Family dog refused treatment from local veterinary hospital while giving birth
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A Pittsburgh family is searching for answers after going through what they're calling a traumatic experience at a local veterinarian hospital.
Vanessa Brown said her daughter's dog, Tootsie Roll, was turned away when they went to Avets in Monroeville seeking emergency care.
Brown said the French Bulldog was giving birth, but the pup was stillborn and breech. She says she found the nearest vet hospital in hopes to get her dog immediate treatment.
"They literally turned us away when they saw our Frenchie in distress having this stillborn puppy," Brown said.
She told KDKA that weeks prior, they took Tootsie Roll to their regular vet, who told them the dog was having a pseudopregnancy.
Brown said that's when a dog can develop signs of pregnancy but isn't really pregnant.
But last Thursday, Brown said Tootsie Roll started giving birth.
"We thought she had an accident, and here she was delivering a puppy," Brown said.
She said the dog was bleeding, and the pup was stuck with its legs hanging out of her.
"They saw it. Witnessed it and still turned her away. They said, 'No, we can't do it.'" Brown said.
According to the Avets website, it is an emergency trauma center that accepts all levels of emergency cases, including if a pet is having difficulty giving birth.
Brown said, instead, the vet recommended another animal hospital for them to go to.
They then rushed to a vet in North Hills.
"Once we got there, and they physically saw our French Bulldog, they grabbed her and ran to the back. They removed the deceased puppy and then began to treat our French Bulldog," Brown said.
Brown said Tootsie Roll is recovering, but questioned why they were turned away. She said she wants to warn others about her experience.
"I hope that I can help someone else. If they're in the distress that we were in, I don't want anyone to have to lose a puppy as close as we almost lost one," Brown said.
KDKA reached out to Avets to ask why the family was turned away. They sent us this statement:
"Patient wellbeing is always our No. 1 priority. At times, our hospital may reach capacity as we are attending to critical patients that are currently hospitalized. In these instances, in the best interest of the patient, we may need to advise pet owners to seek treatment at another nearby veterinary hospital for expedited care. We didn't treat this pet at our hospital, so we cannot comment on the status of the patient."
