Nicole Maxwell came home from work and found Wunjo on his dog bed. Same position he’d been carried in after surgery. She kept thinking he’d wake up.
He didn’t.
What Happened at Caudle Veterinary Clinic
Wunjo was an 11-year-old husky-German shepherd mix. In August, Maxwell took him to Caudle Veterinary Clinic on Gallatin Pike in East Nashville for a fast-growing lipoma. He had also torn his ACL earlier that year.
Surgery was scheduled for September 8. Three hours after drop-off, the clinic called and said the procedure went well.
He Was Limp When They Brought Him Out
The clinic offered to keep Wunjo overnight for post-surgical draining, but told the family no one would be there to monitor him. Maxwell took him home.
His eyes were open but he couldn’t walk. Staff and Maxwell had to carry him to the car together.
What She Found After He Died
Through her grief, Maxwell started looking into the clinic and the vet who operated on Wunjo. She searched Tennessee’s state license verification site for Prashant Pandya, the veterinarian who performed the procedure.
No record came up.
This isn’t an isolated case. Just days earlier, a Cedar City family lost their Yorkie when a vet allegedly gave the wrong injection, raising the same questions about accountability in veterinary care.
As WSMV4 reported on Wunjo’s death and the licensing questions, two news outlets independently ran the same search and got the same result. Maxwell has since filed a complaint with the state and a police report.
When news crews arrived at the clinic, it was closed. A sign on the door read: “CLOSED DUE TO ONGOING FRAUD, MALPRACTICE & CRIMINAL ACTIVITY.” It’s unclear who put it there.
Have you ever checked your vet’s license before a procedure? Most people don’t, and this case is exactly why it matters. Tell me in the comments.
What Tennessee Law Says
Practicing veterinary medicine without a license in Tennessee is a criminal offense. Under TCA 63-12-119, every instance of unlicensed practice is a Class B misdemeanor.
The law also covers clinics. If a licensed vet allows an unlicensed person to perform veterinary work, that licensed vet’s own license can be revoked under TCA 63-12-124.
The Tennessee health department and the state Attorney General’s office have both confirmed they are reviewing complaints.
Why This Matters
Maxwell isn’t alone. After she posted on social media, others came forward with similar experiences at the same clinic.
“We will never know exactly what went wrong,” she said. No official cause of death has been made public.
When things go right, the results are extraordinary like when Pasadena firefighters revived a dog pulled unconscious from a burning home using proper protocols and the right equipment. The difference between those outcomes often comes down to whether the right person is doing the right thing.
According to AVMA’s pet ownership statistics, about 65.1 million U.S. households owned a dog in 2024. That’s tens of millions of families trusting someone with a syringe to know exactly what they’re doing
That trust extends to emergencies too. Even when two dogs were rescued from a Tempe canal by officers who acted fast, the outcome depended entirely on the right person doing the right thing at the right time.
Key Takeaways
- Wunjo died after surgery at Caudle Veterinary Clinic in East Nashville on September 8.
- No Tennessee veterinary license was found for Prashant Pandya by the owner or two news outlets.
- The clinic is currently closed; state and AG offices are reviewing complaints.
- Unlicensed vet practice in Tennessee is a Class B misdemeanor under state law.
- You can verify your vet’s license at tn.gov/health/licensure/vet.html before any procedure.
She Can’t Bring Wunjo Back
But she can keep it from happening to someone else’s dog. That’s what she said. That’s why she’s talking.
If this story made you think twice about verifying your vet, share that in the comments. Follow Furry Found on X and our Facebook page for more stories like this.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. Details are based on reporting by WSMV4, WKRN, and NewsChannel 5. Neither Caudle Veterinary Clinic nor Prashant Pandya has publicly responded. This is not legal advice.