Timeline: The case of Mocha

Here are the details of what happened with Mocha, the dog whose care resulted in an administrative complaint from the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs and probation for Jan Pol, DVM.

April 3, 2010. Mocha’s owners first call Pol Veterinary Services concerned about their pregnant 8-year-old German shorthair, who is expected to deliver puppies on this date.

April 3-8, 2010. The couple call three more times because the dog has not delivered. They are told over the phone by Pol’s practice to “let nature take its course.”

April 9, 2010. The clients call because Mocha has still not given birth and is producing a brownish-green discharge. The clients are advised that Mocha is probably going into labor. The clients call again that evening because the dog has not gone into labor as predicted by veterinary staff. Mocha is brought in to the clinic, examined and sent home without an ultrasound. The clients are told she should have her puppies in the next couple of days.

April 10, 2010. The clients call the clinic explaining that Mocha’s belly looks “skinny” and is hanging low. They are told again to let nature take its course.

April 12, 2010. The clients bring Mocha back to the clinic increasingly concerned that the dog has not delivered. An ultrasound is performed by Brenda Grettenberger, DVM, who reportedly sees no movement in Mocha’s abdomen. Pol is asked to consult. He says he sees movement and the due date must be wrong. The clients demand a C-section but Pol does not perform the procedure. The clients take Mocha to Animal Health Associates for a second opinion. Alex Imlay, DVM, concludes after an ultrasound that there is no movement in Mocha’s uterus. A C-section finds 10 deceased puppies estimated to have been dead at least three or four days.

Oct. 29, 2011. The first season of The Incredible Dr. Pol airs.

Feb. 6, 2012. Pol signs the disciplinary action report served by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Bureau of Health Professions Board of Veterinary Medicine.

May 26, 2012. Probation instituted by the Michigan veterinary board for Pol and Grettenberger. Probation is also instituted for Pol’s associate veterinarian Eric Gaw, DVM, in an unrelated case.

July 13, 2012. Pol pays $500 fine ordered by the Michigan veterinary board.

Sept. 29, 2012. Second-season episode of The Incredible Dr. Pol airs achieves the highest rating in Nat Geo Wild’s history for any show.

December 2012. Pol Christmas special will air.

January 2013. Third season of The Incredible Dr. Pol expected to begin.