State Board finds Dr. Margo Roman’s practice of veterinary medicine “constitutes physical abuse” and “rough handling of an animal”
The Massachusetts Veterinary Board opened a fifth investigation into Hopkinton veterinarian Dr. Margo Roman of MASH Main Street Veterinary Clinic in response to allegations of misrepresentation and unprofessional conduct. HopNews has obtained and verified records that show Dr. Roman has been on probation since 2015. Her license is set to renew on February 28, 2023.
Most recently, the State demanded that Dr. Roman show why her license should not be revoked in response to complaints of “false and misleading advertising”. Roman had sent several emails to her patients and then Governor Charlie Baker claiming that ozone therapy was a cure for COVID-19.
However, this was not the first complaint regarding Dr. Roman’s practices. In 2015, Roman performed a procedure in which she shaved down 16 teeth of a dog with a saw blade. The patient was placed under anesthesia but Roman did not provide antibiotics or pain management medication, despite the dog experiencing pain and difficulty eating.
The Board concluded that Roman’s treatment was inappropriate for aggression and/or biting, and that it was inconsistent with the standards and practices of the American Veterinary Medical Association. The dog subsequently developed inflammation, lesions, and multiple infections as a result of the procedure. The state affirmed that Roman’s practice of veterinary medicine “constitutes physical abuse and/or engaging in unnecessarily rough handling of an animal in your care.”
In this five part article, the HopNews team summarizes the timeline of complaints, beginning as early as 2008, details of the state’s investigations, and the subsequent findings of the Board. Please be advised that this content may be disturbing to some readers.
>> Read Part 2: About Dr. Margo Roman and Initial Complaints
She needs to never touch an animal again . They can’t speak someone has to speak up for them . She also needs number teeth cut down to see how it feels. Excuse my language but if it were my dog I would have punched her right in the face.
Your speaking out of ignorance. You have no idea what the facts are. Their are always two sides of a story… a disgruntle client a personal issue, you never know. Funny how you hear the bad but not the thousands of animals she has saved, nobody writes about that !!How about all the vets that are over vaccinating our animals unnecessarily, giving the same vaccine dosage to a 10 pound dog as a 50lb dog! Shoving processed food down our animals throats. Giving unnecessary amounts of antibiotics.
Why don’t you punch them in the face?
What are you even talking about? Over vaccinating? Desiree IF what she is/was doing wasn’t wrong why are they after her? There are many many stories about her crazy ways. I’ve heard quite a few of them too. This is like the folks who stuck up for Louise Coleman at Greyhound Friends. She saved a lot of dogs lives until she started hoarding them. If you end your career on a dour note that is what folks remember. What she has done has caused unnecessary pain to the animals and their owners.
There are other vets who will do titers instead of vaccinations without also causing this kind of harm to them.
That is not over vaccinating. Dose matters not. THAT is ignorance. Do your research.
The doctor I worked for before I moved is one of the top holistic veterinarians in the USA. (If that is your scene, I promise you at least know who she is.) And she would NEVER do something like shave off a bunch of teeth with a saw blade.
It honestly mind boggling to me that ANY doctor would. That alone seems like a good reason to question if she should have a license…not trying to be mean, just being honest. She may be a lovely woman and may truly want to help animals, but…that is a mind bogglingly bad idea. So much so that, imo, the state board is fully justified questioning her ability to practice medicine just based on that alone.
You are talking pure nonsense. Owners like you who misuse antibiotics or shorten duration of administration based on “research” are the reason we have resistance.
Well, the owners of the pets whose lives Dr. Roman saved should probably rally to defend her. Seriously, though, I don’t care what good she has done all along. The woman must be out of her mind to have caused Lily and other beloved pets so much unnecessary pain. Who needs a vet like that? Ozone a cure fo Covid, uh? I call charlatanism!
You don’t need to know the full story to know grinding down teeth is never appropriate in vetmed.
Apples and oranges! 16 teeth with a saw blade? That’s from the report! I’ve had the same vet for 25 years! Never one complaint and I look up things just as I do for the doctors my family goes to. Animals need the same treatment that humans get!!
