Daniel Koller, DVM	Veterinarian cleared of animal abuse charges	Portland, OR	July 28, 2004
	Veterinary License Revoked	San Diego, CA	November 19, 2004
	Veterinary License Revoked	Monterey, CA	April 2, 1979
	Allowed unlicensed veterinary student performing spay on cat unsupervised	Monterey, CA	September 8, 1976

Dr. Daniel Koller, a veterinarian who once served jail time for animal cruelty in California, has been cleared of allegations that he brutalized pets at his Portland clinic.

The Oregon Medical Examining Board found insufficient evidence to cite Dr. Koller for inhumane treatment of pets placed in his care at Companion Pet Clinic.  The panel did fine Koller $2,000 for failing to advise clients of follow-up treatment and failure to maintain adequate patient records, in a Notice of Proposed Disciplinary Action signed on Monday, August 7^th.

On June 23, 1977 a California jury sentenced Dr. Koller to 100 days in jail for brutalizing a dog and allowing an unlicensed vet student perform a hysterectomy on a cat.  Koller maintains that the dog allegation was fabricated and that the animal never existed.  This comes from a board investigator who visited Koller’s practice on 9/8/76, and found an unlicensed veterinary student from the University of California at Davis performing a solo spay on a cat, a violation of the state’s veterinary practices.

California’s Veterinary Board revoked Koller’s license on April 2, 1979, for animal cruelty and violating professional standards at Monterey’s Seaside Pet Hospital.

By 1981, Koller had moved to Oregon and was practicing veterinary medicine with a probationary license.  Koller applied for reinstatement of his California veterinary license 4 times in a 3-year period ending in 1983 and was denied each time.  In 1984, Koller was granted a probationary license and was fully reinstated in 1999.

In 2001, California veterinary authorities found that Koller had injected himself with a small animal anesthetic. On October 27, 2001, Koller’s 16-year-old daughter found him and his wife Ellen, unconscious in the master bedroom of their San Diego home.  San Diego police, first investigated the Telazol incident as a child endangerment case, but turned their report over to the California Veterinary Medical board, which suspended Koller’s license.

In 2003, the Multnomah County discontinued the services of Koller.

Attorney Susan Ford Burns in Portland filed a 79-page complaint with the Veterinary Board on July 28, 2004 on behalf of Koller’s former front-office manager, Maureena Schmaing. The document accused Koller of beating, kicking and throwing cats and dogs; failing to diagnose ailments that left animals dead; letting unlicensed technicians anesthetize animals without supervision, and euthanizing pets – at the request of owners – for issues as treatable as fleas.

When Koller’s license was revoked in 2004, the California veterinary board adopted an agreement with Koller and stayed the revocation.  The order allowed Koller to practice in California under supervision, provided he was found psychologically fit.

Reference:

The News-Review

The Oregonian

California Veterinary Medical Board