If you want to find out about disciplinary actions taken against a Maryland Veterinarian you first have to send the Maryland State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners a letter asking for the information. Through the Freedom of Information Act you can find out just what kind of problems there might be with a veterinarian and the animals they have had in their care.
I recently received a packet about Dr. Doug Nolte. It contains three consent agreements. The first two are concerning two cats that were sent in for routine care. The first case was about a year old cat that was sent in for routine shots and neutering. The cat was dropped off at Nolte's office on the morning of August 11, 2005. The owner retrieved the cat at 5:15pm that day. When the receptionist brought the cat out in its carrier, the owner noted the cat was laying flat on the bottom of the carrier and the owner asked if the cat was still sedated. The receptionist said the cat would be okay by the next day. "Dr. Nolte was not present and, for this reason, did not and could not examine 'the cat' to assess whether he had sufficiently recovered from the effects of the anesthetic agents". That evening the owner after seeing the cat looked worse, his gums were white and he was barley breathing, she takes the cat to Pet's E.R. where Dr. Drewer notes, "General appearance: quiet and lethargic, minimally responsive"; Musculoskeletal: cannot walk - even sit or lay sternally"; "Neuralgic: very depressed and stuporous." When Dr. Drewer tries to take the cats temperatureit was "too low to read on the thermometer." The cat is slowly warmed up and can be roused with a lot of effort by morning. The cat is then sent to Salisbury Animal Hospital where Dr. Hudson notes that it was "laterally recumbent and depressed." The cat had developed bradycardia (abnormally slow heartbeat). By the late afternoon the cat was able to stand on his own but was still not normal and was sent again to Pets E.R. so they could monitor it's condition. By the next morning the cat was sent home. In this case the Conclusion of Law was that patient information was not noted, weight, body condition temperature, pulse, respiration and submitted an undated record stating that he had used Ketamine and Xylazine on the cat instead of the more typical Isoflurine gas. He failed to monitor the cat post surgically and that " Dr. Nolte's treatment of this animal did not conform to the minimal standards of care". Dr. Nolte was fined $900, his license was suspended for 2 weeks but the suspension was stayed and that he was placed on 6 months probation.
The second case was about a cat that was declawed on March 13, 2006 by Dr. Nolte. On September 30 the owner sent the cat to the Annapolis Cat Hospital with an infected left front paw. After Dr. Maxson examined the cat, it was noted a "purulent (pus like) debris with a possible fistula at D3 and regrowth of the nail at D2. Dr. Maxson ordered radiographers, which showed that Dr. Nolte had removed little, if any, of P3". The conclusion of law determined that Dr Nolte basically didn't keep any notes on the patient's information, weight,body condition,temperature, and also failed to record any information about the anesthetic agent used, nor did he create a "log" of the procedure. He was fined $668.50 to cover the expense of the subsequent veterinary procedures, his license was suspended for two weeks but the suspension was stayed, and he was put on probation for 6 months.
Fast forward to March 27th 2008 when "Peggy Morgan, an inspector with the Board discovered that the hospital's narcotics were stored in an autoclave when she opened it". A major no-no with any Animal Hospital or Zoo. He was then fined $250.
What can you take from this information? Dr. Nolte obviously has a problem remembering to write down pertinent information relating to his patients. He also doesn't seem to good at handling normal veterinary procedures on felines. He also doesn't keep his drugs under double lock and key. Would you want to use him as your vet? Should the Zoo use him on their animals? All I can say is I'm glad I'm not a Bobcat or Ocelot at the Salisbury Zoo.
You draw your own conclusion. I should add, Dr. Nolte was terminated/fired from the Salisbury Zoo years ago and also worked at the Humane Society.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
59 comments:
Narcotics in the autoclave?? Makes you wonder if he even used the autoclave to sterilize instruments for surgery.
I'm confused. Does this hack still tend to zoo animals at the zoo? You say he was terminated years ago, so is he now just a threat to those domestic pets whose owners are foolish or clueless enough to take them to him?
BTW, I'm not the least bit surprised that he's been involved with the humane society. It sounds as though he fit right in.
Eight years ago I had my cat declawed and nuetered by Dr. Nolte (He came highly recommended by the Humane Society.) Fortunately all worked out well at that time, however, I noticed that he was somewhat "rough" with my cat - not compassionate or gentle especially after having surgery like my cat just went through.
After that, I found a new vet and have been pleased. I just knew after that he was not the VET that I wanted to keep for my cat. I only used him because the Humane Society highly recommended him. NOT!
You get what you pay for. He's the cheapest game in town. So much for you all caring for your pets wanting to take the cheapest way out.