There is no 2 sides to filing a dogs teeth down as punishment for a behavioral problem that is abuse.
Any person in vetmed knows that- that’s why the medical board is threatening to pull her license.
This isn’t a case of a mean client, medical boards look at facts and medical record (that she wrote).
And there isn’t such a thing as “overvaccinating” a 10lb dog vs a 50lb dog when you use the same vial.
A vaccine is not a medication, it’s not dosed out by pet weight, or mgs.
A vaccine is meant to stimulate immune response- the introduction of inactive viral material needs presented to stimulate an immune response, which is the same response whether the animal is 5lbs, or 150lbs.
It has nothing to do with the size, and all to do with immuno-response.
And antibiotics have to be given a certain duration to eliminate the colony, not most*, the whole colony, otherwise, the remaining colony developed resistance, and antibiotic-resistance and superbugs are kinda bad.
So maybe finish your antibiotics.
And I assure you vets are over prescribing them, because they take bacterial resistance more seriously than you, and only prescribe them- when.needed.you.dunce.
Your comment shows very clear ignorance of not only veterinary but even just general medical or science based practices that even a non-medical professional should know.
They teach this in high school.
You comment is ridiculous.
And no, people shouldn’t gang up on vet practices or their other staff because vetmed has one the highest suicide rates- BUT they should also be held to a reasonable accountability, which it sounds like the state board is doing by researching and putting her license on the line.
There’s no place for ignorance or abuse in vetmed.
And there’s no place for misinformation in vetmed. Ozone therapy for treating covid is preposterous and covid doesn’t affect dogs (outside of very specific limited clinical setting), so there’s no reason for her to even be promoting that anyways. It’s not in the scope of her licensure, and thus she* put her license at risk, not a mean disgruntled client
completely agree there is other side of story
100% correct and agreed. Dr Roman is a stellar practitioner and advocate for holistic and integrative approaches to animal companion care. This person is commenting on something they know nothing of, nor both sides of the story. The person doesn’t seem to speculate as to what the fate of the aggressive dog might have been otherwise, something which came to mind for me as I had an aggressive dog once and was advised he might need to be euthanized. Seems to me this might have been a more compassionate response, and one which might also satisfy authorities and keep the public safe.
Dr. Roman saved my dog’s life – and has been nothing but professional, caring, and compassionate. The modalities she often uses are standard practice for many holistic and integrative veterinarians across the United States – and the world. Please do a better job researching your stories!
Thank you for your feedback, Christine. We researched extensively when writing this story. The factual narrative was constructed from court filings obtained through a request with the Division of Occupational Licensure. The complaints, consent decree, testimony, and investigative conclusions are a matter of public record, and we would direct you to the following website if you would like to review the records yourself. https://www.mass.gov/division-of-occupational-licensure-public-records-request
Thank you for letting our community know and understand what she has done.
Thank you for alerting the pet owning public. People need to know these things in order to make informed decisions about who their pet’s will receive healthcare from. You have provided facts, in all of the separate articles posted here. It’s clear there is a pattern with this veterinarian, using the public’s trust in her position, to disseminate her opinions as facts. Perhaps she believes what she is doing is right, but that is beside the point. Clearly, the MA Board of Veterinary Medicine, The Board of Veterinary Dentists and The Board of Veterinary Behavior, all disagree with her. The pet owning public needs and deserves this information. So, we THANK YOU!
It’s great she saved your dog, but doesn’t change that she subjected another dog to unethical and abusive practices.
I assure you, nowhere is teeth filing as a treatment for a behavioral issue ever recommended, not by veterinarians nor behavioralist, or any reasonable minded professional.
And while I’m glad your pet is safe, it sounds like not ALL her practices are in line with holistic vetmed.Otherwise they wouldn’t be pulling her license, or investigating doing so.
Many holistic vets practice without harming animals, and do practice without losing their license.
You can practice a holistic approach without animal abuse, and to each their own with holistic vs. modern.
