Couple heartbroken after dog mistakenly euthanized during vet visit
A devastated couple have shared their heartbreak after their beloved pet dog was mistakenly euthanized by their vet.
Cody and Amy Zylks are now struggling to come to terms with the loss of their dog Lilly so soon after the death of their other dog Remy, who recently passed away at 16.
The couple, from Utah, made plans to take their older dog to Southern Utah Animal Hospital to be cremated, and decided to book their other pet Lilly in for an allergy shot while they were there.
However, a routine appointment turned into utter devastation when the vet mistakenly administered a euthanasia shot instead of the allergy shot.
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The vet has since apologized for the horrific mistake, revealing that a cat was booked into the euthanized at the same time as Lilly's appointments and the two had gotten mixed up.
Speaking to News Channel 8, Cody recalled the moment he noticed things were going wrong when Lilly began to go limp following the shot.
When Cody questioned what was happening, the vet informed him it had been a euthanasia shot, prompting him to completely break down.
He said: "I fell to the floor because I just couldn’t believe that they euthanized the dog, and I was very upset, and I started to yell and I just said, ‘Why did you euthanize the dog? That was supposed to be an allergy shot!'"
While you might expect the vet to be horrified by the blunder, Cody says he was very cold and simply told him: "Well, we can't fix it now, we can just buy you a new dog."
The pet owner continued: "And I just told him ‘I don’t want a new dog. I don’t want a replacement. You can’t replace the dog that you took from me.'
"That is my baby, and you just, you can’t do that, and I was just in disbelief that something that tragic and something that important was overlooked."
Amy said she later received a call from the vet apologizing for the mistake, but revealed his apology sounded more like he'd 'ruined our shirt, not just took our dog'.
Dr Zachary Francisco, who administered the fatal shot, has since released a statement explaining the reason behind the error.
"My technician approached me an told me there was a euthanasia to be performed. At the time, I was currently in surgery and told my technician I would come up front after I had completed the surgery," he said in the statement.
Around 20 minutes later, Francisco claims he went into the examination room and asked Cody if he was ready to proceed or whether he wanted more time.
He says when Cody said he was ready, the technician took Lilly from him and placed her on the table.
"I stated 'you are welcome to be up here at the table with us as we do this if you would like,' and he did not respond," the statement continues.
"I proceeded with the euthanasia. It was only after the euthanasia was completed that he stated we were supposed to only be giving an allergy injection not a euthanasia."
The vet went on to admit that 'a major error occurred,' before offering his 'sincerest apologies' to the family.
Cody and Amy are now forced to come to terms with the loss of both their beloved dogs in quick succession.
"To hear that news, you just go numb. And it’s just, it’s surreal," Amy said. "It’s like, no, this can’t be happening. I just lost one baby. I can’t be losing another."
The couple are now considering taking legal action against the animal hospital to ensure a mistake like this never happens again.
Emma Rosemurgey