My dog has died WHO is to blame?

Question

After taking our beautiful staffy Ebony to the PDSA yesterday morning because she had a swollen tummy we were asked to leave her there to be scand. we did this and they called us to collect her at 4pm we went to collect her and asked what had been found. we were told the scan showed there was No tumour or any blockage and a blood sample had been taken to send off to see if there wa a underlying cause. We took Ebony home she was very drowsy from the sedation they had given her for the scan . Ebony came round fully at around 5 pm she stood up but wasn't her normal bouncy self by 9 pm we realised she couldn't sit or lay down i called thePDSA back and was told to bring her straight back down which we did i explained she had had a scan 6 hours before and it showed nothing. They said they would keep her overnight and re scan her. We left her there and went home to worry within 45Min's of getting home they called us they had given her a quick scan and it showed a tumour the size of a baseball they gave me two options one to let her go straight away or to operate and see if anything could be done. I chose the latter as two days prior to all this she was bounding about as per her normal self. I had to call at 10 am to see how she was. I called and was put straight through to the vet who informed me she had died without making it to the operation.
Now I am not only very upset at losing a member of our family but also very angry indeed at been told after the full scan she was fine with no tumour or anything yet 6 hours after and doing a quick scan the tumour was there. It either grew very rapidly indeed or it was missed but i have to ask how do you miss a baseballl size tumour in a staffordshire bull terrier ( she ws not a well built staffy either so anything would show) Where do i go from here can i make a complaint any advice will be helpful please

Answer 1

There is NOTHING you should "do"!!

There was NOTHING that an hour or several hours could have changed.It did NOT develop the mass from one "scan" to the next.



Sorry,if you're looking to sue,you haven't a snowballs chance.

Make a lawyer RICHER??? That's daft.

Answer 2

I am not going to be popular here, but frankly I don't mind. Vets do make mistakes!!! I have been there, three times. The first was with my Champion b itch who almost died due to a delayed Caesarian Section after I'd left her with a vet to do just that. She survived, but 5 or her 9 puppies were not so lucky. We SUED - the case was actually settled out of Court because we were warned that we might not get a dog-lover judge!! And the vet concerned was 'well respected' in the community. It was impossible to put a value on the lost puppies, or the fact that due to the time she was left, her uterus was shot and this was her only litter.



The two other cases, two different vets, were not as straight-cut but suffice to say, both had a sad outcome. I wrote a VERY strong letter after the last disaster, which involved a refusal to do x-rays - I was told scans were 'sufficient' - until my b itch was at the end-game point. When the x-rays were finally done, her cancer had spread to the point she was riddled. Although there was no way of bringing my b itch back, at least got my feelings off my chest and made me feel slightly better and I hope my words mean nobody else has to go through what I and my beloved girl went through. She was terminal, but her final months were far from what I wanted for her.



You could write to the BVA, or the RCVS about this - and you could try speaking to a solicitor, although most haven't the faintest idea about dogs. Unfortunately perhaps the PDSA were being careful with funds, and scanned rather than x-rayed your b itch? I certainly feel you are entitled to have a meeting with the vets involved, so they can explain to you face to face what happened here.



You have my sympathies, it's a rotten way to lose your girl.

Answer 3

You have a civil complaint, you have the option of filing a civil action in a civil court and sueing but I personally don't see that you would be succcessful . In order to win you have to be able to prove that they and something they did or did not do were at least the proximate cause of death.



Because the dog died so quickly, I would think the dog was seriously ill and probably might have died regardless, then you have to prove that you were damaged in some way, you could do that, the loss of your dog but the cause of death would have to be put squarely on them, very dificult.



You didn't say what the cause of death was, did they tell you? Just because a dog or a person has a tumor doesn't mean they will die. I have had three removed but they were not in a place that caused a problem and thankfully were not cancerous.



If it's not too late, see if you can find out exactly what the cause of death was, that might make your decision easier to make, if he had additional problems such as gaseous gangrene caused by the tumor there is nothing that would have saved him if internal organs were damaged beyond repair.