But vets have to be accountable and held to a standard, if she treated 95 pets great, but abused or medically harmed 5, she had no place practicing particularly is she’s acting against best interest of the pet, and also, doing things outside of the scope of her licensure – like falsely advertising human cures or human illnesses.
As a veterinary professional that’s a big no-no. She can’t promote or comment on human medicine or treatment or offer it in her practice.
Agreed — also, there is a reason Dr. Roman has been “fired” from all major emergency and referral hospitals in MA both as a client and as a referring veterinarian. She practices inappropriate “medicine” and is horribly aggressive and straight up rude to speak to when any mutual patients are hospitalized. I will not mention where I was an intern, but day one of orientation was “no direct communication with Margot Roman.” She 100% needs to have her license revoked. The number of dumpster fire cases of hers I have seen come through the ER where she is trying to treat pneumonia, corneal ulcers, pancreatitis, etc with rectal ozone, and even ozone directly to the cornea, is mind blowing and a disgrace to the profession.
Dr.Roman is one of the best integrative vets in the world! She has saved so many pets including my own pet! The most caring and loving vet I know! Her practice is standard practice of a integrative vet with expertise that other integrative vets consult with her.
Once again you are trying to cause BAD news for something that is unknown to you!!
You need to do a better job in researching and source of your stories!!
From this reporting and stories from individuals I am seeing elsewhere, she has also harmed animals. It is best to be aware so that you can make proper decisions for your pets if you continue to take them there. And it is up to the veterinary board whether and how to discipline her.
No. I’m glad she saved your pet’s life but her actions in this case showcased her practicing bad veterinary medicine. I can assure you that there is literally NO leg to stand on for shaving a dog’s teeth off with a saw and leaving it at that. This is not only NOT a standard of care, this is malpractice. Shaving a dog’s tooth off at the gum line exposes the tooth to bacteria, which can move into the tooth, up to the base of the root and cause abscess. Which can be life threatening. And not only did she do it to one tooth, but ALL this dogs’ teeth. Understandably, the dog experienced severe pain and mouth wide infection afterwards. The veterinary board absolutely needs to be involved here.
Dr. Roman has been my vet for 4 of my dogs and 1 cat over a span of 15 plus years. Her kindness and skills have helped everyone of my animals – all of who love and have loved going into her office, knowing it was a good place to be. She provides a safe environment with holistic healing techniques. Not everyone believes in a holistic approach, but for me, I am most grateful.
This is nothing but lies. I have been a client of Dr Roman for 25 years. She is an excellent Veterinarian who is compassionate and loving toward the animals she treats and animal owners. If people could be more open to gentle and natural therapies, our world would be a better place. These accusations are false and the accuser should be penalized. Outrageous claims!!!
This is a factual article, not an opinion piece. HopNews posted this comment above so you can access the source information yourself. Even if you like her and feel she is treating your animals well, it is still a good idea to know that there have been issues with the way she practices with other pets.
“Thank you for your feedback, Christine. We researched extensively when writing this story. The factual narrative was constructed from court filings obtained through a request with the Division of Occupational Licensure. The complaints, consent decree, testimony, and investigative conclusions are a matter of public record, and we would direct you to the following website if you would like to review the records yourself. https://www.mass.gov/division-of-occupational-licensure-public-records-request“
Joyce how do you feel about her sawing off the dogs teeth? Do you believe that to also be a lie?
We have no idea what the circumstances were. As a woman who has had one aggressive dog in a lifetime of several Canine/Feline companions, I am well aware of what CAN be the options for dog aggression. If public officials step in, a dog can be euthanized. We don’t know if filing the teeth down wasn’t the most compassionate response in order to keep the dog alive, living in the same household, but also a way of keeping the public safe. We also don’t know what breed the dog is. I think at the very least, all sides of the story should be taken into consideration before we judge and condemn someone. I would hope the same for you or I in life.
Odd to see people attack a news outlet for sharing news.
