Singapore

Couple euthanise sick dog, only to realise hospital issued wrong medication; AVS investigating


SINGAPORE – A couple euthanised their long-term companion to put an end to the dog’s months-long struggle with illness in its old age.

But their sorrow deepened when they realised days after their dog’s death on Jan 7 that he was handed the wrong medication by the hospital that was meant to treat heart failure for another dog named “Romeo”.

The couple’s dog was named Ah Bee and had taken these pills for two days, said Ah Bee’s owner, aesthetics doctor Donna Chow. She said the dog was a 12-year-old miniature schnauzer who suffered from an eye disease and kidney failure.

“The whole thing was very regretful,” Dr Chow, 41, told The Straits Times on Jan 18. “We were grieved beyond words about the medical negligence that has occurred and at the same time, guilty that we were part of it.”

Dr Chow and her husband, Mr Shaun Koh, 44, lodged a complaint to the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) and Mount Pleasant Veterinary Group (MPVG), which treated Ah Bee in its hospital at Jalan Gelenggang.

Both organisations said in separate statements that investigations into the incident are underway and that they were in contact with the dog’s owners.

AVS group director Jessica Kwok said in a statement: “AVS will investigate allegations of professional misconduct, negligence, and contravention of the Code of Ethics for Veterinarians. Enforcement action will be taken where appropriate.”

When contacted, MPVG field director Bessy Chua said: “We are taking steps to ensure our existing rigorous protocols for prescribing and dispensing medications are upheld to prevent errors.”

She added: “What we can confirm is that we have no reason to believe pimobendan had an adverse impact on his (the dog’s) health or outcome.”

Pimobendan is a medication used to treat dogs with heart failure, according to vet publication VCA Animal Hospitals. It stated that common side effects include decreased appetite or diarrhoea, and these can last longer in pets with kidney disease.

Dr Chow said that Ah Bee’s health worsened after a surgery last May to treat his poor vision in his old age. He later developed kidney failure and internal bleeding and in December, the couple were told Ah Bee had only months left to live.

Following a discussion with the vet, Mr Koh made the call to euthanise Ah Bee to end his suffering as the dog became lethargic, refused to eat, kept vomiting and had bloody diarrhoea.

But as Dr Chow cleared Ah Bee’s medications the next morning, she noticed pimobendan tablets labelled for another dog. A photo of the delivery instructions showed the dog – Romeo – was to be fed half a tablet twice daily – a total of 5mg.



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