I have been taken my pets to Dr. Nolte for the past 22 years and we have never had a problem with the service he has provided. He has never handled our pets rough or mistreated them in any way. I am sure you can find fault at any Vet office and it's probably not uncommon for them to be fined or put on probation just because the business they are in is held to a higher standard than most.
a friend of mine took her purebred great dane to dr. nolte to be spayed. surgery went fine, however, the next day, my friend was notified that her dog had died during the night. apparently, dr. nolte had neglected to "tie off" something or other during the surgery, resulting in internal bleeding. the great dane bled to death; alone, during the night, in a kennel cage at the veterinarian's office. dr. nolte agreed to pay for the dog's cremation services. my friend did not pursue any punitive actions beyond that.
OK, NOW DO THE SAME RESEARCH FOR ALL THE VETS IN THE COUNTY, ESPECIALLY THE VETS AT THE HUMANE SOCIETY
You do your own search. My concern was the Zoo.
I took my himalayan male cat to be neutered to Dr. Nolte about 23 years ago. That night my cat would not eat or drink. I called Dr. Nolte and he said it was normal. The next day when my husband and I got home from work we found the cat dead on the floor. Rigor had set in and his claws had dug into the carpet.
My husband put the cat in a box the best he could and we went to Dr. Nolte's office with the cat. We told him what happened and he offered to do a necropsy. We told him no, we would get another vet do to it. Things got heated and my husband shoved the cat in Dr. Nolte's face and said "look at what you did". Dr. Nolte responded with "what do you expect for $18.00" and threatened to call police. We left and went to the Dept of Agriculture for the necropsy. They needed a vet to authorize the necropsy so I called Dr. Todd and he authorized it.
Dept of Agriculture found that my cat had died from a brain infection that had spread from the neuter incision and that it was caused by a dirty instrument used in surgery.
The Department of Agriculture has known about Dr. Nolte's "care of animals" for a long time.
Hi Joe,
I am so glad the truth is finally being brought out.I certainly learned a VERY hard lesson,that almost resulted in the death of my horse.Early last year my horse developed some type of infection in his neck (What I know now was called "Fistula Withers").It ruptured from an apparent abcsess that Doug Nolte had "treated" him for the month prior. NO NOTES WERE TAKEN,I HAD NO IDEA WHAT TYPE OF INJECTIONS WERE GIVEN AS I HAVE NEVER,TO THIS DAY GOTTEN ANY TYPE OF REPORT.
Almost 3 weeks later,under DR.Nolte's expert care,my horse got very sick,this wound had grown & spread to the size of a fist and he began to colic from pain.He was immediately transported to an EMERGENCY EQUINE HOSPITAL. They could not really say if he would survive the next few days.A drain tube was inserted and he was sedated and monitored in intensive care,given mass doses of penicilin and pain meds.Needless to say that I will NEVER FORGIVE myself for trusting someone that I THOUGHT knew what he was doing.
My horse was hospitalized for EIGHT DAYS and it was eight days that I suffered with him,wishing that I could take his place. The clinic that he was at was wonderful and gave him the very best care we could have imagined.The final report was a deadly staph infection that had almost "eaten" it's way to the other side of his neck. Dr.Nolte did not even bother to run a culture on the infection, and perscribed the wrong antibiotic that does not kill deadly staphylococus.I kept Dr Nolte's clinic informed of my horse's condition,noting that he almost died from the care he had given him.I have never heard a word from Dr.Nolte,one way or another.OH,BUT I DID RECIEVE A BILL FOR SERVICES RENDERED....THROUGH THE MAIL.I almost fell out of my chair as I have never gotten any type of statements,records or any other documents.Any shots or injections that I have witnessed being given to any other animals in his care have never been noted as to what they even are....except for rabies.
THANK GOODNESS THAT MY STORY HAS HAD A GOOD ENDING.MY "BOY" IS FINE,HAPPY &HEALTHY.I might note that it took nearly 5 months for his neck to close & heal.My horse is a trooper...he dealt with me flushing and cleaning the wound 3 times a day for several weeks.I really believe animals know when someone loves them and is trying to make them better.I now have a trailer and a caring & compentent Vet who cares for all of my pets,including my horses.
Anyone out that there that chooses to try to "save" a few bucks might end up "losing"a great deal more than they would imagine.PLEASE....TAKE ALL OF THESE PERSONAL EXPERIENCES SERIOUSLY...THEY ARE NOT ISOLATED INCIDENCES.
JOE, I do have a question; is he still the treating Zoo vet? The best thing that could happen is that his license to practice veterinarian medicine is revoked,permanently.
I don't doubt any of the comments above, there are mistakes made in all professionals on a daily basis.
However, I will tell you that Dr. Nolte saved my daughter's English Shetland Sheepdog years ago. He had been hit by a car and we were frantic in the search for him. We finally found him around 11PM lying on the side of Johnson Rd. After several calls to our vet and a couple of more, Dr. Nolte told us to meet him at his office. Needless to say he saved our dogs life. I believe his office is where Domino's pizza is now.
