Email to the Vet

I am trying to make sense of what happened. I know I need to let go and I will. But, I have to understand what the fuck happened. It was all too fast and nonsensical for me not to. I say to myself, Katie, let it go. He's gone. Nothing you can do will bring him back. That's all well and good and quite true. Still, I have to know what the fuck happened and going forward I want broad sweeping change. Read. You'll see what I'm talking about.

Dear Dr. B----e:

Thank you very much for your time. I appreciate it. My name is KS. You did a bone scan on my dog SS on July 25th, 2007. On August 1st, 2007, seven days later, he was dead. He died of abdominal sepsis due to a tear in his stomach. He was 8 years old and in great health. His labs a few weeks prior were proof that his vital organs were in excellent shape.

This email isn’t meant to inflame, rather it is my hope that you will see it as preventative care for future dogs that you treat. I’m not going to try to sleuth out what really happened. But, I know in my heart that you killed my dog. When he walked out from his procedure, he was completely disoriented and certainly wasn’t the dog who walked in a few hours earlier that day for his scan. He wasn’t himself. Part of his spirit died that day. I had never seen him in that state before. SOMETHING HAPPENED. Something went wrong. I will never know what that is, which is unfortunate, unless of course you’re willing to tell me. He was up all night gagging and retching from the intubation or extabation. Again, something that’s never happened. I called your office and they said that that happens sometimes and that if it didn’t cease, to call. It did cease, only to be immediately replaced by vomiting. I believe that the gagging and retching all night is what caused the tear and ultimately led to his demise.

My hope, Dr. B----e, is that you will proceed with more caution and most importantly, knowing that in the intubation and extabation process, if a repercussion can cause gagging and retching, that some type of medicine should be given post-procedure to prevent that from happening, period. Period. PERIOD.

My dog meant everything to me. He was my son. A joyful, kind, gentle and good soul. I loved him with every ounce of my being and now he’s gone. He should never have died. Never. I can’t get the time back that I have lost and will lose as a result of this horrific tragedy. Out of respect for his LIFE, and for the time that you took from us, I beg you to consider exercising extreme caution and preventative care post treatment.

Sincerely,

KS