My Dog Died In A Hotel For Dogs.... (a Case Of Neglect)

[Amonik]

This is the first time to post in this forum. My husband and I are devastated with the death of our beloved dog, called Luna, a siberian husky of 7 years and 4 months old.

We went to our country for one month to visit our family. We left our healthy dog, on September 16, at WORLD PET ANGEL, a dog hotel located in Bangkok. It was not the first time that we leave her at that hotel, anyway, we gave them all the recommendations.

Unfortunately, she got her period a few days later.... and the first mistake of the hotel staff was that Luna mated with a dog, don’t know why that happened !!! The next day, without any notice to us, they took Luna to an Animal Hospital for mismating !!!!! There, they gave her one dose of a hormone injection (estradiol benzoate) used to avoid a pregnancy. Two days later, they gave her another dose…. Three days later, she started with vomiting and diarrhea and they didn’t took her to see a doctor !!!!!!! They took her the next morning, October 11, she was very depressed, couldn’t even walk! she had high fever, vomits and diarrhea, etc; the doctor gave her the right treatment but it was not enough, she died at 3:15 pm.

We realize the death of our dog on the same day, because the people of World Pet Angel called our friend (a thai lady) , and then she contact us, but the hotel owner never contacted us ! With her help, we order an autopsy, that was performed at Chulalungkorn University. The result showed that the cause of death was the result of a “Coagulopathy due to septicemia”.

We spoke with the doctor who did the autopsy and the doctor who treated Luna the day that she died, and when we asked them, they both agree that our dog was taken very late for treatment !!!! A Septicemia is an infection in blood by bacteria and they said that the infection could have been originated in the uterus and that those hormone injections may decrease her immune system to fight against bacteria….. They also said that there could have been VISIBLE SYMPTOMS about one week before septicemia occur...

There are no words to describe what that dog means to us, we are heartbroken, in absolute pain, we leave our healthy dog in a hotel and we received a death dog ! We could understand that these things can happen, but who is responsible for that ? We report the case to TSPCA but didn't got any answer yet. What else can we do ????? We would like that someone can listen to us and take some actions against this hotel and let the society know what happened to us, so that to avoid that things like that happen again.

Thanks for reading,

Andre

[MiG16]

hello Andre

dont have any practical help I can offer in terms of action against the pet hotel service but I hope the organisations you contacted will be able to help. what about people at Chula hospital? they might also be able to offer some advice, in terms of who to talk to etc?

but most of all I want to offer my condolences on the death of your dog. I know how hard that can be, as I also recently suffered the loss of our family dog that had been with us for 20 years.

my best wishes to you both, and also to Luna...may she rest in peace.

[John 1]

Andre,

Sorry to hear about your dog dying, my sympathy to you and your wife, it's sad it happened this way.

[Teatea]

So sorry about Luna...It is difficult to determine who is resposible for her death. I think it's depending on your arrangement with the pet hotel. I don't think they are competence. They should have a vet on premises. For me, I know now where I will not take my dogs to so thanks for the information. My first dog was killed by my neighbor's dog, and my husband almost shoot the neighbor's dog. I cried for a couple weeks.

[Scott]

My very deepest sympathies on your loss. It struck a cord in part because I once had a dog (many. many years ago) that died on October 11 (buried her on October 12).

[sylvafern]

This is such a terrible story and so sad. Unfortunately it's not the first story we've heard on this forum about the way animals have been mistreated and misdiagnosed by vets and animal carers. I'm sorry I can not offer anymore advice, but I do think if you feel up to pushing it you should be able to get some compensation out of them (e.g. money) While it does not bring your dog back, hopefully it will make them realise their mistake so that it does not happen to someone else's pet

(The reason I say you might be able to get compensation is a few months ago I took my dog to be groomed and he was severely cut on his leg and needed stitches as the dog groomer was untrained and did not know what she was doing. I managed to get them to give me 2000 baht so I could pay for vet's bills afterwards) Please let us know if you manage to get the TSPCA get involved and if there is anything they can do to help you.

[Amonik]

Thanks all of you who answer my message.

I didn't got any notice from TSPCA yet, I'll contact them soon.

Mig, sorry to hear about your family dog... it must be so sad after so many years of friendship. As for us, we contacted the people at Chula University but they didn't suggest what to do, they said that in Thailand, the "system is wrong".....

John, thanks for your kind words.

Teatea, yes, it's difficult to prove who is responsible for our dog's death, but the people from the hotel know that they made many mistakes..... and know they are very scared because they keep calling my husband's friend asking what we will do now....

Scott, I'm sorry for your loss too.

Sysvafern, what a terrible mistake from the people who groomed your dog.... It's been nearly two weeks since I sent a fax to TSPCA and there's no answer yet, I really don't expect so much...

Thanks again for your words. Regards,

Andrea

[November Rain]

Amonik,

Firstly I'm so sorry for your loss & for the terrible time you're going through. I wouldn't expect too much from the TSPCA, because there aren't many animal welfare laws in Thailand, so there's little they can do. Animals are regarded as "property" in Thailand, and your best way for getting compensation/an apology or what you feel you need to move on is to start thinking in the same way (although that will distress you.)

You need to go after this dog hotel the same as you would if someone wrecked your car or mislaid a diamond necklace you had put in for repair. I understand that you feel far worse than this, but in Thai law it is the same thing. Did you sign a contract with the dog hotel? Is there any written evidence of the care that they promise to give (a brochure, a sign displayed on the wall?) If you can prove that they were negligent in looking after your "property", you'll have a better chance of winning this.

[Amonik]

November Rain, thanks for your advice. Today I called TSPCA and they ask me what I would like to do.... they told me that they can't do anything against the dog hotel, that if they are responsible of her death, I have to inquire them and/or go to the police, nearly the same as you are telling me. Yes, you know what I want, but it's not possible, my dog has gone and we would like that place to be closed, but that can't be done since there's no law that protect customers.... very sad.

We just sign the check-in of the dog, leave them our e-mails, telephone number and the contact number of a thai friend who also called them once a week. We leave them a paper of recommendations like meal times, water, daily walking, etc. Anyway, if a dog got sick, it's their duty to take it to see a doctor at the right time. I don't have to remind them that. We already talk with the doctor who treated our dog and the doctor who did the autopsy and they both agree that our dog was taken too late for treatment. She died because of general infection.

I have no idea if we would get some answer if we report the case to the police....... The secretary of TSPCA mention something like "ZUE" to the hotel, what is ZUE ???

Thank you for your words,

Andre