My husband and I had a tea cup chiuahua named Brandy 5years ago. We thought she might be pregnant when we got her so we took her to Dr. Nolte. He examined her and told us that in about 6 WEEKS to expect puppies. 2 Weeks later at home one night Brandy starting giving Birth. She was obviously in alot of pain and we paged Dr. Nolte. He called us back 3hrs later (Brandy still hadnt produced a puppy) We expressed out concern and he said "oh everything sounds normal Just let nature take it's course." After 6 pages and 2 phone calls from nolte we took brandy to the only vet open at 2am up north and paid 680.00 to have a dead puppy removed from Brandy. I haven't used Nolte since!
OMG-if this was being reported anywhere BUT here I would not believe it in a million years.Before I moved, I used Doug Nolte as my vet for many years,and my husband played in dart league with him-nice guy all around and he did provide more affordable services than others in the field.I am so sorry about the loss of so many animals.Whatever is going on I am saddened to hear of it and I hope Doug can get his sh*t together.
I am not in shock at all by this...It is a know fact that his name is Dr.Death....Last year I had taken my dog there for an poeration..Needless to say my dog did not make it either....I understand there are complications that one must understand with any surgery...However when my dog did not make it there was never an appologey or explanantion of what happened...Dr. Death simply walked out the office...In addition the comments of pre-surgery should have made me back out as he was quoted lets hurry up and get this done...I DONT HAVE TIME FOR THIS.....Holding anger back I will not even acknowledge him in public...This man needs to be shut down...If these animals were humans he would have lost his practice a long time ago...Its about time Salisbury has spoken about this mans ethics and practices...I dont want to see anyone else go through what I had to...My dogs was 3...
I have used Dr. Nolte's services for years with over fourteen different animals. The service and compassion have both been exceptional. - No I am not related to him nor do I work for him - I am just a very satisfied customer.
REH
I used Dr. Nolte as my vet for years. I finally stopped using him after hearing a few horror stories about him (he was recommended by the humane society)and having him give my dog antibiotics three times for a infected tooth rather than pulling it (antibotics were twenty five dollars a course, a tooth extraction was only $60.00), he only pulled it when I insisted after the third go around, he wanted to give him more antibiotics.
I now take my pets to the Lonestar Animal Hospital in Mardela Springs. Dr. Dixon is light years more compassionate towards my pets and you can tell she truly loves her job and the animals she deals with.
I'm very surprised that nobody has mentioned the commonly known nickname for Nolte in this area, "DOCTOR DEATH". I absolutely am not making that up. I wouldn't take an animal to him for a worm shot, let alone anything serious.
Wow, some people get what they deserve. I have never experienced anything as awful as my visit to his office. I took my dog there for an operation which was not supposed to be complicated. When he made the decision to do the surgery I asked (and knew there were other routes to take first from experience) if there was anything else he could try first. His response to me, as he was walking away with his back turned, he stated "No, too many risks, and besides I dont want to be here all afternoon." At this point I burst into tears as he takes back my best friend for surgery. I knew something did not feel right and I was upset at the way we were treated. Long story short, I was made aware my dog did not make it. My dog went into this place in great health, she just needed help passing a puppy. There never once was an explanation, apology, nothing. Its funny as a professional you should not talk about others (dr's, vets, teachers, etc) but funny that two other vets I have talked with just drop their head when I mentioned who did this surgery. His only offer was if we wanted an autopsy, of course the answer was no, the reason was obvious. No compassion,no bedside manner, no remorse. I will never forget this day.
Long time coming...shut him down
A friend of mine took their dog to him and had to have a c section. The next day the dog started bleeding, Dr Death mentioned this was normal. As the day went on, the dog kept bleeding and was taken back to the office. He had to go back in and noticed internal bleeding. The dog did not make it, when my friend went to pick the dog up, she was in a white garbage back with her hind legs hanging out. What kind of sick man is this? NO REMORSE he needs to be shut down.
I am now 34 years old but remember like yesterday when we took our cat in to Dr. Nolte. This was in 1984. It was supposed to be a simple procedure to remove a blockage. No call or anything. My mom finally called and was told the cat had died. You would think a vet would have the common decency to call himself and let you know what happened.
Glad I dont use this guy anymore as a vet for my cat. He sounds very not compassionate and almost neglectful around animals. And people! His bedside manners certainly could stand some improvement.
Not a happy ending for many of his "clients".
