My dog had cardiac arrest in small cage at vets after 14 hours

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  • telboy82
    telboy82 Posts: 30 Forumite
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    gettingtheresometimes Thank you or the helpful and kind reply I will have a very good look or this and hope I can find it, when I go to the vets tomorrow morning id like to request a copy of cctv from cage room he was in from the time he was put there just after 4pm until I returned the next morning, from what I can find and have been told im entitled to this, has anybody here ever requested cctv from a vets before and been successful at getting it? because I am hoping to get this footage of him in his cage and possibly when he went out in there yard to toilet, im also hoping to get a copy of all the log information during his stay to see all that put on there, I will have the autopsy because i dont want to regret not having it, it could give me closure or information that may help prove otherwise, I think I need the all 3 to take this further but I have a feeling the footage is going to be very important if there are cameras in there, the log will be important, I will get all the information together and hopefully know if im wrong or right, once ive got all the facts and that footage il find peace even if im wrong I will accept it.
  • elsien
    elsien Posts: 32,743 Forumite
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    The data protection act gives you the right to see CCTV footage of yourself. I don't think there is any obligation to share it with you otherwise, particularly if it is recordings of other people who may not wish footage of themselves to be shared with any other parties.
    All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.

    Pedant alert - it's could have, not could of.
  • telboy82
    telboy82 Posts: 30 Forumite
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    Ok I went today but couldn't get his leads and harness as its still on him, il have to forget cctv I never got to see the caged area as the owner come to speak to us in the waiting I asked if we could go somewhere else private to talk but she reused and said the waiting room is ok no one can hear but everyone in the reception desk area was listening and then the waiting room is filling up with with customers and we are just having a disagreement in front of everyone, I asked to see the nurse who tried to drag my dog by his throat collar rom behind his neck to which she wouldnt get any of the 2 nurses either and eventually walked away from me saying this is going no where. So we couldnt get his lead yet then request the log information of his care, this is what ive been praying for to show any mistreatment negligence or misconduct, i was hoping there were a slip up of kinds because i felt strongly that his welfare was seriously neglected, just had no proof, well il have a more in depth look to see what sense I can make of it and share it here.
    So in my consultation as thats what it seemed like an interview, all I did was weigh him she didnt do any other checks on him with me there like all the other vets have done there before and they have put he had 1 Standard Examination/consultation, which just weighing him and listening to me describe exactly what has happened and how he was.

    This is exactly what I told them when entering the consultation room,
    My dog had breakfast early this morning then around 9:30am he got up of the floor and threw up his entire breakfast in one go, I said "he ever only threw up only once maybe twice in the past" and "this is the worst time i see him be sick and throw up his entire breakfast as hes never thrown his entire breakfast up before but it really shaken him up thats why i called you to get him down here asap just to check if hes ok", I also said because of bringing up his entire meal this morning and drinking any water yet as he doesnt drink water to early in the morning after eating as I was very aware about bloat in these large dogs so he drinks a while after, so i think he is very dehydrated as hes getting a sticky dry mouth and his lip and gum might be getting a lighter pink so i was giving him water till i got him here but too much in case i over do it" so she and her assistant knew full well that i explained to them he threw up his entire breakfast at around 9:30am and had no water except the little i was giving him after he was sick as he got thirsty but didnt want to give him too much just after being sick.
    As I said they just listened to me while petting my dogs head nothing else til i had to lift him on the scale and then get tutted at by one of the girls because i had to lift him off the scales.
    From where she was standing and not even feeling his belly with her hands to see what she could feel, she stood there and said its not bloat dont worry hes got no swelling there which i agreed with there was no swelling anywhere on belly and chest area, then she said because he would of passed away by now its a 95% death rate and happens very quick, even I told her "yes it can take up to 30 minutes sometimes to take a life", and "im very familiar with bloat ive done a lot of research on it as i know the danger these dogs face getting it if not careful" but it was 6 and a 1/2 hours that passed from him throwing up one till being seen at the vets so a long time passed.
    So when after doing no checks in front of me and listening to precisely what i was describing to them they made the decision to keep him over night and told me its for an xray and blood tests, thats when as mentioned before we were begging them that i at any point that day or evening we can collect him and all the rest about him getting stressed about staying away from us and will get stressed there so we are more than happy topickhim up that night, the nurse said "i know you are lets see how it goes".
    Then I asked if Ican take him to his holding so he doesnt play up and get too scared right now, they told me sorry no he will be ok, then the nurses wanted to take him of me in that room but as i reached out my lead to her my sat down and moved back towards me which is natural or dog not wanting to leave its owner its nothing major, then the the assistant with no hesitation reached passed my arms and got hold my dog collar behind his neck that his lead wasnt connected to and proceeded to try and drag a 55kg big bulldog across the floor to the door, thats when instantly i knew something was wrong and i took her arm off him as he has a body harness and lead that collar was just holding a muzzle on, that was so cruel i should off taken him elsewhere straight away, letting them take him away sealed his fate for me already going by the notes and drugs he was on, he was slowly drugged into heart failure or cardiac arrest, and ive just started looking 2 of the drugs used up.
    Anyway so from what I told them in the consultation/ standard examination?? the condition they should of known my dog was in was:
    He threw up or sick his whole breakfast from early morning at around 9:30am,
    He also had no swelling to the tummy area at all we all agreed that in the vets and as it took 6 1/2 hours after being sick to be being seen by them,I had not seen any swelling at all that day after he was sick as i was constantly monitoring him.
    He had very little water before they see him and was slightly dehydrated, slightly lethargic and restless, but otherwise fine.
    This is now the nurses notes that went on the computer at 16:22 just after seeing us for everyone to use and base their decisions on and the take over staff to base decisions on and tell me there is nothing wrong with this when i looked them in the eyes and made sure i told them exactly what they needed to know, and this woman couldnt even get her first sentence right or make sense and was most probably very costly to my dog:

