A woman who thought she had paid for her dog to be euthanized has been surprised to find out that her dog was kept alive for five months after the procedure.
New Jersey woman Keri Levy says that she made the difficult decision to put down the miniature pinscher she had owned for 15 years, but was astonished to receive an anonymous tip five months later that her pup was still alive.
“It broke my heart in a way like my heart has never been broken,” Ms Levy told ABC News.
A member of the tech crew at the Briarwood Veterinary hospital, where Ms Levy paid $192 for her dog’s cremation, reportedly decided that they didn’t think the dog should be euthanized, and instead took the animal home. In the five months that followed, however, the pooch received no further treatment, allowing the dog’s bones and muscle mass to deteriorate.
When Ms Levy found out that her dog was alive, he was badly emaciated.
The veterinary hospital confirmed to The Independent that the employee and vet who decided not to follow through on the euthanasia are no longer employed there. They declined further comment, however.
"It's hard enough when you have to decide when a pet should pass, but then to deal with that twice for the same pet, it's just unthinkable," Dr Maureen Kubisz, a veterinarian who works under the new management at the veterinarian hospital, said.
Police are looking into potential theft charges, since the doctor took money, and then did not perform the procedure promised.