I have been taking my dogs to Dr. Nolte for the past 11 years. I have always known that he wasn't too 'thorough', but I had never had a problem with him. However, my dog was about 8 years olds and she was itching and scratching herself all the time, to the point her fur was turning yellow (she is white), and she was absolutely miserable. When I would take her to Nolte, he was calling it an 'allergy' and kept giving her 'pills'. The pills were good for a week and things would go back to normal. I kept bringing her back in and he would do nothing about it, not even run any tests or ANYTHING. She was miserable, that we decided maybe it was time to put her to sleep, because I certainly don't want to see her suffering. She was barely walking at this point. A friend told us about Dr. Maniatty in Ocean City and suggested we take her there and get a second opinion. He ran a simple blood test to find out she was actually allergic to her own skin. He put her on a steroid and she is a completely different dog now. You would never know she was ever sick. She is 11 years old now and out runs out 2 year old lab. Every time I see my dog happy and well, I am so pleased that we got away from Nolte. We will take our dogs there once a year for their rabies shot, but nothing else. A few extra minutes and a simple blood test by Nolte would have saved everyone time, money, and heartache.
This is what is frustrating. The only good thing I have ever heard people say are his prices. This is frustrating he should be put out of work for his awful sick behaviors! People wonder how he stays in business but its the people who go there for the cheap "shots " they need but would not trust him for anything else. All i can say is hopefully these people wont have an emergency because i can guarantee a horrific outcome. Hopefully the word will get out and no one will have to learn the hard way that we all have.PLEASE NO ONE GO TO HIM FOR HIS CHEAP PRICES!! YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR and hopefully one day he will get his.
7:37 i wouldnt even trust him with giving rabie shots.....my dad had a bird that he took to him just for a routine check...needless to say that bird died within 2 hours later...what did he do to that bird...who knows.....all we know is that dad always said that he killed it.....never will i ever take a pet to him for anything....not even a shot...he may give the wrong drug dosage...who knows....
I remember a day in December 1994 that I will never ever forget. I unfortunatly used Nolte because I didn"t know any better. Never had heard of him. I had a large Golden Retriever that had suffered some sort of injury at night time when I let him out. We took him to Nolte and he said that he had a broken leg. He put a pin in the leg and kept him over night. I got the dog the next day. He never put any weight on this leg even after 4 weeks when the pin was removed. He still didn"t put any weight on the leg later. About 3 days had passed since the pin was removed and the dog could not get up at all. His rear end had ceased to function. I called him back and he said bring him back and we will see if we can get him feeling better. This was on a Friday. By Sunday I had been calling all weekend to see how he was doing . I couldn"t get ahold of anyone. I went over to the mini mall next store and watched for hours to see if anyone was at least taking care of all of the animals in the vets office. Not a sign of anything or anyone. I started getting really worried and finally he answered his emergency line. My Dad met me there at the office and Nolte did finally show up around a half hour later. My Dog was in a cage with 2 other animals stacked on top of his cage so everything that they had to do ended up on my dog. There was a very bad leak in the ceiling and cold air and water was comming into this back room where all of the animals were kept. The only heat was an old Kerosene heater that was blasting in this back room. My Dad and I managed to get my dog onto a sheet and take him out of there, He of course wasn't any better. He was flee infested and filthy and cold and in pain. We took the dog to a vet in Selbyville and she took 2 x rays and found cancer on his spine and another tumor on the leg that had the pin. In the X ray you could see where he put the pin through the area of the tumor. We had to put the dog down.... Sad Day the man never cared at all and we had words after and he believe me really doesn"t care about animals!!!!
"You draw your own conclusion. I should add, Dr. Nolte was terminated/fired from the Salisbury Zoo years ago and also worked at the Humane Society."
Someone else asked the question, but no one answered it...is he still at the zoo?
Anon 7:37
If you were happy with the treatment you got at Ocean City Animal Hospital you really should show some go there for ALL of your veterinary care, not just the illnesses but also the preventive medicine.
Give the guy a break and show some loyalty.
I know of a vet that treated a sick cat from Nolte's practice. The cat has a bloody discharge with pus in it coming from her uterus. Nolte put her on an antibiotic. She was failing and they couldn't get up with him so they called another vet.
That vet could feel kittens in her (they were dead) and spayed her. The cat did very well after recovering. The vet was repaid for his efforts with a bad check and never saw them again.
11:335
An infection won't kill an animal that fast. He had the surgery one day & died the next, he had the infection before he got the surgery. And I don't care what you were told by whom, it ain't correct.
I had a wonderful female ferret. She was completely healthy. After several years I decided to have her spayed. She died shortly afterward.
To: 7:07 am
I had a healthy cat BEFORE I took him to Dr. Nolte. Until you can prove to me otherwise that an infection can't cause death within 32 hours, I will believe the necropsy report from the Dept of Agriculture.
Dr. Nolte's defense of "what do you expect for $18.00" also adds credibility to the necropsy report and shows what kind of person this man really is.
I also find your defense of Dr. Nolte to my comment alone a little suspicious. Were you in his office that day when my husband and I came in and things got heated? Did you work there back then? If yes, then you know who I am and are afraid I will tell what else I know.
He may have issues as a vet but he's a real ladies man...just ask him.
youall dont wont to hear about my pitbull biggie and what had happened at his office
Yes I do Nate!
