Chief Vet Is Put on Paid Leave

Orange County’s chief veterinarian was placed on administrative leave with pay Monday while county officials look into a series of problems at the animal shelter in Orange, sources said.

Dr. Richard H. Evans, who had served as chief of veterinary services since 1992, was notified Monday afternoon that he should not come to work during the inquiry.

Evans could not be reached for comment Monday. At the conclusion of the investigation, Evans could return to work, or the county might seek disciplinary action.

County officials declined to discuss the administrative action, but their dissatisfaction with his performance has grown in recent weeks as an outbreak of feline distemper continued to plague cats at the shelter.

In addition, Evans has been criticized for providing false information about the outbreak, suggesting to other county officials that the problem had occurred throughout the country when it had not. The information was then included in a press release sent out by the county, said Mike Spurgeon, chief of regulatory services at the county Health Care Agency, which oversees animal care services.

Dr. Todd Kopit, a Stanton veterinarian who serves on the board of governors of the California Veterinary Medical Assn., is being considered as a temporary replacement for Evans, said one source.

Kopit said he could not confirm that Evans was placed on administrative leave, but did say he would meet with Health Care Agency officials today.

“I am going in tomorrow and will talk with them,” said Kopit, who also serves on the animal care advisory board. “I am going in to see what they want and what I can do to help.”

Evans, who earns $65,520 a year, and his boss, Mark McDorman, the interim director of animal care services, both have been under fire from those in veterinary medicine and animal advocates because of delays in instituting neutering for all adopted shelter animals. Evans also has been criticized for using a controversial euthanasia method on cats that has since been discontinued.

Spurgeon last week assumed control of animal services and ordered dramatic changes in policies to control the distemper problem.

In a sweeping policy reversal, the shelter was told to isolate and vaccinate all healthy cats on arrival at the shelter. In addition, all cats with symptoms of highly contagious feline distemper were to be destroyed.

Shelter patrons complained in October to the advisory board that they had adopted cats at the shelter which later died from the disease, several board members said. In one case, the disease was spread to cats already in the home, and those pets died as well.

The takeover of the shelter by Spurgeon came after shelter managers ignored pleas from the public and board members for tougher action against the disease.

Evans had declined to order vaccinations or isolation for cats to control the disease, saying it would be ineffective because the facility lacked sufficient space.

Even after the board voted a 30-day ban on adoptions, it took shelter officials a week to adopt the proposal.