Not in any of these articles against Dr. Roman do I see where you have contacted Dr. Roman in order to get her side of these accusations. As was stated in another comment above, there are always two sides of the story. I will add – and then there are the facts! In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – a national best seller by Stephen Covey, one of the habits is Seek First to Understand and Then to Be Understood. The first part of this habit has been overlooked.
Hi Amy, thank you for your comment. In fact, we held a 90 minute interview with Dr. Roman today. An article is forthcoming.
Can’t wait to hear how she justifies her abuse! Thank you for shedding light on the horrible medicine she practices. She needs her license revoked.
Thank you for this series, and, more generally, for what you are doing with the site. With so many local newspapers having been reduced to nothing more than a collection of high school sports scores, infomercials, and anodyne human interest stories, it’s refreshing to see some genuine investigative reporting on issues that are important to the community.
This was an interesting read- comments included………..
Dr. Roman has cared for several of my dogs. She has used tried and true holistic approaches to helping my dogs with IBD and DCM attain their healthiest states so they could heal (in conjunction with conventional medical care). She is a kind and caring veterinarian who, in my experience has always backed up her treatments with data.
My biggest problem with this reporting of the claim is that they did not give her the opportunity to rebut, nor did they actually tell the whole truth about her attempts to get government officials to consider use of ozone in treating covid. She always made those gestures with literature in hand, backing up her claims. We discussed at length, as I’m a human doctor. She didn’t claim to be able to “cure” covid19 but that ozone could HELP, and on that line, definitely wouldn’t hurt. And to back up her thoughts, the Italians and other foreign medical teams actually DID use ozone in hospitals in the height of the pandemic to help with seriously ill patients. She provided all those articles in every attempt to get anyone to listen because she thought it could be used as an adjunct to help sick people. Unlike the My Pillow Guy and the other fools touting ridiculous cures and medicines that could cause harm and were proven ineffective, she actually did her research and presented it. It would behoove your publication to talk to her and get the whole story, not just the board filings.
In the Matter of Margo Roman License Number 2267:
12. On or about April 1, 2020, you authored and sent an email entitled, “Ozone approved to treat COVID.”
13. Said email states in pertinent-part: “Ozone therapy can be used to treat people who tested positive at [sic] COVID-19.”
14. Said email states in pertinent-part: “Medical Ozone is the magic Bullet that can stop Corona.”
Let me preface my comment by saying – I worked for many years for one of the top holistic veterinarians in the United States. I guarantee anyone posting in these comments to defend this vet would know who my former boss is, she is that well known. I will not say who exactly because I don’t want to drag her into this. (I moved which is why I no longer work for her, but we are still friends.) So keep this in mind while reading the second half of my comment.
I say that because I want to chime in that sawing off a dogs teeth is NOT okay behavior and is NOT normal – even for an extremely holistic vet. There is basically no excuse for it. The teeth could have been pulled at absolute most, but should NOT have been sawed off. Holy crap! I’m honestly in shock that a vet would even think to do that let alone actually go through with it. And as a non-vet even I could have seen the horrible pain and infection coming from a mile away. There is a reason teeth are pulled or removed surgically (and yes they can also do root canals, implants, etc, on dogs too) That story alone is enough to make me question the judgement of this doctor… like I can’t even overstate just how horrible and inappropriate sawing off a dog’s teeth is. I’m not even saying she was trying to be mean or abusive, but it does show *extremely* poor medical judgement. And you can’t just cover up that degree of bad judgement by calling it holistic and saying some stuff about how traditional vets over vaccinate. (They do, but what does that have to do with anything here?)
I hope they take her license for good!!! This woman is a disgrace to veterinary medicine. She should never be allowed near an animal again. She took an oath to do no harm yet that’s all she seems to be doing. That, and blindly leading her clients to inappropriate management of their pets health. It would be a great day for pets in the MetroWest area to see her shut down for good!
There is ZERO reason this should’ve gotten to her 5th “investigation”. Take her license away permanently and keep her away from animals for the rest of her pathetic life.
