So sorry to hear of the loss of your little Lexie. The photos were beautiful and such a loving tribute to her. Losing a furbaby is one of the hardest things we humans go through. They are truly members of our families.

You're in our thoughts!

Dawn, Cody :aimeeyork & Cheyenne :animal36

Im truly so sorry for your loss, as i would be angered and sad just as you are.
My heart goes out to you, and you do what you feel is right. rip little girl

She was such a cute little girl and I'm very sorry for your loss.

Although you sign the form and "understand" death is one of the risks, but I guess just like us, if the death is because of the vet, either he/she is careless or did a mistake, we can go after them. Maybe you can get a lawyer and talk about this, see if it's possible to charge the vet/clinic.
I'm terribly sorry to hear that...

You can sure as hell bet this is what I'm doing. Already found a lawyer! I spoke to another vet & he advised me that he would have done quite a few things differently. Lexie is definitely guiding me in the right direction. This is all for her. I don't care to get the $ back as she was priceless. I paid a lot for her and $1500 for the vet to kill my dog!!!

Missing my noisy baby...her barks have left my dogs so quite as she'd start to bark and they'd follow. Bye my sweet baby. This is alll for you...

Yes...it's not about $, it's about a life. I hope the lawyer able to help you, if the vet didn't follow the correct procedures, he/she will have to pay for it!
At least, this is the last thing you can do for Lexie..
Please keep us updated!

Leesha, I worked for a large firm down here in Texas....this guy was one of the Tobacco Five if you have ever heard that term. He was one of the richest attorneys in the state of Texas and probably other places too. I tell you this only to let you know that it was a very prestigeous firm and I learned a lot from them.

First, don't say to the Vet that you are going to sue. Just go in as the grieving mom that you are. Tell them that you would like all of Lexi's papers. That you want to see in writing how her last minutes were i.e. blood pressure and such. Gather whatever information you can. Ask the clerk/assistant or whomever greets you if they were there that day? Were they present at the time of the operation? Get names for right now but no numbers and addresses and all that. This information can come later.

Don't feel the least bit bad about sueing. You could be saving countless dogs their lives and their moms the pain and agony that you are going through. There is no price on Lexi's life, this is true, but the Vet needs to be taught a lesson to be more careful and follow the right steps...or he needs to put his needle down and find another job. Good luck to you....

I am so sorry for the loss of your Lexie!! It has to be horriable for you, I know I would be devistated if that happened to me. I called my vet asking about getting my Nicky fixed, he said that will small dogs it is risky. Then he asked me how much Nicky weighed and I said at least 5 pounds, give or take a pound. He then said that they can do tests to see if he can handle it, that it would be costly. I then just decided that my Nicky's life wasn't worth risking. Besides all the female dogs in our family are fixed and at least 3 or 4 times the size as he, so I don't think I run the risk of unneeded or wanted puppies. The female dogs in my family are, Lab, Golden retriever, and a pug all neutered. Again I have you in my thoughts as you deal with the loss of your lexie, I know how much our furry babies mean to us, and how they become a family member the instant they come into your life!! Hang in there and know that your little lexie is in a safe place to watch over you and your family!

Again...

:rbyorkie: I am so sorry for your loss. :rbyorkie:

I thank you for posting all of this because I will make sure what procedures my vet uses before I let Mickey get neutered in Feb. :aimeeyork

I don't care WHAT papers are signed before surgery. Neglect is neglect.

I hope I am not reading that some members are saying...'well you signed papers before surgery and knew this could happen.'

