A Utah family is coping with losing their dog after a vet reportedly euthanized him by mistake.

Andrea Martinez took to Facebook to share the devastating story on Monday, writing that the family took their pet dachshund Ziggy to the emergency room after “his breathing got weird.”

The emergency vet recommended surgery for Ziggy, which the family agreed to, Martinez said.

While the pup was undergoing the invasive procedure, the vet realized it was going to be “a lot more work and money than they expected” and called to get permission from the family to continue with the surgery or “go ahead and lay him down.”

However, Martinez claims she never received that call.

“But they didn’t call me,” Martinez shared in the post. “[T]hey called another [dog’s] mom thinking it was me, and she said no to go ahead and lay him down.”

Martinez did not find out her dog had been euthanized until someone from the vet’s office called later to tell her Ziggy had been put down. She said that when she “freaked out,” the vet realized “they called the wrong person the first time.”

“Then he got back on [the phone] and he apologized and said, ‘I’m so sorry that this happened, we got confused and ended up calling another dog’s mom,’” Martinez told KUTV. According to the vet, there was another dog named Ziggy, and the vet initially contacted that Ziggy’s family.

According to Martinez, she said she would have never agreed to let her dog go “without trying more” and blames the vet for “rob[bing] me the choice of saying ‘at least we tried.’”

Since finding out the heartbreaking news, Martinez has said she “can’t stop crying” and doesn’t know how to break it to her 6-year-old that “her best friend died.”

“Ziggy followed me EVERYWHERE and cuddled me every single night. He made my anxiety bearable. I feel so sick that this happened,” she wrote on Facebook.

The name of the vet in Davis County was not shared, but according to KUTV, they apologized for the unfortunate incident and waived the bill, as well as gifted the family an urn, plaque and Christmas ornament with Ziggy’s paw print.

Though with Ziggy’s condition during the surgery, there is no guarantee he would have made it through if they continued trying, per KUTV. However, that does little to help Martinez cope.

“This whole thing seriously makes me so sick to my stomach,” she said.

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With its legalization in various states across the United States, marijuana is becoming very common in households for medicinal purposes. In fact, over the past 6 years, Pet Poison Helpline has experienced a 448% increase in marijuana cases. Here’s what you should know about marijuana ingestion in pets.

Marijuana or Cannabis sativa/Cannabis indica is used for recreational drug use and for medicinal purposes. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are the two most commonly recognized, utilized, and studied cannabinoids although there are over 80 different cannabinoids in marijuana plants.  The primary difference between the two is that THC causes psychotropic effects and has a moderate level of toxicity while CBD is non-psychotropic and is felt by many investigators to be non-toxic or have limited toxicity. The exact amount of each cannabinoid varies widely from strain to strain and plant to plant.

Cannabidiol is thought to have the following properties:  anxiolytic, antipsychotic, antiemetic, anti-seizure, and anti-inflammatory. Medically, THC is used in attempt to alleviate muscle spasms caused by multiple sclerosis, nausea from chemotherapy, weight loss in AIDS patients, seizure disorders and Crohn’s disease. Tetrahydrocannabinol is also used recreationally for its psychotropic effects.

Animals can be poisoned by marijuana in different ways. They can ingest marijuana edibles such as brownies or pot butter, ingest the owner’s supply of marijuana (in any formulation), or by second hand smoke. Common symptoms of marijuana toxicity include sedation/lethargy, dilated pupils or glassed over eyes, dazed expression, difficulty walking and vomiting. Other symptoms can include either a low or high heart rate, vocalization such as whining or crying, agitation, trouble regulating temperature causing the body temperature to drop or rise and incontinence/dribbling urine, tremors, seizures and potentially coma. Signs of toxicity can be seen anywhere from 5 minutes to 12 hours after the animal is exposed to marijuana. The signs can potentially last 30 minutes to several days depending on the dose ingested.

Although there is no true antidote for marijuana, veterinarians can give supportive care to help the pet through the clinical signs. Vets can regulate the temperature of the animal to ensure they aren’t too hot or cold and give fluids to help maintain hydration. They can give anti-vomiting medication to help stop fluid loss and closely monitor the animal’s heart rate to ensure that it is stable. Due to the animal having trouble walking and potentially injuring itself, the clinic staff can help keep the pet comfortable and confined so they won’t be injured. In a lot of cases, a veterinarian may give activated charcoal. This is a liquid that the animal drinks or is given that can help bind the toxin in the stomach or intestines to the charcoal and prevent absorption into the body.