ALL of you would NOT believe all of the stories pouring in right now about this Veterinarian. Watch 47 News at 6:00 tonight. Believe me, there's more to come! Tell us what you've experienced so everyone can know who to choose for their veterinarian.
Please Doug, Please find another line of work. Please?
I know I am in the minority here but Nate mentioned his pitbull and I wanted to say more about this....
I used to have two pitbull dogs and Dr.Nolte treated them both.He actually treated my female dog from the time she was a runt pup until her untimely death 7 yrs later from an unexpected seizure.I also took dozens of feral cats from my neighborhood in to his office for shots.I was unable to do a whole lot to alleviate the problem of people dumping cats but I did make an effort to get the strays I could approach vaccinated so there werent diseases being spread.I am very disappointed to hear about his shortcomings because he obviously let alot of people down but I also wanted to present another opinion.The only vet problems I ever encountered was with another Salisbury vet I will not name who billed me over $600 for emergency surgery on a cat with a broken leg and then kept "upping" the price until my husband finally said "enough"!Everytime we called to pick him up we had another 50 or 60 bucks added on.By the way,after almost $1000 of care,the cats leg withered anyway and he never walked right again and this was one of the supposed "better" vets.The old saying sh*t happens is true,I just hope Doug gets his together and does something different.I never had anything but positive experiences with him but theres obviously a problem or he would not have been sanctioned as he has.My heart goes out to all of you with pets that you lost.
He should have spend more time studying then chasing the women around. You can go to any local watering hole and find him at the bar "very happy" and yes no matter if she is married, with someone or single, he will try. If he spent more time working on his practice instead of working his social life, he could have avoided this. Look pet owners as well as you guys with significant others.
i have used dr. nolte and my family has used dr.nolte my whole life and never once have we had an issue. you can go to any vet and they can tell you they have horrible customers that will argue about everything even if it is not your fault shit happens and things go wrong your listening to one a**whole that doesnt even have it out for just doug it is several places he is going after at one time that is uncalled for he doesnt even care about the animal rights all he cares about is getting money from these people. doug believes that you should not have to pay 50 dollars to walk in the door he LOVES his job and that is why he is cheap he only charges for what he does not the bullsh*t like other places. all vets need to change in one way or another but doug has never once done anything to purposley harm any animal and he has always gone out of his way for my family and several of his other customers to do everyhting he possibly could for our animals. also he has never once had an issue with discussing anything that has ever happened to any of my animals or any other animals when i have been there however sometimes we may have to wait but he runs a business i dont know a single place where you can walk right in and get everything you want right away so i really think all of you people need to look at the person who started this who is not just accusing dr.nolte but going after 3 other places as well his original fight was not even with doug he just got brought into the middle of it cuz of the zoo!!!!
I work for a local veterinarian and I have heard scarier stories then this from former clients of Dr. Nolte. He keeps a full office because people don't care about their pets enough to get them good care. For those of you who go to Nolte and say you have never had a problem with him and think he is a good vet... You don't know what "good" care is. When your pet goes to its doctor it should have a full exam including: full body check over, weight and temperature checked, fecal sample check for parasites (at least once if not every year) and it should be on a monthly heartworm preventative. I know none of these things are done at that office but it still stays very busy due to the fact that so many people around here just want the animal up to date on its vaccines so they can put it back outside tied to a tree or put back into a pin for another year.
I see it everyday people realize that their pet is very sick and not getting better. They don’t know what to do so they call us to get them in and we find out there is no real history on their pet, other than vaccines. The animal may be 10 years old and been going to the same vet since he was a puppy and there is one sheet of paper telling us what has been done to him over the years. In most cases the issues are preventable if checked for earlier or if prevention medication was given, but NO people don’t want to pitch out money because... it is just a dog or a cat. (They sure have enough money to have their nails done, hair color treated, and drive their four kids to karate class in their SUV's) Even for the people who really can't afford the animal there is an easy solution. Stop getting them.
I also wanted to add that I do not blame the Salisbury Zoo for its bad choice in a veterinarian. Dr. Nolte is cheap and there really isn't any "exotic animal" vets in the area that could take his place. Most of the vets only see cats and dog. That means the Zoo would have to hire a full time vet to work for them and the City of Salisbury would never allow that to happen. The city barley even pays the employees who work for the zoo now, let alone hire a vet that will have to make more money then all of the zookeepers put together.
That's complete BS!
Dr. Jimmy Tragle spent 12 years at that Zoo and the former Director of the Zoo, Jim Rapp, drove him away.
I can tell you, Dr. Tragle was paid $40.00 every two weeks. He gave back to the animals and the community.
Now granted, I will never disagree that ALL Zookeepers are paid peanuts at te Salisbury Zoo. After 18 years my Wife was making less than $30,000.00 a year. Try raising three boys on that income.