    Clinical Notes:

    "last eaten this morning at 10 am after his meal, (yes she actually wrote that phrase thats not my poor grammer and she has not said my dog has thrown up all his breakfast, she is basically saying my dog had breakfast and has a belly of food from 10am???? alarm bells), swollen stomach lethargyc but pretty stable and fine. (my dog not at one point that day had a swollen stomach, me my wife and both nurses agreed there was no swelling anywhere and it was definatley not bloat but just might be unwell from being sick),
    advise O blood, xray in concius for the stomach, iv fluid until tomorrow.

    yes she wrote this within minutes of me leaving then started or if not already giving him drugs to which im looking in to at the moment, but reading that first clinical note made minutes after me leaving, i wish she gave this as left i would of gone off at her saying havent you been listening at all and another reason why my dog would have taken elsewhere immediately, she couldnt even spell or put a professional sentence together and didnt listen to a concerned pet owner describing exactly what happened and after agreeing his body had no swelling in front of me and my wife she has gone blatantly lied on the log about the swelling he didnt even have and the non existent food in his belly by not once stating he was sick and bring up his entire breakfast, she said he had his breakfast at 10 am and nothing else, she was a young european girl who spoke ok english i guess, i could understand her no problem when she was speaking so i talked to her very clear and slow when describing why i was there and thought she definatley understood and we all understood what was going on with him since he was sick.

    Sorry that was so long i didnt think it would be so im of for a cuppa tea now and il put all the stuff he was medicated with at 16:22 on a fully empty stomach and very little water.
    Thank you to those who follow this thread out of curiosity and compassion.
  • iammumtoone
    iammumtoone Posts: 6,377 Forumite
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    edited 7 April 2017 at 5:29PM
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    I am very sorry for what happened to you and your dog.

    I think you have two issues here. The first about neglect of your dog whilst he was in their care, I am not sure what you expect to get from this (i appreciate you aren't after money), what do you want an apology? I don't think that will happen the case will be taken over by the vets insurance company they may offer you a few quid but will that help you? You are not going to get much for this they will separate the neglect issue from his death they will pay out as if the dog survived as there is no prof that the neglect contributed to his passing.

    The death of your dog is the other issue. I am glad you have decided on an autopsy this will tell you the cause then you will know if you can take this further. I hope this will help put your mind at rest that there was nothing you could do and this would have happened whether your dog was at another vets or at home.

    The fact the nurse was young and eastern European is irrelevant (you said yourself she spoke good english) , it will not help your case if you mention this, as long as she was trained that is all that is relevant. Neither is it relevant regarding the grammar in the notes, they could be understood, that is all that is necessary. If you are going to put together a case you need to recognise the relevant issues and keep everything else out of it.
  • telboy82
    telboy82 Posts: 30 Forumite
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    Yes but she incorrectly diagnosed my dog on computer, saying he had breakfast at 10am when at 9:30 I said he brung up his breakfast all of it even she fully acknowledged he had no food in his belly, but she is saying he had breakfast, i was explaining everything to her and we were understanding each other very well I thought, she put completely wrong information on his notes that may have caused his suffering, i havent got to the drugs yet they gave him enough to knock a horse out and from telling someone i know who breed racing dogs they said who told you he was sprightly when when you called in the evening because there is probably no way the dog could have got up he must of been lying, this makes sense when i questioned the owner why did they tell us on the phone that he went for a toilet in the evening and was fine and sprightly, and the owner started saying i dont know who said he was sprightly he was very ill, so everyone else there would of thought my dog had food in his belly and a swollen belly, my wife was there as witness and these clinical profession notes are a lie, how can you take a dog to a vet specifically for being sick from his breakfast and that main point of throwing up food that started this off be completely let out but in fact making it sound like my dog had eaten and not been sick at all. well I said its not about the money its true but if any action is taken there aren't many options apart from an apology o compensation, the best thing you could do is just is making it public so people are more aware and careful, the best scenario for me would be to have enough ammo and knowledge and proof of misconduct and negligence to take it to court, if I were ale to win id take it all the way depending how much I was offered out of court to settle because they will not want the publicity from it or the case going pout in the public domain, they will try to gag me from ever attempting to sue, if i can beat them and they do not offer a large enough amount to keep me quite them il take it all the way to represent myself in court against there solicitors, I would do this only i extremely confident in my findings that I could win, if they know I can win from what i put forward they will try to pay me off to be quite, no vet likes bad publicity especially when it true, it would have to be enough compensation to satisfy me and in doing this alone would tell how guilty they know they are and that will be the closet to a real sorry I may get, with any money I get if any at all, id take my cut from buying him and the costs involved in all this and donate the rest to a american bulldog charity. This may not go anywhere at all yet so time will tell and I just wont close thread with no ending il either accept and move on if i have nothing or, im going to upset some big people.
  • iammumtoone
    iammumtoone Posts: 6,377 Forumite
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    regarding the time difference of half an hour its not going to make much difference in the scheme of things.

