The dog, Riley, had begun labor and was taken into the clinic for a cesarean section delivery. After the section was complete the Vet informed the client that Riley had a small tear in her uterine wall and therefore he was not going to be able to administer any oxytocin due to the risk of putting pressure on the internal stitches (oxytocin contracts the uturious and forces any remaining afterbirth to be expelled). What the doctor did not inform the client is that he had closed the incision with fully intact afterbirth still inside Riley.

If a canine does not pass afterbirth following the delivery of each puppy then they will develop an infection and die. This is common knowledge; if there are four puppies then there must be four afterbirths. It was especially important to ensure all afterbirths were removed in this instance because of the tear in her uterine wall. That tear would enable the infection to seep out and spread beyond the uturious. Since the vet knew he could not safely administer oxytocin it should have been an even greater priority.

The removal of afterbirth is a routine procedure and leaving one inside is nothing more than an incredible display of negligence and incompetence

This monumental mistake resulted in a listless and agonizing Riley that had a raging temperature of 105, less than twelve hours after she was released from surgery. As soon as her owner noticed the protrusion of afterbirth from the vulva they quickly rushed her back to the clinic.

When they returned for emergency care the staff was rude, dismissive, condescending, and unsympathetic. They admitted no wrong doing and were preoccupied with covering and shifting blame as opposed to rectifying a blatant mistake. They tried to charge the customer even more money to provide additional follow up care to the dog, even though Riley was in her current ailing condition due to their obvious error. Refusing to pay for their mistakes and not being comfortable with leaving Riley in the hands of the same people whose carelessness nearly killed her just hours before they made the decision to take Riley elsewhere for more competent care The staff made it clear that they were not interested in working to resolve the issue.

Mistakes are understandable, unfortunate, but understandable nonetheless. But, blatant refusals to acknowledge those mistakes and remedy them, now that's a different story.

I have no idea how things will turn out for poor Riley, I do not know if she will live or die. If she does survive, the ramifications this may have on her reproductive system will remain unknown without invasive and costly examinations.

Now, 72 hours following the incident and after numerous phone calls and office visits the clinic is now backtracking, saying the afterbirth was left in intentionally. Yet, somehow it is NOT noted in any of her charts, NEVER mentioned to Riley's owner, and the vets NEVER prescribed any antibiotics (All standard procedure, if such a decision was made). The owner should have been made aware along with the patients chart updated, so the owner could stay vigilant and watch for the afterbirth to pass on its on so if it didn't (within a reasonable amount of time) they could seek veterinary care.

This botched C-section cost $1,477.00. The clinic will not admit any wrong doing and will not refund any of the money. The clinic refuses to have a face-to-face meeting with Riley's owner, saying the incident does not merit it. Please Beware of this dishonest and dangerous vet clinic.