Fortunately tere were a few Zookeepers that were there because they love what they do, period. They love the animals and they lived for them. MOST did not. They were hired because they were golfing or drinking buddies of Jim Rapp's.
Everyone knows about Dr. Nolte's bedside manners and his social life with "the ladies". But his social life with all the women of Salisbury is stupidity on the womans part. They know and have the ability to make a decision not to go home with him. The animals that are under his care have no say in the awful treatment and death warrant he issues. I think all his women should go see a Doctor as well as those who use his services as vet should find a new one. Both the women and the pets are at risk....
I have know Dr Nolte for several years and have found him to be very professional and caring to my pets. I know living in Smallsbury is difficult without making someone angry but trying to damage an individual by slander is no way to be a good citizen. Before using Dr Nolte we used another vet in town. Our older cat got ill the other vet misdiagnosed him ; after over $1500 in tests and overnight stays were told to take him to the surgeon in Annapolis. Of course we rushed to Annapolis where our cat was given a clean bill of health. We all can make a error once in a while. Most pets have yet learned to tell us what is exactly hurting them. His private life is his business it has nothing to do with his professional life. Let's do a background check on every business person in Smallsbury and see who is lily white, not many I would guess.If you don't like Dr Nolte or don't trust him go elsewhere.
I have been going to Doug Nolte for years. He has nuetered and spade all my animals. He saved my dog from dying, Brandy, who is 14 yrs old. All my cats and dogs have been treated by Dr Nolte. I do not believe he is neglective by any means on purpose. I will still continue to take my animals to him.
As a reputable, professional groomer in the Salisbury area for about 20 yrs, I've heard COUNTLESS horror stories from COUNTLESS clients, and YES, Dr. Nolte's nickname was definitely "Dr. DEATH". That is how all knowledgeable, local people referred to him... because it was true. Typically, if ALL your pet needed was vaccines, you made out okay (and cheap... and yes, you get what you pay for). But if you had a sick or injured pet, you'd better hope his office was closed so you were forced to go elsewhere, otherwise your pet was doomed. I couldn't figure out how this guy stayed in business as long as he did, knowing how he mistreated animals.
I think the 'Dr. Death' name originated from an episode one of MY clients told me about many years ago. She was at his office for some reason (with her dog) and he was leaving in his truck. His OWN DOG had run outside behind him and he RAN OVER his own dog in the parking lot, and stopped only long enough to tell a staff member to come out and get the dog!! Then he drove away!! This client was mortified!! And I'm sure I'm not the only one she shared that story with, but I believe that is about the time (this was probably 15 yrs ago) he was deemed "Dr. Death".
And as for the narcotics not being stored properly... no surprise there. If I remember correctly Dr. Nolte was arrested some years ago for having someone break into his office and steal narcotics so he could use them himself!! Can't remember how he 'got out of' that one.
But the fact is, it's no surprise that the residents of Salisbury support an irresponsible and reprehensible professional for all these years... need I mention the 20 or so years "Shore Pet" was in business, and allowed to sell horribly inbred and sick puppies, and KILL countless dogs that were there for grooming??? Yet, people kept shopping there, just as the pet store who now operates in much the same way, selling inbred, sick puppies.... as long as stupid people patronize these places, they will stay in business... you perpetuate it!!! Stop supporting their substandards and they will be forced out of business!!
As for "Dr. Death"... I guess it's time to 'PAY THE PIPER'!!
On Oct.20, 2008 I took my 0ne week old Pitbull puppies to Dr. Nolte for examination. He examine all six puppies and said they are in good health. He gave them suppose to be dewormer but who know's what it was because two hours later all six puppies died at the same time. DR DEALTH SUMS IT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!