    Have you a copy of the notes does it definitely read

    "last eaten this morning at 10 am after his meal"

    I wonder if the word sick has been left out and should read

    last eaten this morning at 10am sick after his meal

    This would be a big mistake but again is only relevant if this fact contributed to his passing, something which the autopsy will help to determine.
  • Kim_kim
    Kim_kim Posts: 3,726 Forumite
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    telboy82 wrote: »
    i was hoping there were a slip up of kinds because i felt strongly that his welfare was seriously neglected, just had no proof,

    I do appreciate this is a terribly difficult time for you, but why don't you want to accept this was an act of nature rather than negligence from the vets?
    If it were my pet I would prefer they had died quickly & of natural reasons rather than want to find an act of negligence.
    telboy82 wrote: »
    if I were ale to win id take it all the way depending how much I was offered out of court to settle because they will not want the publicity from it or the case going pout in the public domain, they will try to gag me from ever attempting to sue, if i can beat them and they do not offer a large enough amount to keep me quite them il take it all the way to represent myself in court against there solicitors,

    If you really want to warn others about this charity vets then why would you accept hush money?

    I really don't think you should be pursuing a charity vets for compensation, this will prevent them helping animals in future.
    Perhaps they should make people bringing their animals to them for subsidised treatment sign disclaimers.
  • MysteryMe
    MysteryMe Posts: 3,052 Forumite
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    I think it unfortunate that half a day after your dog died when you were obviously very upset and worked up you were posting here about suing your Vet. A few days of reflection to calm down and think clearly may have been wise.

    It is a sad fact of life and death that our pets die, some live a long life and others don't.

    To be blunt the dog first became ill under your care, not the Vets, so if you are keen to apportion blame why are you certain that you are totally in the clear?

    I am sorry that what I have posted is very harsh but if you want to go ahead and try and sue these Vets on claims that basically your dog died of a panic attack they will quite rightly be asking questions of you. It is a two way process, your word will not be accepted as a matter of fact. You will have to prove your case with facts not assumptions and unsubstantiated allegations.

    I do have sympathy with you losing your dog who you obviously adored. I have also lost a much loved pet that died overnight whilst at a Vet but I accept they did all they could.

    Remember the good times you had with your dog, don't allow misplaced anger and a misguided pursuit of a pay out spoil his memory.
  • gettingready
    gettingready Posts: 11,330 Forumite
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    OP - without wanting to sound harsh as I really feel for you missing your dog...

    You want to put all blame on the vet but you said yourself:
    but it was 6 and a 1/2 hours that passed from him throwing up one till being seen at the vets so a long time passed.

    If I felt my dog needed to see a vet urgently - I would not be calling/waiting for an appointment few hours away, the dog would be taken to the vets immediately as an emergency.

    Really sorry about your dog's death but you need to appreciate that using as you call charity vets - despite their best intentions they may not have facilities to deal with every case as well as private vets can.

    You have chosen to use that particular vet for several years and had no problems before as you have stated yourself.
  • lincroft1710
    lincroft1710 Posts: 17,643 Forumite
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    telboy82 wrote: »
    well I said its not about the money its true but if any action is taken there aren't many options apart from an apology o compensation, the best thing you could do is just is making it public so people are more aware and careful, the best scenario for me would be to have enough ammo and knowledge and proof of misconduct and negligence to take it to court, if I were ale to win id take it all the way depending how much I was offered out of court to settle because they will not want the publicity from it or the case going pout in the public domain, they will try to gag me from ever attempting to sue, if i can beat them and they do not offer a large enough amount to keep me quite them il take it all the way to represent myself in court against there solicitors, I would do this only i extremely confident in my findings that I could win, if they know I can win from what i put forward they will try to pay me off to be quite, no vet likes bad publicity especially when it true, it would have to be enough compensation to satisfy me and in doing this alone would tell how guilty they know they are and that will be the closet to a real sorry I may get, with any money I get if any at all, id take my cut from buying him and the costs involved in all this and donate the rest to a american bulldog charity. This may not go anywhere at all yet so time will tell and I just wont close thread with no ending il either accept and move on if i have nothing or, im going to upset some big people.

    You might want to reconsider what you have written, the above makes you seem totally mercenary and vindictive.
    If you are querying your Council Tax band would you please state whether you are in England, Scotland or Wales
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