NEWARK, NJ – A veterinarian who was charged with animal cruelty and offering a deceased animal for sale had his license temporarily suspended by the state.
According to Acting Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division of Consumer Affairs announced that the Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners has temporarily suspended the license of an Essex County veterinarian who allegedly provided inadequate treatment that resulted in the untimely death of several animals.
“Ehren Seth Yablon, who owns the Newark Veterinary Hospital in Newark, was charged by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office in April with animal cruelty, offering a diseased animal for sale, and theft by deception, and now has agreed to surrender his license pending the disposition of the criminal charges and further order from the Board,” the OAG’s office said.
“We entrust veterinarians with the health of our beloved pets,” said Acting Attorney General Platkin. “When a veterinarian falls short of professional standards, we stand ready to take action.”
“The serious criminal charges faced by this veterinarian, if proven, would be clear violations of the professional standards every licensed practitioner must abide by,” said Cari Fais, Acting Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs. “We are protecting the public and the integrity of the profession by securing the surrender of this veterinarian’s license.”
The OAG issued the following statement regarding the suspension and the incidents surrounding the veterinarian.
Yablon was the subject of several consumer complaints alleging the veterinarian misdiagnosed conditions, failed to perform pre-surgical bloodwork, failed to appropriately treat animals diagnosed with parvovirus (a highly infectious disease), and concealed the fact that a patient had died prior to a scheduled procedure.
The allegations prompted an investigation that included two unannounced inspections of Yablon’s office where, among other things, state investigators found rodent feces, medical waste, expired and improperly stored medication, and a dead cat stored in a crate on top of a freezer.
Based on the investigation’s findings, the state filed an Order to Show Cause and Verified Complaint seeking the temporary suspension of Yablon’s veterinary license on April 25, 2022.
The Verified Complaint alleges gross and repeated acts of negligence, malpractice, incompetence and professional misconduct, such as failure to properly treat and isolate three parvovirus-positive husky puppies. After keeping all three puppies in a single kennel without receiving any treatment, monitoring, food, or water, one of the puppies passed away. Yablon allegedly failed to notify the owner that one of the puppies passed away and did not remove it from the shared kennel. Two days later a second husky puppy passed away.
In another instance, the state alleges, Princess, a 7 year-old female bulldog that Yablon had been treating for a fever and bleeding issues, passed away while being prepared for surgery. Yablon informed the owner that Princess had died during surgery, but the owner took the dog to another veterinarian to perform a necropsy that found no surgery had been performed.
Under the terms of the interim suspension, Yablon is precluded from the practice of veterinary medicine in the State of New Jersey, and he has also agreed to surrender his New Jersey Controlled Dangerous Substances registration. Additionally, Yablon cannot enter the premises of his practice during business hours or when patients may be present, and he cannot charge, receive or share in any fee for professional services rendered by others.
New Jersey Attorney General
Deputy Attorney General Pavithra Angara of the Professional Boards Prosecution Section in the Division of Law’s Affirmative Civil Enforcement Practice Group is representing the state in this matter. Investigators with the Enforcement Bureau within the Division of Consumer Affairs conducted the investigation into this matter.
The criminal matter remains pending.