You can watch this video for the whole story or continue reading for more details:
It’s not unusual for dogs to eat things they shouldn’t, and this can often cause problems, but this Utah family had no idea how this often harmless act would lead to the worst possible result because of a strange grave mistake by the hospital.
The Story begins with Ziggy, a dachshund puppy, eating something he shouldn’t have eaten after which he had difficulty breathing normally.
The dog then started having problems keeping food or water down, and they knew something was wrong and became worried.
His family rushed him to the veterinary office, where they learned that Ziggy had an intestinal blockage and needs emergency surgery to remove the blockage before his intestines are impacted severely which can be fatal.
The Martinez family agreed and expressed their willingness to do whatever needs to be done to save their puppy.
During the surgery, the vet found the situation of the young dog to be way more severe than the x-ray made it look. Significant damage has been done to the dog’s intestines already and it would take a lot more effort and time to save the dog’s life.
In situation like these, it’s procedure to call the family and give them two options; Go on with the surgery knowing that it will be more expensive, more time-consuming, and will have a higher probability for complications after the surgery, or simply let the dog go and protect them from the possibility of a life of pain.
Which is exactly what the hospital did, and their answer was to let the dog go instead of moving forward with the surgery.
Except they actually didn’t!
As it turns out, the staff has made a huge mistake, they called the WRONG FAMILY!
They called another dog owner and got permission to euthanize the dog, and so the Martinez family didn’t get the chance to make the decision themselves.
When the veterinary office learned of the horrible truth of their mistake, they did everything they can to apologize to the Martinez family and to make sure similar mistakes never happen again in the future.
As for the Martinez family, they understand that their dog’s condition was poor, and even though they would’ve chosen to go forward with the operation, they decided to not sue the hospital.
They understand that they are doing everything they can to prevent things like this from ever happening again, which is the only important thing that can be done now.
I have chosen to not mention the Vets name and to not sue because it was a honest mistake, they owned it, and are taking steps to make things okay. Ziggy was really sick and from the sounds of it I’m not sure he would’ve even made it after all said and done. I do wish we would’ve had to chance to find out though but life happens and we have to learn to adjust and learn and grow from it. I will forever miss him but at least I know he’s not in pain anymore.
Andrea Martinez
Losing a pet can be one of the worst feelings in the world, I hope they are blessed with the patience and strength during this difficult time.