Find another line of work
My dad and I took my 9 year old Boxer, Sugar, to have a cyst removed from her back leg. she had an appointment first thing in the morning. she was completely fine, very healthy and happy just like always. though she was the first appointment of the day we we weren't able to pick her up until almost five hours later because he didn't get to her until three hours after we dropped her off. after calling multiple times to ask when we could pick her up we finally were told an actual time. when we got there they brought her out. she was EXTREMELY disturbed. Hyperventilating, dehydrated, and bleeding from the tight wrap around her leg. they didnt seemed worried at all, stating "we put the wrap on because it was very vascular". Dr. Nolte was not present at the time. i have never seen my dog act the way she did that day and the ensuing WEEK. no antibiotics or pain pills were perscribed and she wasnt given a lampshade collar to prevent her from licking the wound. we were told to unrap the leg in 24 hours and when paid, in cash, was given no receipt. the next ten days were the most unbearable of my life. i grew up with this dog, she was my first. she would stand and pace for hours and breath very fast and heavily. she would not voluntarily drink water or eat. we called Dr. Nolte that night and left a message on his emergency line. he did not get back to us the next day, we had to call him again at the office. he said its normal and she'd be fine. after removing the rap we saw the stitches and noticed the incision was very large, and the stitches were crudely done. in short her leg looked like it when through a meat grinder. her leg began to swell to almost two times its size, over a three day period, and had a clear discharge as well as a small amount of bleeding. so we called again and were again told its fine. keep in mind she is still acting as she was when we picked her up. the next day my mom and i decided to take her down and actually have Dr. Nolte look at it for a change. stitches were popped and she had a large flap of skin open of witch she liked constantly when she did lay down. he looked at said he was busy, he could re stitch her but she would have to be left there but he didnt see any reason to because it would heal on its own if left alone. he was rude when saying all of this to my mom who was visibly worried about our dog.he prescribed noninflammatory pills as well as antibiotics and gave us another wrap. again we were given no receipt. she was still acting the same as when we picked her up seven days later and we would again call the doctor. he prescribed pain pills. i drove down and picked them up. she calmed down the first day after taking them but the next was back to the horrible state. after a week,on January 19, 2008 she went back to have her stitches removed. on January 21st i came home from school, sat down next to her and talked to her, ghave her a kiss and hug and walked upstairs to my room. friends came over. she was happy, excited to where she seemed back to normal. she waged her nubby tail and nudged my friends. about three hours later my dad came home from work. he and Sugar walked upstairs to my room. Suagr came in acting normal. but when called to come back down with my dad, she begin to walk out of my room when her back legs seemed to slip out from under her and she frantically tried to regain her stance. my dad visibly worried called to her, asked what was wrong, etc.. she then regained all function. seemingly fine. he closed my door and my friends and i preceded to hear thumps and yelling. Suagr fell down the stairs and lay at the bottom having lost her heart beat. my dad picked her up and brought her into the living room, she woke up, frantic. had no movement in her back end and was flopping around visibly frightened and confused. she then got up, seemingly back to normal again. by this time my dad was on the phone with Nolte's secretary. sugar walked to the sliding glass door, i began to pet her and talk to her, she then fell on he side. rolled over to the other side and took a few gargled breaths. she was gone. i took the phone and frantically asked what to do and was told nothing, the secretary was still on the line! Dr. Nolte finally got on but my dog was already dead. i got Suagr when i was 9 years old. im now 19. She was never normal after the routine operation. i cant begin to describe what i felt when my dog died virtually in my arms. i considered her my sister! we had no idea what to do. we buried her about 30 minutes after, my mom was so anger and distraught that she threw away Dr. Nolte's card and all of the medication he gave Sugar. today February 5 i was watching the news and find that he is now being investigated for the death of six puppies and two pugs. they go on to say all the information above and more. within this day i have heard so many stories about him that i am more mad at myself and parents for taking my Sugar to him. We will be contacting the news station to ask if they know how to help in the investigation. countless people are already said to be calling in. all we want is to see that he is punished for his horrible actions with all of these peoples beloved pets. he had no compassion, no "bedside" manners. and at one point blamed the behavior on my dad for requesting he not knock her out with the drug he had due to the fact she died and was revived as a puppy when put under with it the last time, he instead used a local anesthetic. he is a rude man and i have no doubt in my mind malpractice was the cause of my previously completely healthy dogs death. i curse the day i let her go there.
I took my kitten in for its first shots and the service was horrible. Just watching this guy was bad enough. He gave the cat some shots and forgot he gave it something and said to me well it wount hurt so he gave it another dose. My cat acted like it was drunk for about 2 days. I will never go to this quack ever again!!!!
My cat was not eating, I took him to Dr. Nolte, he said he needed his teeth cleaned. So he cleaned his teeth. My cat got worse, I called Dr Nolte, they said bring him back in, so I did. He said it was an infection from the tartar build up he had, and he needed antibiotic, so I brought him home with the antibiotic. He got worse yet again, this time he developed a huge abscess, I called Dr Nolte, was told to bring the cat back in. This time I am told the tooth needs to come out, so I let him take the tooth out. When I picked him up he was so heavily sedated that he could not walk, sit or stand, and he urinated all over himself. The cat got worse again, he could not open his mouth, eat or drink, I was feeding him from a syringe, so I called the office and was told to bring the cat back AGAIN but this time I say no every time I bring him he gets worse! I want to know what you have done to my cat, no one had answers so I took him to another Salisbury vet and after they did blood tests and a full exam, they found the stitches (white stitches on my white himalayan cat)that Dr Nolte had left in his mouth! I was never told by Dr Nolte or anyone working for him that I needed to bring my cat back in to have his stitches removed! I didn't even know he had stitches! Poor cat almost died, and if I had not taken him to another vet when I did he would have! He could not eat or drink because his mouth was stitched shut on the side!!! Yeah ... Dr Death has earned his name!
We took my Puppy German Shepard to Dr. Nolte in 2000, and he died over night. He went in there because he was sick but he died and they had no explanation why. They didnt even call us, my step dad called him to find out. Dont go to Dr. Death.
