Head Veterinarian Resigns Amid O.C. Animal Care Flap

Orange County’s top veterinarian quit his job Tuesday in the midst of a county investigation of its troubled animal shelter and a disease outbreak that has infected and killed dozens of cats, including some taken home for adoption.

Dr. Richard Evans, 53, resigned in the face of an inquiry that could have led to his firing. The county had expressed growing dissatisfaction with his work in recent weeks, first over inadequate response to the distemper outbreak, but also to allegations that he misled county officials about the disease being common at shelters elsewhere in the country, officials said.

“I think [Evans leaving] is probably in the best interest of the animals,” said Robert Newman, a Santa Ana lawyer who serves on the shelter advisory panel.

Critics were particularly incensed at Evans’ refusal to have all cats vaccinated and placed in separate cages as a precaution against spreading illness. He had argued that it was costly and ineffective because the shelter lacked the space to isolate the cats.

“I don’t know any other veterinarian who would not agree that separation and vaccination would be a basic method that needs to be adopted,” said Dr. William Grant, a

Garden Grove veterinarian who heads the advisory panel.

Evans also had been widely criticized last year for using a method of euthanasia--since abandoned--that involved injecting a barbiturate directly into a cat’s liver without first giving the animal a sedative. The method has been found unacceptable by the Humane Society of the United States.

Evans could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

But Judy Maitlen, the retired former shelter director, said some of the accusations against Evans have been unfair, especially the charge that he used a method of euthanasia that was painful to cats.

“The cats were never treated inhumanely,” Maitlen said. “I watched dozens and dozens and dozens of cats being euthanized. I’m a great animal lover, and I never lost a minute of sleep over the technique.”

Those who have long wanted to improve the troubled shelter said the resignation gives the county a unique opportunity to straighten out the facility and create a more progressive environment for animals and patrons.

In addition to replacing Evans, the county’s chief of veterinary services since 1992, the county has just begun a search to hire a director of Animal Care Services, who would run the shelter. That position has been vacant since March.

County Supervisor Todd Spitzer, who had been calling for sweeping changes at the shelter, said the resignation was a good first step to “clean house.”

“We are clearly not treating animals humanely at our shelter,” Spitzer said.

Spurgeon said a shelter director should be hired by April 1, and likely will have a say in the selection of the lead veterinarian. The top job will pay around $90,000 while the chief vet will be paid between $55,000 and $70,000. Evans had been making about $65,500 a year.

An interim chief veterinarian will be picked while a full-scale search is underway. County officials have already talked with Dr. Todd Kopit, a Stanton veterinarian, about taking the job on an interim basis, said Mike Spurgeon, chief of regulatory services at the Health Care Agency, which oversees animal care services. Kopit serves on the board of governors of the California Veterinary Medical Assn.

But even talk about hiring Kopit is causing controversy.

Newman and several others said that Kopit, who also serves on the shelter advisory board, should step down from the oversight position if he accepts the interim job.

“It would be a conflict,” said Maria Dales, an animal activist and former chairwoman of the advisory panel. She also suggested that a broader search for someone to fill the interim position would be appropriate.

“I have nothing against Dr. Kopit, but how do we know he is the best for the job?” she said.

Kopit was noncommittal about taking the job. “We are talking about the next step and I will have to see what I feel I can do,” he said.

Costa Mesa veterinarian Joel Pasco, a newly appointed member to the shelter’s advisory board, said the shake-up is needed.

The shelter should make a better effort to find homes for strays, and work closer with the county’s many pro-animal groups, he said. Recently, the shelter has been under fire by the public and more recently by the veterinary community for being too slow to require mandatory sterilization for adopted pets.

“The highest priority needs to be placed on doing everything possible to ensure the best health care for every animal in the county’s care,” Pasco said.

* CRITICISM ESCALATES: Local vets and the shelter’s own advisory board join critics of the county shelter’s policies. B1