NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A 45-year-old man who police say never held a Tennessee license to treat animals was arrested Tuesday and charged with impersonating a veterinarian at Caudle Veterinary Clinic on Gallatin Pike in Nashville.
Metro Nashville Police identified the man as Prashant Pandya. He faces a felony count. Detectives teamed up with the District Attorney’s Office and agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration, and investigators searched the clinic under a warrant the same afternoon.
Detectives opened the case in September, after pet owners reported that dogs and cats brought in for procedures came out with complications. Police said they are aware of at least seven cases dating from August 2025 through this September.
Pandya did apply for a state veterinary license, police said, but he did not pass the exams required to get one. Even so, investigators said he held himself out as a vet to clients, going by Dr. Pandya and wearing a white coat stitched with his name and the letters DVM.
Police said Pandya was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon. They expect to file more counts against him as detectives keep working, and no court date had been listed in the first reports. The clinic had been the subject of complaints from pet owners for months before the arrest, and investigators have not said whether anyone else at the practice could face charges.
Tennessee lets pet owners check whether a veterinarian is licensed through the state’s online license verification system before booking care.
Section: More Nashville TN crime news
Filed under: Nashville TN Crime News