There are many things to consider and some information you need to gather before doing anything. I'm not a veterinarian or a lawyer, I just work in the legal field so don't take this as sound legal advice OK, but I would look into things a little more carefully before I jumped up and did something rash. Sorry about your dog, I've had one for 11 years now that I know won't be around much longer and my whole family thinks the world revolves around him.



There are also organizations found in the phone book such as th BBB and the state regulatory agencies you can make a report to if there is an indication of negligence.

Answer 4

Hi, I am so sorry for your loss, I know what you are going through as we had to have our beloved Weimaraner put to sleep three weeks ago. In our case it looks as it if could be a rare case of Parvo which isn't covered by the vaccinations given here in the UK. In your case I would say that the tumour should have been spotted in the first scan, as it was big enough to be found. It is a very difficult thing to watch your dog practically die in front of your eyes and not be able to do a thing about it. I should go back to the vet in question and say that you are not happy with the way that things turned out and make a formal complaint, which should be passed on to the appropriate authority. It won't make you feel any better, but my thoughts are with you at this sad time.

Answer 5

Why do people feel the need to place blame on someone when things don't go their way? I know how you feel, honestly - my own dog passed away from cancer AFTER she had surgery to remove her tumor.



But blaming the technician or vet for not spotting something on an x-ray is not the way to go. Wether they caught it in that first x-ray or not probably would NOT have mattered - your dog could have passed away anyway! What if they didn't have an opening for surgery until hours later anyway?



Just saying...



Depending on her positioning and the quality of the x-ray it is VERY possible for something to be missed. Have YOU ever seen an x-ray? Very confusing and can be very misleading - a number of things could be missed or could have been done wrong. There is nothing to say she would have lived if it had been caught earlier - and if it were the size you say then the dog's HAD the thing for a long time.



But if you MUST place blame then talk to the head vet or someone at the office. I bet you could even ask the police..... Don't know if you would "win" anything though....

Answer 6

First I am very sorry that Ebony is gone. I can understand that you are angry and upset.



But I agree that if she had a tumor the size of a baseball, then her time had come. Tumors are soft tissue and can be missed. But even if it had been caught, it sounds like it was deep inside her, not clearly visible. At this size and at this location it would be surprising if the surrounding tissue had still been "clean."



Personally I think you should let it go - maybe have the tumor analyzed to see exactly what it was to put your mind to rest. From what you wrote it doesn't sound like Ebony could have been saved and again, I'm really sorry to hear how you lost her.

Answer 7

I'm sorry about your loss. Something very similar happened to me and my family last year. We took our shih-tzu in for a very routine kidney stone removal. The surgery went well and she was able to come home the next day. Later that night she began foaming at the mouth and couldn't move her hind legs. We took her back to the animal hospital and they informed us that a blood clot from her healing had broken loose and parlayzed her back legs and there was nothing they could do. We ended up having to put her down that night. For months I blamed the animal hospital. I felt that they didn't give us enough information on the possible risks of this surgery. I soon realized that blame wasn't getting me anywhere and it was stopping me from emotionally healing. I eventually accepted that she was gone, but in a better place and remembered the good times that I had with her. Don't spend your time blaming yourself or other people, that will just make it harder in the end.

Answer 8

I understand your very angry, and also grieving at the moment but it sounds like the PDSA did the best they could. The PDSA will have a complaints procedure that you can go through, so on Monday ring them up and ask for a full explanation on how they treated Ebony. If that doesn't give you any clear answers ask about the complaint procedure.

Try and focus on the good times you had with your dog and not let your anger get in the way of grieving.



Point for Heebee....

"You get what you pay for"???

Wtf you on about? You saying that a vets practice would've saved the dog? Are they better than the PDSA? Have they special powers?

If thats your arguement, then i take it you dont visit your GP if your ill? You have never used the NHS???

IDIOT!!!

