This vet killed my cat through her arrogance and ignorance.
Dr. Priest diagnosed our cat Shadow as hypperthyroid and insisted he be on methimazole even though his fT4 was only modestly above normal and he had no physical symptoms as is required for a positive diagnosis from high fT4. We let her put him on methimazole and two weeks later he had lethargy and skin lesions so we took him back to her. She said his weakness was sudden onslought arthritis even though he had hiked and climbed rocks with us just weeks before. She didn't know what the lesions were but tried several topicals over the next nine months that didn't help as his condition worsened. Through all of this nine months she kept insisting that methimazole was not the cause of his problems and to keep giving it to him. Finally she recommended we see a dermatologist where we learned he had pemphigis foliacious (PF), caused by immune system damage. We secured the methimazole maker's warnings leaflet and it told us his symptoms were a bad and potentially fatal reaction to methimazole. By this time it was too late to save him but we tried. He endured several highly toxic medications to temper his out-of-control immune system over the next year. Nonetheless his immune system went from attacking his skin (a body organ) to attacking his internal organs including causing imflamatory bowel disease (an immune mediated disease) which as often occurs transitioned into lymphoma finally having him on chlorambucil, a chemo drug. Between the medications and his immune system attacking his kidneys, he finally succumed to kidney failoure. Over his last year he was on gabapentin (4 doses per day) to control pain. $15,000 in specialists and medication could not save him.
Shadow never was hypthyroid. When we learned that methimazole was causing his problems and took him off of it, we found a low iodine diet as the alternative. That diet drove him into severe hypothyroid proving he never was hyperthyroid. If this vet had given us the option of a low iodine diet, we would have jumped on it. And, we would have learned quickly that he was not hyperthyroid.
This doctor prescribed methimazole without knowing the possible side effects and never looked at the manufacturer's warnings over tth nine months she kept him on it.
Shadow was a special cat, Eh endured mistreatment in his first home (three years) and needed TLC from us. In return he was an emotional support animal for me. He learned over 30 words and loved hiking with me in remot areas of the western US (where his stranger-danger issue would not be triggered). He loved our time in the RV. While we were home he got one hour of my time every afternoon, escorting him around our acre.
I've filed a complaint against this vet with the California veterinary certification board. It is still in progress.