Dog lovers -- what do you think of this?

[indra]

Pa. Vet Accused of Faking Dog's Death

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - A couple who thought they were watching their epileptic dog being euthanized actually witnessed a simple sedation procedure concocted so the veterinary clinic could later give the canine to another owner, they claim in a lawsuit.

Dana and Gary Ganyer said they cried while watching what they thought was the death of Annie, a 2-year-old German shepherd that had increasingly frequent and debilitating seizures.

But in a lawsuit filed in Bucks County last week, they contend Annie was not euthanized in February 2005 at the Mill Pond Veterinary Clinic in Milford.

Instead, the lawsuit says, the dog was given a sedative to make it appear she was dead. The clinic then gave Annie to a new owner, Gene Rizzo of Northeast Philadelphia, who cared for the dog until he had her euthanized on Nov. 2, according to the lawsuit.

"When I heard she was still alive I literally screamed and went into hysterics and I was in shock for three days," Dana Ganyer said. "My nerves were totally torn up that this vet could do this."

The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, accuses Mill Pond Veterinary Clinic, Mill Pond Kennels and three of its employees of fraud, negligence and defamation.

A lawyer for the veterinary clinic did not return a call Friday from The Associated Press.

In the lawsuit, the Ganyers say they were told by a former employee of the clinic that they were considered "heartless" and that a meeting was called the morning Annie was scheduled to be euthanized to devise a plan to "rescue" the dog.

The Ganyers contend they are loving owners who decided to put Annie down only after weeks of research and soul-searching.

On June 30, the Ganyers received a call from the former clinic employee, who told them Annie was still alive.

A few days later they drove to Rizzo's home. The Ganyers told Rizzo they were Annie's rightful owners, but he refused to give her back.

Rizzo said Annie had seizures every few weeks, but between them "she was perfectly normal."

Annie was euthanized after Rizzo said she lapsed into a coma-like state for two days and his veterinarian told him the dog was "really suffering."

What do you think of this? Not really the lawsuit, but what happened. I would have been seriously pissed if my vet did this. (of course, I have always taken my animals home to bury, so my vet couldn't do it, but I know that isn't possible for everyone) I do know my former vet (only former because I have moved too far away to be able to continue to use them) has refused to euthanize perfectly healthy animals simply because they were an inconvenience to the owners, but they didn't fake anything.

I have put down animals that perhaps some other people would have continued to try to save, but in those cases I honestly felt (and still feel) that any more treatment would only result in more suffering without any significant increase in quality of life although it may have prolonged the animals lives for a short time. I feel there can come a time when getting that extra bit of time alive is tantamount to cruelty and I as the animal's owner and caretaker is in a better position to know exactly when that time comes than the vet or vet techs who only deal with the animal for short times. I've never had my vet disagree with my choice to put an animal down -- and remember, these are the vets (there were three at the clinic) who refused to put down some animals -- when I feel it's "time."

 

[JCOSTER]

I would kill this vet. I am going through the process of putting my dog to sleep due to biting my son on the face and later finding out that my dog has come from a line of bad breeding, (his brother was put to sleep). It is a heart wrenching decision to do that no matter what the situation. People who say they love animals are usually the ones who do the most harm.

That story is truly gut wrenching for the Ganyer family and then to have someone else you do know and the dog didn't know to put her down is terrible.

 

[U2Girl1978]

That's just awful. How the vet can do that is beyond me.

 

[Liesje]

Terrible. Terrible because the dog was suffering and should've been put down in the first place, and terrible because the vet had no right or authority to make that decision, plus those people paid for that procedure and disposal of the dog.

I know it sucks putting animals down who aren't actually dying yet, but let me tell you I've been to a no-kill cat rescue and there are 220 cats living in ONE tiny house and they are ALL sick and dirty. Half of them have problems (medical and behavioral) that are so severe, no one will ever adopt them. Now they have to suffer in this place that's suppose to be looking out for them, but they have to fight off other animals for food, space, and attention.

Euthanization of animals is a necessary evil. Mainly because a lot of animals that require euthanization are the ones that got fucked up by humans neglecting or mistreating them.

 

[one4u2]

 

[BonosBaby12]

Absolutely sickening that someone you trust with your pets would do this! What the hell is wrong with people?!

 

[bonsai]

When we had our dog, he suffered from the odd epileptic fit occasionally, usually once every couple of months. It happened if he got excited and hyper

Vets are supposed to be as trustworthy and compassionate to your pets as doctors are to humans. THis story is just sickening

 

[VertigoGal]

I think that's repulsive and unethical.

 

[Carek1230]

I cannot believe that a veterinary professional would do such a thing. Horrifying, unethical, sickening. The vet should be put out of business, lose it's license to practice veterinary medicine and be reprimaned beyond the lawsuit. Those poor people. I cannot imagine what it would be like to discover such a thing. The 2 animals I've had euthanized in my lifetime were not easy decisions or experiences. This is horrible.

 

[angelordevil]

It is extremely unethical, but at the same time, I'd love to hear the vet's side of this. Was this a one-off situation, or have they attempted such 'rescues' in the past? Dogs can live with seizures, as I'm sure most people know. My mother's German Sheppard has had them for years. They started when she was just a pup, and continue today. Witnessing the seizures can be quite a disturbing sight--especially if you're not accustomed to the violent shaking and contortions that seem to last forever in the space of a minute or two. Other than these 'moments,' she leads a very active life, and is seemingly filled with joy most of the time. She's certainly added joy to our lives.

Of course, our example is not a barometer of all German Shepherds with seizures--including this case. I'm just wondering what compelled the veterinarian to take such a professional, and ultimately unethical, risk.

 

[VintagePunk]

Wow.

My immediate reaction was anger and revulsion on behalf of the couple, but then, as angelordevil pointed out, I wondered what the motivation for the vet's actions were.

We just had our beloved 12 year old lab euthanized on Saturday, so I'm currently right in the thick of the grief and sadness of losing a pet. I can only imagine what that couple went through,only to learn that the pet was still alive (in our case though, as Indra said, we were there, it was done by a country vet who lives by my sister's farm...after it was done, we took her to my sister's and buried her).

However, our dog also had a seizure disorder from the time she was about two or three years old. As angelordevil said, it's disturbing to watch, especially at first, but eventually you become used to it, and deal with it as you would the chronic illness of any family member. And, there are very good medications available that will help to control the duration of and time between the seizures. This does tend to add a fair amount to the normal vet bills, between paying for the drugs, and the cost of monitoring the levels of the drug in their system several times per year. But in our case, she was happy and healthy between the seizures, and acted like a perfectly normal dog, otherwise (it was an unrelated, incurable matter that caused her death).

Obviously, the vet behaved unethically either way - he should have discussed the options with the couple if he felt that strongly that the dog should be kept alive - but before damning him completely, I'd have to hear his side of things.

 

[YBORCITY]

What the Fuc is wrong with people now a days?

 

[BonosBaby12]

Im sorry Vintage

 

[VintagePunk]

Im sorry Vintage

Thanks It's been a really awful week...

 

[BonosBaby12]

You are welcome I can imagine it's been pretty bad. I hope you start feeling better soon

 

[najeena]

A seizure is not painful, and the vet knew that. He made plenty of money doing the 'euthanization', and I think this was his motive..