Animals normally do well with supportive care, however large ingestions of marijuana can be dangerous. Common problems with diagnosing and treating marijuana cases in the veterinary clinic are due to incomplete history which could be due to drug stigma, the owners on vacation, pharmaceutical products or worries about legal repercussions. It is important to get a complete history and reassure owners that the clinic is only interested in providing appropriate medical care for their pet.  Accurate and complete medical history is imperative so that only necessary treatments are provided and prevent unnecessary treatments and costs.

With marijuana being legalized in many different states, there has been an increase since last year with many additional cases of poisonings reported. Getting accurate medical history is important in treating pets appropriately and without unnecessary treatments. Some tips for helping prevent toxicity include placing marijuana edibles well out of reach of the pet in closed high cabinets or in a locked drawer when not in use. If marijuana is being smoked, the pet should be kept in a separate area with good ventilation until the smoke has cleared. This will help prevent many of the marijuana poisonings from occurring.

If you find yourself in a medical emergency, call your veterinarian or Pet Poison Helpline at 800-213-6680. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week even on holidays to help with pet poison emergencies.

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June 12, 2019

There was a time when the mention of the two high-end dog breeders came with a shower of praise and admiration.

The New Jersey couple at the helm of Rocky Ridge Russells kennel could proudly boast of dozens of American Kennel Club winners and a 2009 Westminster Kennel Club best in breed champion. 

But neighbors near their farm in rural Stockton, N.J., had warned of a far less illustrious operation. And on Tuesday, the authorities revealed the scope of the kennel’s troubling truth: Nearly 200 unkempt dogs — some of them pregnant and many that appeared visibly sick — were removed from the home on County Route 519.

A “small number” of dogs were found dead on the 10-acre farm, according to an animal welfare official involved in the rescue.

The Hunterdon County prosecutor’s office has begun an animal cruelty investigation and the authorities said charges were pending against the homeowners. 

“It all just got out of hand,” said Martin Strozeski, one of the breeders who lived at the home with his companion and business partner, Marcia Knoster, 70.

“This wasn’t backyard breeding,” he added. “Things just went sideways.”

At about 8 a.m. on Tuesday, a coalition of animal welfare and law enforcement agencies — including the prosecutor’s office, the State Police, St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center and the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals — descended on the property.

Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

A decade ago, Rocky Ridge was a well-known and respected kennel. In 2009, a Parson Russell Terrier bred by Ms. Knoster (“Keenan”) would win best in breed at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, the world’s oldest and perhaps most respected breed competition. The victory made Keenan the No. 2 Parson Russell Terrier in the United States.

Yet even amid that victory, the financial crisis of 2008 had already begun to spell doom for Rocky Ridge, Mr. Strozeski said.

“The economy fell out,” he said. “We were in the process of breeding. We were putting people on waiting lists. Then all of a sudden the economy crashed and all of the people just went away.” 

The lack of interest in terriers created an overflow of dogs, Mr. Strozeski said. Over time, a couple dozen terriers grew to nearly 50. Then 100. Then 150. 

“We couldn’t give them away,” Mr. Strozeski said. “It was a hobby turned bad.”

Mr. Strozeski said the dead dogs were “in the process of being buried.”

Some of the rescued dogs were pregnant. Others were suffering from physical wounds, skin conditions and external parasites. Nearly all were scruffy, covered in dirt and showing signs of physical neglect, according to officials with St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center. 

As news of the rescue spread, many social media users reacted with anger and sadness and accused the owners of being hoarders.

Mr. Strozeski admitted to being partially responsible for the poor upkeep of the animals, but said the media reports of the rescue had grossly exaggerated the dogs’ living conditions. 

“They weren’t well cared for, but they had their primary needs — food and water, and I changed their bed everyday,” he said. “I was spending 12 hours a day with these dogs.” 

A lawyer for the couple, Dante DiPirro, did not return calls for comment. 

Nora Parker, who works with St. Hubert’s, said the dogs were in neither optimal nor life-threatening conditions. 

“No dogs needed emergency care or were in dire straits,” she said. “They appeared, most of them, to be well fed. But that’s not all a dog needs. They need space and socialization and human contact, and it appeared they were not getting enough of that.” 

Most of the dogs are being temporarily housed at St. Hubert’s and are being treated by a staff of veterinarians and behavioral therapists, Ms. Parker said. They will be restored to full health before being placed for adoption, which for some dogs could come as early as next week.

Officials with the Westminster Kennel Club would not comment on Ms. Knoster or Mr. Strozeski directly, but they released a statement expressing sadness at the Rocky Ridge rescue. 

“Supporting and promoting responsible dog breeding and ownership has been a key core value of the Westminster Kennel Club for over 140 years,” the statement read. “We are saddened to learn of this unfortunate situation and are grateful for the care being provided to the affected dogs.”

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