My friend is devastated. Totally broken hearted. She took her beautiful 20 month old female pug to Dr. Nolte to have her spayed in Jan 2010. The dog had recently had puppies and was in excellent health. She called about 2 hours after dropping her off, and Dr. Nolte said we had some problems and she died. Guess he was not going to call her to tell her. An investigation is now ongoing.
I also had a problem with this guy...We took our lab mix to him to be nuetered. When we picked him up he was fine but I noticed the stitches for the nuetering were not just around his testicles but also went up the shaft. I had NEVER seen this before - but who was I to question after all I am not a vet.
WE went back at the time I was asked to... to have the stitches taken out and he had me stand my dog up on his hind legs and he (Nolte) went after the stitches - the ones on his shaft. Well the dog whimpered and yelped - ONCE. Nolte looked at me and said - "I cant remove these with him acting like this, hes to vicious. We will just let them fall out on their own." I looked at him and asked - are you sure these are the type to fall out on their own? I mean why have me come back in here then?" He said they were but did not respond as to why Iw as brought back in. I got no answer.I then said "I dont see whining and yelping as being vicious. I have never seen a neutering done like this. I am certain it hurts"
2 weeks later the stitches show no signs of falling out and at each little spot where the stitch enters the skin its swollen. I called a different vet and took him in there. Sure enough they were NOT the type to fall out on their own and each little site was slightly infected. Because of the pain he was in, we had to muzzle him and it took myself, my husband and two techs to hold him down to get the job done. I was livid.
I called to let Noltes office know what happened and to let him know that I would make it well known what kind of vet he was. I never went back to him again and I have always told people to stay far far away.
Curt 7:14,
I would definitely be questioning this as I have a friend who wentto him with her newly adopted Chow puppy and he told her he did not see "vicious breeds" in his office. Now this was some 14 years or so ago and that MAY have changed but who knows.
And before a bunch of people rant about Chows, her dog loved people more then any other dog I have ever seen. I wish my dogs were that laid back!
Thankfully, I have never taken my dog to Nolte for surgery because I am just now learning what kind of vet he really is, but I do have a story to share about my experience. I took my dog there in 2008 to get shots and a check-up as I was recommended from a friend to go to him. When I walked in, I was concerned with the cleanliness of the place, not only did it smell bad but you could also see that the floors were not clean. I figured I would still give it a chance. After waiting forever, I went back with my dog. He did not greet myself or my dog. I was blown away when he sat a scale on the floor, stepped on, grabbed my dog, and then said he weighs 12 pounds. I laughed thinking how unprofessional, I could have done that myself. Like many others have reported, in the time that I was there he never wrote any records about my dog. He then walked out without telling me anything, I found this to be very rude and surprising since my dog was now old enough to be fixed, and I was curious if he was physically ready. I was not pleased with the service that I had received or the condition of the office. I took my dog home but became very worried about him. He is a peek-a-poo and normally extremely active, by the time I got him home he would not walk and seemed very out of it. I had to work that night but had my sister keep a close watch on him. I was alarmed when I got home later that night and he still wasn't himself so I called first thing the next morning. The woman who answered the phone said that it was normal and he would be fine in 24 hours. I would not have been so concerned, but he had never acted this way after visiting the vet before. I thought my experience was awkward and unprofessional, but now I question what my dog was really given and just how much. I don't plan on returning or recommending him to anyone.
Thank you everyone that has shared your experiences and I am very sorry for the loss of so many loved pets.
I too took my black lab to Nolte to have her spayed. Thankfully she survived the surgery. She did take longer to recover than I have ever seen before and I agree with the comments about how rough the animals are treated, I too have witnessed that. Anyway, we noticed that after our dog would get up there would be a puddle under her. After a few days we took her to another vet to have her checked. Apparently this happens when the muscles near a female dogs bladder are nicked during surgery. So now she has to be on a medicine called Proin 50 for the rest of her life.
Thanks Nolte.
Amazing how simple it can be to communicate with people and have them understand a certain topic, you made my day.
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Ok, EVERY vet has problems. I've been going to Dr. Nolte for 10 years, no problems. In fact, he saved 6 of my cats and dogs lives.
He also euthanized my rotty...and you know what he did? He came out to the back of my van to do it, and cried when my dogs heart stopped beating. He is a compassionate man, and he is one of THE best vets on delmarva.
I have been going to Dr Nolte For 15 years. I think He is the best vet out there, These people on this feed think that he is a miracle worker and should be able to fix everything. If your pet is on its death bed maybe its just time for it to pass. Every vet in the world will have a page like this with a list of issue's and haters. So 2 percent of 100 percent is not happy. This is how it is when dealing with the public. You can not make everyone happy all the time. And can't fix everything. I would not trust any other vet and he will always be my go to vet.
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