Roman had not adequately examined Turk, had not kept appropriate medical records, and that her practice reflected “unfavorably on the profession of veterinary medicine”. It concluded that Roman’s practice of veterinary medicine “endangers the health and/or welfare of a patient and the public.” 

A Painful Dental Procedure

Second, and unrelated to the first complaint, the Board described an incident on May 28, 2015 in which Dr. Roman “shaved down approximately sixteen (16) teeth of a canine.” Roman did so with a saw blade under anesthesia, and because of reported canine aggression or biting issues. She elected to perform this procedure in spite of the AVMA having issued a well publicized position statement ten years prior declaring tooth extractions to be inappropriate for canine aggression.

Dr. Roman told the dog’s owner that the procedure would not harm the dog in any way, and that she had performed it many times before without negative consequences. She did not prescribe post-operation antibiotics or pain medication.

The dog developed inflammation, lesions, and infections as a result of the procedure. The Board noted that during the procedure, the owner asked Dr. Roman not to cut the teeth down so far, and Roman ignored the owner’s request.

Following the procedure, the owner brought the patient back to Dr. Roman on two occasions, complaining of pain and difficulty eating. On each occasion Roman indicated that the dog “looked fine”. Among other things, Dr. Roman told the owner to use clove oil and ozonated olive oil on the dog’s gums. The owner indicated she had done so, but that it did not work.

During one of the visits, Roman indicated to the owner that she “did not feel the least bit bad about what she did to (the dog) because he bit her in the face.”

>> Read Part 5: False Advertising and Conclusion