Board: Veterinarian unlawfully dispensed drugs, blocked state investigation

State regulators have opted not to revoke the license of a southern Iowa veterinarian accused of unlawfully dispensing significant quantities of a controlled substance and then blocking an investigation into his conduct.

On Oct. 2, the Iowa Board of Veterinary Medicine issued an emergency order indefinitely suspending the license of veterinarian Jerry Couchman, 80, who practices in and around Appanoose and Decatur counties.

At the time, the board charged Couchman with five counts of violating laws and administrative rules governing veterinary medicine, and alleged his conduct posed an immediate danger to the public health, safety and welfare.

According to the board, the disciplinary charges stemmed from a report received from a drug distributor alleging Couchman had been ordering a significant amount of xylazine, which the board describes as “a powerful non-opioid sedative commonly mixed with fentanyl for illegal drug use,” as well as ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic with hallucinogenic effects that is categorized as a controlled substance.

The board says it then reviewed Couchman’s drug purchasing records from several drug distributors and determined that between January 2024 and June 2025, Couchman had purchased about 1,545 50-milliliter bottles of xylazine, plus 1,128 10-milliliter bottles of ketamine.

On July 7, the board served Couchman with a subpoena for his veterinary records. According to the board, Couchman responded to the subpoena for his drug log by providing a copy of “a handwritten document created in response to the subpoena that contains some, but not all, of the information required by Iowa’s rules.” Couchman also refused the board’s request that he identify all his clients, the board alleged.

The board charged Couchman with knowingly assisting a person in unlawfully practicing veterinary medicine; failing to properly document and prescribe controlled substances and prescription drugs; failing to keep adequate records; dispensing controlled substances and prescriptions in cases where he had no valid veterinary-client relationship; and dispensing drugs used by laypersons to provide unlicensed veterinary medical services.

The board also charged Couchman with failing to comply with the requirements of an investigatory subpoena from the board, which the board says impeded its ability to investigate the matter.

Board: Couchman lacked records to support his claims

According to board records, Couchman attempted to explain the “large quantities of ketamine and xylazine” he purchased by asserting that he used the drugs for surgeries on dogs. The board noted that Couchman owned a kennel with about 70 bulldogs and also provided veterinary services for other kennels that had 1,100 bulldogs and other mixed-breed dogs.

According to the board, Couchman claimed he also provided the drugs to various dog-grooming services, which he allegedly said might number “anywhere from 1,500 to 2,000 per year,” and claimed to have used the drugs for the neutering or castration of roughly 1,200 to 1,500 horses per year, which would equate to an average of 23 horses per week.

The board alleged Couchman failed to provide records corroborating those claims.

On Nov. 4, Couchman and the board agreed to resolve the disciplinary case with a settlement agreement that calls for Couchman’s license to be suspended for nine months, after which it will be placed on probationary status for three years.

Couchman also must pay a $3,000 fine and meet at least once with a practice monitor to discuss the settlement agreement and the circumstances that led to the disciplinary action. In addition, he must complete 10 hours of educational training related to controlled substances, veterinary ethics and recordkeeping.

Couchman declined to comment on the case when contacted by the Iowa Capital Dispatch on Nov. 7. His attorney, James Carney, said that with regard to the subpoenaed client records, Couchman’s clients were “predominantly Amish, and so he didn’t want to provide any records without their approval.”

State and federal records indicate Couchman has done business with two Iowa dog kennels accused of “puppy laundering” — a practice that involves a repeat violator routing dogs to an associated kennel that’s operating under a different license so the animals can be sold in jurisdictions that ban the retail sale of dogs from repeat offenders.

In December 2023, a federal inspector from the U.S. Department of Agriculture visited a dog-breeding kennel in the Van Buren County town of Cantril. The kennel is on property owned by Steve Kruse, one of Iowa’s largest dog breeders and a repeat violator. The Cantril kennel was operating under a license held by a Kruse associate, Wuanita Swedlund.

The inspector cited the kennel for a number of violations, some of which were tied to the death of six puppies that appeared to have died due to a lack of shelter from the cold.

State records indicate the attending veterinarian for the business at that time was a “Dr. Couchman” who had not “examined dogs or been available when needed.” Board records indicate Jerry Couchman is the only licensed veterinarian in Iowa with that last name.

After the inspection, state officials instructed Swedlund to hire a new veterinarian.

This article first appeared in the Iowa Capital Dispatch.