A Utah family is dealing with the emotional aftermath of losing their Beloved pup, Ziggy. After being rushed to emergency surgery with an intestinal blockage, the veterinary office made a devastating mistake.
Ziggy’s family became concerned when the dachshund puppy began to experience difficulty breathing, along with the inability to keep his food or water down. They rushed their furry companion to the emergency vet closest to their home, where they learned that he would need emergency surgery.
Ziggy had an intestinal blockage that was a result of eating something he shouldn’t have. This is a common medical problem in the dog world, with dogs being so keen to grab just about everything they can. In cases like these, dogs will need to have the blockage surgically removed before the intestines are severely impacted, or the result is often death. With this critical prognosis, the Martinez family agreed to do whatever it took to help save Ziggy.
During the surgery, the veterinarian found Ziggy’s situation to be much more severe than it had originally appeared on X-ray. His intestines had been significantly damaged, and the procedure would be much more extensive. Due to high complication rate of a procedure like this, the veterinarian made the decision to call the family to give them the choice of proceeding or putting Ziggy to sleep.
The veterinary staff reached out to Ziggy’s family to ask them the difficult question, where the family then made the choice to go ahead and let him go instead of going forward with the surgery. Hours later, the awful truth came to light.
The staff at the clinic hadn’t contacted the Martinez family at all, but instead accidentally called the owners of another sick dog named Ziggy in the hospital. They had gotten permission to euthanize Ziggy Martinez, but from the wrong owner.
“They were still in the middle of surgery when they called the other person asking, ‘it’s going to be more expensive, it’s going to be a more extended surgery, do you want to continue it or do you want to let him go?’ They chose to let him go.” – Andrea Martinez
Though the Martinez family understands that Ziggy’s prognosis was poor, they of course would have liked to have made the decision on their own. They would have chosen to proceed with the surgery, and they just wish they had that opportunity.
The veterinary office has been extremely apologetic in the aftermath of this awful mistake. They have since covered the entire bill, ordered him a special urn for his ashes, and gifted them with a Christmas ornament in Ziggy’s honor. The Martinez family has chosen not to sue the hospital, as they realize that this was a grave mistake, and the clinic taking the steps to make sure something like this never happens again.
“Thank you everyone for your kind words and prayers! We really do appreciate it and feel the love. I have chosen to not mention the Vets name and to not sue because it was a honest mistake, they owned it, and are taking steps to make things okay. Ziggy was really sick and from the sounds of it I’m not sure he would’ve even made it after all said and done. I do wish we would’ve had to chance to find out though but life happens and we have to learn to adjust and learn and grow from it. I will forever miss him but at least I know he’s not in pain anymore.” – Andrea Martinez
We are sending all our love to the Martinez family, and hope they are able to find comfort during this difficult time.
H/T: fox8.com
Image Source: AndreaMartinez/Facebook
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