A woman says her dog was mistakenly euthanised after a vet rang the wrong pet owner to ask for consent.
Andrea Martinez rushed her dachshund puppy Ziggy to the vets on Sunday night after he started vomiting and was struggling to breathe.
In a post on Facebook, Martinez says she was told by vets that little Ziggy would need surgery to fix a blockage in his stomach and intestines, which she agreed to.
Advert
Martinez, from Utah, says she went home, with the vet promising that she would be contacted after the surgery to update her on Ziggy's condition.
However, at 2.30am she got a call telling her Ziggy had died, but it soon became apparent a mistake had a been surrounding the dog's death.
Speaking to Local12, Martinez said: "He kept beating around the bush about it, but he was saying it like I should've known."
The vet then put Martinez on hold.
"Then he got back on there," she continued. "And he apologised and said, 'I'm so sorry that this happened, we got confused and ended up calling another dog's mum.'"
Advert
It turned out that there was another dog called Ziggy at the same vets, and Martinez claims it was the other Ziggy's owner who was asked for permission to put the dog to sleep.
Martinez told the news outlet they were 'in the middle' of the dog's surgery when they called up the other owner and warned them it was going to be 'more expensive' before asking if they wanted to continue with the extensive surgery or let him go. They chose to let him go.
The vet has since explained to Martinez that Ziggy was very unwell and the more expensive surgery might not have been successful.
Advert
But Martinez says she 'wishes we would've been able to say we tried everything'.
On her Facebook post, a heart-broken Martinez wrote: "They let a stranger decide my dog's fate. They robbed me the choice of saying 'at least we tried'. I feel so sick and can't stop crying."
She went on: "How do you tell a 6-year-old her best friend died and we didn't have a choice to try everything to stop him from dying.
Advert
"This whole thing seriously makes me so sick to my stomach."
However, Martinez says the vet has apologised profusely for the mistake, has waived Ziggy's bills, given her an urn for his ashes and a special Christmas tree ornament with his paw print on.
In a later post, Martinez announced she wouldn't be taking it any further, explaining: "It was a honest mistake, they owned it, and are taking steps to make things okay.
Advert
"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."
Featured Image Credit: Facebook