Answer 9

i am so sorry about your dog as i know how you feel as i lost my little bichon last christmas unexpectedly i also had her at the vet and they said there was nothing wrong i think vets need to take the time and listen to dog owners as we know our dogs better than they do yes i know they are professionals when it comes to medical issues but if we say there is something wrong with the dog we will know first as we are with the dogs all the time please don t blame yourself as you did the best you could for the dog and it really wasn't your fault as i think if they had scanned her at the first visit they may have picked up the tumour quicker heres a hug and lots of love xxx

Answer 10

omg how weird i had a staffy called ebony and she was not big built she passed away in march attacked by 2 other staffies , anyway bk to to your question im sory 4 your loss but i dont think there is anyting that you can do, i understand thatyou are angry as i was with the vet when ebony died but she isnt suffering anymore thats the main thing , get in contct with the pdsa and ask them 4 answers how where and y werent you called when she passed , let me know how you get on plz, R.I.P. ebony, run free baby girl xxxxx

Answer 11

They made a mistake but i don`t think a few hrs would make much difference if the scan had been a couple of months before I would make a complaint but now I would let her go in peace sorry about your loss.

Answer 12

you cant blame them for your dog dying. its very upsetting to hear this. if you would have left your dog without surgery she may have been in pain its a catch 22. risk surgery and possible death or live in pain. sorry to hear she died.



for all the people that think the pdsa are prejudise to animals that get treatment for free you people are really sad!! if you do your research on the pdsa you will know that they started off as a charity vets giving free treatment to all animals!!

Answer 13

What a stressful situation you have gone through. Sorry to hear you have lost your much loved dog - I really feel for you, having lost two of my own previously. I dont really know what to advise in these circumstances, but perhaps you could start by complaining to the practice manager and discussing it further. Its no consolation though, you have lost your precious pet.

Answer 14

I HATE the PDSA, once we took out guinea-pig to them and they give her this med, and when we left they wached us so we had to put some money in th box, i think it was about £10. and we got home and she died :( they was nout worng with her, she only had a cold and when we phoned them back, they told us it wasn't they problem because it was outside of the PDSA center.



and we had a dog who we took to them and she had cancer, and they told us it was just dry skin !!! they left it too late to do anything, if I was you I would write to the local Mail. because the PDSA wont be too happy if you did that

Answer 15

Im really sorry! It was not your fault it was the vet's fault you were trying to do the best for her but the vet's were not quick enough obviously but with or without the operation she probably would have died anyway. What the vet's should have done was kept her there and did a proper scan so it isn't your fault.

Answer 16

im really sorry about your loss

my dog died yesterday, he was took to the vets and when he was been lifted onto the table he had a stroke and colapsed. my dad was there but i was at school. i've been crying all day so i know how you feel and dont ever blame yourself. just think about all the good times with your dog. memories is all i have left now

Answer 17

It is unlikely the dog would have survived anyway, I can understand your shock and anger, but this will diminish in time and I don't think it is very ethical to take an animal charity that does so much for animal welfare in Britain to court. I feel sorry that your have lost your companion.

Answer 18

I would never take my dog to the pdsa. You get what you pay for and as the pdsa is free treatment,you got what you paid for. Nothing. No doubt they will be covered for such events so if your thinking of claiming, i wouldn't bother. Although they way they handled the situation could of been more sensitive,why didn't they inform you of the death, instead of you having to contact them.

Answer 19

I can understand that you are upset. But the dog was ill. Looking for someone to blame achieves nothing. Vet's are human too, thus prone to making mistakes just as much as you or I. Sometimes bad things happen to good people.

Answer 20

I presume your dog was fully grown, so that returning her to the breeder would not have been an option. As such, I would contact an attorney to advise you. It seems you may have a case for malpractice against the vet, although his defense will surely be that even if they found the tumor at first, she probably would not have had any more of a chance to survive, than catching it later. You need to weigh the cost of the attorney and your time against the probable reward if you sue, which may be limited to the replacement cost of the animal.



So sorry to hear of your trauma. Will pray for you & Staffie.

Answer 21

It's no-ones fault,You cannot control it.

Sorry for your loss x

Answer 22

I'm sorry your dog died.