Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Since the departure of Dr. Kristen Jensen in January, the ASG Department of Agriculture’s veterinary clinic has been without a U.S. licensed veterinarian. The slow decline of the clinic’s services was made evident throughout the one-week spay and neuter campaign in June, led by Dr. Grover, a volunteer from the non-profit Coconut Mutts, and funded by the Banfield Foundation which leads to this investigative report.

A veterinarian arrived in April to take up the clinic’s post. Hired out of Upolu, Samoa, Mr. Ken Lameta took over clinic operations without a local license to practice. The existing clinic staff were able to sustain limited services in Dr. Jensen’s absence but unable to do any surgeries until Dr. Grover’s timely arrival because Lameta also does not have a U.S. license and does not have a DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) license to order or handle controlled substances/medications used for surgery.

Since Dr. Jensen’s departure, the clinic has taken a steep downturn for the worst.  

— Since January the ASG DOA has not provided basic supplies for cleaning and feeding harbored animals. The community has been donating supplies for the clinic such as cleaning supplies, cat food, cat litter, dog food, pee pads, Pine Sol, Clorox, paper towels, and toilet paper.  

— Since April the new veterinarian, Lameta, has conducted an estimated 10 surgeries on dogs and cats of which 9 died immediately afterwards.

— The veterinarian, Lameta, has conducted these surgeries using unknown substances to sedate the animals for those surgeries. (Substances are unknown because there are no such drugs available to him as an unlicensed person.)

— Since June the ASG DOA has not provided vaccines and medication to the clinic to provide basic services. The last time the clinic received vaccines and medications was January 2019 prior to Dr. Jensen’s departure.  

— Additionally, since April, more than 30 animals have died after being taken in by the veterinarian, Lameta, as reported by their animal owners. They reported misdiagnoses, over-dosing of medication, use of wrong medications, lack of any treatment, and pure neglect. All of these infractions are due to the lack of knowledge, skill, professionalism and empathy witnessed by the public when taking their animals to the veterinarian.  

The direct impact on the health and welfare of the territory’s animals has now escalated to a public health issue.  

— There is a growing number of dogs witnessed roaming in packs throughout the Nu’uuli, Ili’ili, and Tafuna areas.

—  On Monday, July 15th, an owner took in her dog that was run over by a car.  She was told by Lameta to leave her dog there for treatment. When she arrived on Friday to check on his progress, she found him in worse condition. She stated that “the doctor told me to take him home for the weekend and bring him back on Monday”. At home she opened up the bandage that was wrapped around her dog’s injured leg only to find thousands of maggots in the wound. On Monday, July 22nd, she took him back to the clinic very upset, but Lameta was absent so she went to the Director to vent her frustration about the lack of care for her dog. She picked up her dog on Tuesday morning only to have to bury him. She recalled, “He was alive yesterday, I do not know what the doctor gave my dog to cause him to die, he was still young and wanted to live!” This is just one of many similar experiences reported by owners.

—  On August 5th a visitor to the Clinic reported an unbearable stench of rotting flesh, the smell was coming from a dead animal left in the veterinary clinic.

—  On the same morning, adding to the odor was a dead puppy left in its cage in the clinic office area.

— Last week, five puppies were rescued from the clinic by concerned volunteers — one died within hours of rescue; the other four were suffering from mange and malnutrition in their locked kennels outside the clinic. Animals were found sitting in their own feces and urine with dry water bowls and empty food bowls (pictured).

BACKGROUND

On April 29th, the first day of Mr. Ken Lameta’s employment as the veterinarian for the ASG DOA animal clinic, the report of Lameta’s mishandling of a DPS K9 dog was aired on KHJ radio. Since then, there have been over 40 complaints filed by concerned residents.

At the beginning, the complaints were directed to the ASG DOA Director. When no action was taken, or improvements made, the complaints began pouring into the American Samoa Health Services Regulatory Board, ASG Attorney General’s Office, the Governor’s Office, and the Department of the Interior.  

The Regulatory Board referred all complaints to the AG’s Office which were received by the Deputy Attorney General, and subsequently the Governor’s legal counsel. Finally, the matter was referred to the Chief Counsel for the Civil Division in the Attorney General’s Office. To date there has been no feedback from any of these offices.

Besides the mistreatment of animals, lack of knowledge and professionalism demonstrated by the veterinarian, there are numerous additional issues involving the animal clinic, including the mismanagement of clinic operations, misuse of clinic funding (no operational funding), and attempted access to DEA restricted supplies.

The lack of a U.S. licensed veterinarian prohibits animals from obtaining health certificates and proper vaccinations to travel off island, and the care of federally funded Customs and DPS dogs is also in jeopardy.

The public pressure placed on the administration has escalated to legal action as the Attorney General’s Office has now intervened.

But every day, animals are suffering.

Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga has asked the local non-profit Alofa mo Meaola to partner with the ASG DOA Director to do what they can to get the clinic operating effectively as soon as possible.

However, the lack of cooperation and protocols from DOA, and specified funding, prohibits further action on this attempt to salvage the clinic.

During the last two weeks, the clinic has been manned by a single employee struggling to keep it clean, and the animals alive.  

[“The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.”  - Proverbs 12:10]