They’ve given her nothing but a slap on the wrist every time. She firmly believes she is doing good and “healing” her ill patients. They need to take her license and she should never practice her horrible medicine again. How many complaints, suspensions, and fines does it take?? Clearly she’s not going to change.
She almost killed my dog!! She should NEVER be allowed to practice again. She is all about the money and lies come out of her mouth. This women disgusts me.
https://www.mass.gov/service-details/have-a-complaint-against-a-licensee
Did you file a complaint with the Vet Board? Please consider doing so, to help protect other pets from going through similar experiences. https://www.mass.gov/service-details/have-a-complaint-against-a-licensee
It is shocking that the Board has not revoked her license after such egregious conduct. The lack of appropriate action by the Board has allowed for such quack vets to continue to harm animals based on nothing more than pseudoscience and their egos. Here’s hoping the Board just revokes her license so she can’t continue harming animals with her dangerous and baseless practices. As a vet med professional, I’m both embarrassed and irate such unprofessional, reckless, and ludicrous behaviors were allowed to continue for so long despite the evidence showing her pattern of harmful and cruel practices, lack of remorse, and inability to actually learn proper, safe, and proven procedures, let alone decent patient care. Thank you HopNews for reporting on this!
For 30+ years Dr. Roman has provided the highest standard of care, both traditional and holistic, for my dogs, cats and rabbit.
I saw that she was holistic and that’s all I needed to know. The pharma-backed industry doesn’t tolerate doctors who heal without drugs & surgery. As a vet, I’m puzzled about the dental work, but I’m certain that “shaving” is a misrepresentation. As always, I want to know the other side of the story. I have to wonder if some clients threatened to kill the dog if the teeth weren’t removed, and perhaps she took a cue from the equine world and tried a form of “floating,” where the teeth are filed down. I wouldn’t want to do it, but you’d be surprised what clients pressure you to do. And it’s easy to preach about best practices when you’re not the one faced with a life-or-death choice. But these are just completely ignorant guesses, and more likely this didn’t even happen.
But overall, obviously the ozone is what got their panties in a bunch. Heaven forbid we actually cure diseases, especially when it’s a disease we’re supposed to be terrified of.
Dogs and horses have completely different dentition. You cannot compare their dental maintenance at all. I am a DVM and any vet with 2 brain cells knows this.
Also a DVM here. Did you forget about the difference between hypsodont and brachydont teeth? Regards of what the story is there, recommending treatments to human clients about human disease is not what we’re licensed to do. She needed to stay in her lane on that count.
My opinions on the ozone front aside, filing (or sawing) down a dog’s teeth for behavioral reasons is flagrant malpractice. Not only will this not prevent human injury or do anything to address the underlying aggression, you are exposing roots and dentin, ultimately leaving each and every one of the affected teeth vulnerable to pain and infection. This is cruel, fails to meet minimum standards of care, and there is absolutely no indication for it. It’s indefensible.
Whether or not the client requested the procedure is completely irrelevant. As veterinary professionals, we have a moral, legal, ethical, and professional obligation to decline when our clients make unreasonable demands. This is a medical establishment. It’s not Burger King. No is a complete sentence. “She asked for it,” is not a viable defense for malpractice. Have you ever experienced severe dental pain? Imagine experiencing it in the majority of your teeth simultaneously with no end in sight. There are fates worse than death….
Experimentation is not an acceptable treatment – she is not in research – she is a licensed vet. You can’t “try floating” because you feel like it. There are medically responsible treatments and removing part of the teeth is not one of them. It is mind boggling – the tooth structure does not support it (which is why teeth are removed!), just look at the illustrations of dog teeth – the pulp extends too far into the tooth to do that. It is horrifying that she even considered it.
She’s not the first or last vet. that I have seen abuse pets that’s why I don’t work in the veterinarian field anymore.
Just a comment to those saying “top vets in the world”. How exactly are private practices ranked?? Been in the vet field for over a decade and I am a vet. Never came across any method of ranking practices.