PLEASE tell me I am not reading this into some comments. :(

Please keep us updated. I'm surprised you were able to retain an attorney due to the fact they will receive little to no (monetary) restitution. It will also be interesting how they will negotiate a signed waiver [contract], the knowledge of the dangers of putting an especially tiny dog under anesthesia, AND prove negligence on behalf of the DVM of your choosing. Is the adjudication you are seeking monies paid for the dog, or the surgery? These cases are difficult to prove, many times to the point of being impossible, in [high-risk, or otherwise] human cases, much less high-risk animals (sadly, harm to animals does not carry the same weight as harm to humans, which is unfortunate). And, unfortunately, a fact of life is that things go wrong even in the most well-intended situations, with the most well-intentioned and experienced physicians. I know in the US, human physicians are dropping malpractice coverage, but I am not certain if DVMs are required to carry it...
I am not sure how laws work in Canada, so the proceedings and ultimate outcome will be fascinating. I sincerely wish you all the best! :):)

Gisela & Pippita :aimeeyork

I am so so very sorry for your devastating lost.

I don't know what you are "reading into some comments, but that's the truth. Contracts (or, papers/waivers/etc..) are drawn up specifically for instances such as this. Gross negligence, or negligence, is, for example, if a surgeon amputates the wrong limb, or is out on a smoke-break while the patient is in full cardiac arrest (seen a case like this - patient lost b/c other trained surgeons were present at the time :mad: Only the "chief" had stepped out).
Many times, families put themselves through SO much extraneous trauma in the hopes of cashing in. No amount of money will re-generate one's limb, or resurrect one from the dead. And, 99% of cases I have seen are adjudicated in favor of the defendant (e.g. medical team and/or physician.
I don't know what you possibly could be "reading in" :confused:. A signed contract implies informed consent. What is to "read in" to that?

from lexisnexis:

Veterinarians can carry Veterinarians' Professional Liability Insurance, which functions substantially similarly to malpractice insurance. Veterinarian's Professional Liability covers acts, errors and omissions while legally responsible to render professional services as a veterinarian or veterinary technician.
In general, this coverage is endorsed onto a business owner's policy (BOP) or onto a commercial general liability policy (CGL), however it can also be written monoline. When not covered on the BOP or CGL, an exclusion endorsement is often added to exclude property damage to animals under the care of the insured. Remember, in most jurisdictions animals are still treated as the property of the owner and claims are settled as such.




Veterinarians also often purchase an "animal floater" which covers the cost of any animal that dies from a covered cause of loss (usually anything but disease or natural causes) while in the care, custody or control of the insured. For this coverage to be triggered, negligence by the insured does not have to be established, and it also covers theft of animals. It is considered a bailee coverage, similar to the coverage available and liability incurred by a parking garage, dry cleaner, or any service business which takes care, custody or control of another's property. The amount paid under this coverage is the replacement cost of the animal, or what it would cost to purchase, adopt, or acquire an animal of similar characteristics including breed.


Mark Walters, ARM AAI
West Insurance Group

What infuriates me is the lack of compassion present in most courts on the negligent death of an animal. Since animals are deemed property, damages in such lawsuits typically involve the loss of monetary value of a pet--there is no value placed on the emotional loss :mad::mad:Unless you have a valuable breeding, show, or competitive animal you will frequently have a difficult time finding an attorney taking the case on a contingency basis as the amount of time expended would exceed any damages recovered. You were very lucky if an attorney has, indeed, been retained :thumbup: The good news is that a few states emotional loss has been recognized :thumbup:

Other things to consider are small claims court (leaving you with less monetary relief but can be brought without an attorney. You should also file a complaint with the state veterinary licensing board( or, Canadian equivalence). While this will not necessarily bring you money, it may result in a fine or suspension of the vet if a violation is found. Lastly, (although also limited in monetary relief) you may be able to negotiate a settlement directly with the vet; a veterinarian may be willing to reduce or forget the bill.

I promise to you, this will be my last post on this issue. The reason it irks me, I guess, is because it is so-oo closely related to my occupation & graduate thesis. I also value, respect, and champion animal rights.
Your sweet Lexie, my girl Casey, and all of our wonderful lost pets are playing somewhere together, looking down on our nonsense :animal-pa :aimeeyork :animal36