Cause Of Death Revealed For Las Vegas Veterinarian Who Went Viral For Kicking A Horse

A tragic story with a heartbreaking ending.

A Las Vegas veterinarian, Dr. Shawn Frehner, was found dead last month in Lake Mead. According to KTNV, the cause of death has been confirmed, and tragically, it was what many of us suspected. The news outlet reported that Dr. Frehner injected himself with the euthanasia drug pentobarbital before drowning in the lake. The Office of the Clark County Coroner and Medical Examiner confirmed that the death was by suicide from their autopsy as well.

Heartbreaking.

Frehner was missing for two weeks before his body was found. Before finding his body, Frehner’s wallet, keys, and cell phone were found in his unoccupied truck near Lake Mead. His son also told officials that, given his dad did not have a boat, he was not sure why his dad would be at the lake, and later, the family’s worst fears came to life.

Absolutely devastating.

Before Frehner went missing, he found himself in the middle of a media storm after a clip of him went viral on social media. While Frehner was treating a woman’s colt, she saw him kicking the young horse it in the face. The owner of the horse, Shawna Gonzalez, fell to the ground as she was coming up from the chicken coop to see her horse being mistreated. Her daughter heard her mother’s cries and picked up her phone to film what was occurring on their property. Gonzalez recalls the instance, noting that the horse was struggling to breathe, and then Frehner kicked him in the skull, fleeing her property before the horse was back up.

After Gonzalez’s daughter’s video went viral, Frehner issued an apology on social media.

“I did not blatantly haul off and kick this horse as it appears in the video. That was not my intention at all. It was done simply to get the horse in a better position so that he could breathe and get up and move, so I could again try to anesthetize.

But yes, I did kick him right in the chin, and I very much do apologize and wish this never happened.”

While many people, including us at Whiskey Riff, certainly do not agree with the actions of the video, some users attacked the vet before and after his disappearance. Many felt his disappearance was deserved, which is horrible.

Many social media users also began sending Gonzalez death threats, insinuating that she had something to do with it. She shared that she never wanted this to be the outcome of her sharing the video or pressing animal abuse charges after the fact.

“It’s horrible, I never, ever wished this upon him, I never wished this upon anybody. This is not what I wanted in the end at all.”

This instance with Gonzalez’s colt was not the first time Frehner faced issues with his practice. News8Now reported that the Nevada State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners placed Frehner’s license on probation in 2016, in which he agreed to a one-year suspension of practice. Frehner was given this suspension for writing medical records on the back of invoices or call logs and for giving his clients medication in “plastic baggies” without prescription names or dosage information present.

One of his former clients told the news station that she experienced this firsthand and that her experience with his practice was negative.

“He said, you need to give this baggie, of medicine that I made up myself, and it helps with their circulation and he goes, they won’t, you just have to force it down their throat.”

This whole situation is heartbreaking. Nobody condones animal abuse, but being a veterinarian for large and powerful animals is a notoriously difficult job. And while you can’t fault the owner for being concerned about her horse, and Frehner should’ve absolutely been disciplined for the behavior, this sad situation illustrates the toxic power of social media. The horse suffered a scratch on its face, but will ultimately be fine, and a father is dead… that’s not the outcome anyone should want.

We continue to keep the friends, family, and other relatives of Dr. Shawn Frehner during this period of grieving.