OMG this is unreal This person should have already lost her license to help pets. I am so upset that this has continued . Please do not allow her to ever treat a helpless animal again!!! Outrage!! My daughter is in her first year to her doctorate for vet med and this is unacceptable. Please do not renew her license and she needs to be charged for abuse to animals
They tried to suspend her license in 2015 but she got a lawyer and fought it.
That is why this news article is so important. The public would have no idea otherwise.
I’d like the signed treatment plan to be published. Also, facts that she denied pain medication… I’ve seen tons of treatment plans where clients have declined after care medications due to cost.
Whether or not pain medication was offered isn’t terribly relevant here. The problem is the ethics of performing the procedure itself. Yes, there should be adequate pain management after an invasive dental procedure. But short courses of pain medication and antibiotics aren’t going to address the fact that the affected teeth are now irreparably damaged. This dog was going to experience recurrent, chronic pain and infections until those teeth were extracted.
I work in the veterinary industry and have had the privilege of knowing hundreds of veterinarians personally. I have been in scores of veterinary clinics around the world and witnessed veterinary care in various countries. I have known Dr. Roman for about 10 years now and would testify in court to her kindness, compassion and dedication to the animals that she treats in her clinic…and yes, I have been in her clinic as well. I cannot speak to every decision that she has made as being the right one, but based on her character, I know her desire is to always make the right decision. She’s also going to try every means necessary to try and save the life of an animal before “humanely” killing it. That’s how much she values the life of the animal.
But if you want to know why this story is actually a story, here it is. She is the only veterinarian I know (out of hundreds) who actually stands up to the state board and tells them no. They hate her for it. Most holistic or integrative veterinarians are somewhat quiet about the medicine that they choose to practice, however, Dr. Roman is not. She writes letters to senators. She visits universities. She lectures around the world. She stands up to big pharma. She is a medical pioneer and tells everyone she knows about the medical innovations that she uses. She stands up to the state board and because of that, they want to revoke her ability to practice medicine and they want to discredit her ways. Power hates opposition. Dr. Roman has spent hundreds of thousands of her own dollars defending herself from the state board when all she had to do is agree with their demands and go on her merry way. 99 out of 100 people would have caved, but she stood up for what she believed in.
The sad part about this story is that Hopnews has failed to get both sides and publish a truly unbiased piece. It’s like hearing one of my children say, “He hit me!” and assuming that I must know all there is to know about the event. They mention a few questionable incidents (that Dr. Roman hasn’t had the chance to explain) over the course of the last 15 years but don’t mention the hundreds if not thousands of animals that Dr. Roman has worked to save and heal. Bad form. I know that you just want hits on your website, but you can do a better job of journalism and still get attention. In fact, you must.
HopNews asserts no opinion on the matter. Rather, this is a reconstruction of testimony from the hearings Dr. Roman has been a part of. The narrative was constructed from court filings obtained through a request with the Division of Occupational Licensure. The complaints, consent decree, testimony, and investigative conclusions are a matter of public record, and we would direct you to the following website if you would like to request the records yourself. https://www.mass.gov/division-of-occupational-licensure-public-records-request
Where is the interview you conducted with Dr. Roman?
We spent 90 minutes with Dr. Roman this week. She has committed to provide HopNews with a written commentary on the article, which we have agreed to publish.
Will you be sharing the written commentary with us?
Dr. Roman provided no rebuttal or written comment on the story, despite her agreement to do so.
Wouldn’t let her stitch up a dead cat.
It’s interesting how easy it is to attack someone with one OPINION. Did any of you consider the fact that she’s been practicing since 1978. Have an6nof you sat back and thought about that fact ?
she initially had a horse that tufts animal demanded she put down for cancer. she applied her own methods and healed the horse yet her license was still pulled !!! my let’s see Dr Margo and she gives all of herself to help, because one boob didn’t like Dr. Margo’s matter of fact nature, she gets chastised ?? did the dog in question die ? do your homework ! shame on you all,,,ruining a woman’s livelihood without knowing ANYTHING about her. the story that was shared was only a story, not fact.
We’ve heard terrible things about this woman for 20 years. She needs to be stopped.