1. pets

Dr. Michele Koan
4359 Seymour Road
Flushing, MI 48433
May 15, 2015
To Whom It May Concern:
Effective June 1st, 2015, I, Dr. Michele Koan DVM, resign from my position as Genesee
County Veterinarian. Since the time that I accepted this title, I have tirelessly given my heart
and soul to this position and in doing such, I have sacrificed much over the years including time
with my family and time away from my practicing clinic so that I could best serve the needs of
the animals of Genesee County. It is with this same compassion for the animals, my care for
their ultimate welfare and for concern over the safety of the citizens of Genesee County
themselves, that I must leave my post.
Upon earning my doctorate in veterinary medicine, I took a solemn oath. This oath
stated that I would use my veterinary knowledge and my skills for the benefit of society
through the protection of animal health and welfare, the prevention and relief of animal
suffering, and for the promotion of public health. Recently, there has become increasingly
more pressure at the shelter to improve ‘the stats’ of the animals there by reducing the
euthanasia rate. In doing this, extreme actions have been being taken to extend the lives of
animals whose quality of life is no longer existent and also to place animals whose
temperaments make them a risk to other animals and to the public itself, all in the name of
getting an animal out of the building at all costs in order to avoid labeling that animal as one
that the shelter euthanized. As doctors of veterinary medicine, we are faced with difficult
decisions every day. Sometimes those decisions that are arrived at are not what everyone
wants but they are derived from the most important factors: what is best for the promotion of
animal health, the prevention of animal suffering, and for vigilance towards the health of the
county’s citizens. My sworn oath as a veterinarian, and my conscience itself, will not allow me
to be a part of what I believe to be an extension of animal suffering through avoiding humanely
euthanizing animals with poor health and a total negligence towards the safety of our citizens
at large, all in the name of improving ‘the stats’ of the shelter.
Also, due to policy change and lack of institutional control, the working shelter
environment has become unsafe for me and my family. Once again, as a medical professional, I
am faced with difficult decisions every day. Those decisions are made and executed with a
standard of integrity and a level of knowledge that are only learned through education and the
experience that is garnered from observing and treating thousands of animals over an extended
period of time. These decisions are made on a case-by-case basis and should never be made out
of haste and offered up as public propaganda that can and will ultimately turn into a mob
mentality that is overrun with emotion instead of fact. It is this very mentality that has caused
me to be fearful for my own safety and even more so for the safety of my young child. Over the
past week, I have been thrown under the bus and repeatedly slandered for doing what I know
to be the right thing for the animals. For honest decisions that were made based on my
education and my veterinary oath, I have received numerous threats, including suggestive
death threats.
Ideally, I would leave my position immediately due to the verbal abuse and the threats I
have been receiving. However, because I care about the county and the employees
themselves, I am willing to stay on as the county veterinarian until June 1st, 2015. I am willing
to cease my services immediately at any time though before that upon request from the Chief
Animal Control Officer or the Genesee County Commissioners.
I know in my heart that I have done all that I could for the animals of Genesee county.
My love for these animals is only surpassed by my commitment to my lifelong career and by the
love I have for my family. I would never do anything to willingly endanger my family, nor my
honest reputation within the community I have grown up amid and faithfully served. It is
therefore with my allegiance to my veterinary oath towards animal welfare and for the safety
of me and my child, it is time for me to walk away and resign my post as the veterinarian for
Genesee County.
Respectfully,
Dr. Michele Koan, DVM