DAVIS COUNTY, Utah – A family in Utah is devastated after a veterinarian mistakenly euthanized their dog.
KUTV reports that the Martinez family took their dog Ziggy to the veterinarian when he began having breathing problems and difficulty keeping food down. They were told he’d need surgery, which they agreed to despite the cost.
“He was our baby, it was my daughter’s best friend, my dog’s best friend, it was ours,” Andrea Martinez told KUTV. “Money wasn’t an issue.”
They left Ziggy for the night and were told they would be called after his surgery. At 2:30 a.m., the hospital called and told them Ziggy passed away.
“He kept beating around the bush about it, but he was saying it like I should’ve known,” said Martinez. “’Then he got back on there and he apologized and said, ‘I’m so sorry that this happened, we got confused and ended up calling another dog’s mom.’”
KUTV reports that during Ziggy’s surgery, the veterinarian realized the procedure would be more expensive than originally thought, so the office called who they thought was Ziggy’s owner. It was the owner of another dog named Ziggy. That person told the office to let the dog go.
“I just wish we would’ve had the say, I wish we would’ve been able to say we tried everything that we could have,” said Martinez.
The veterinarian’s office has been very apologetic, she said. It waived the family’s bill, gave them an urn and a plaque and a Christmas ornament with Ziggy’s paw print.
KUTV was unable to reach the veterinarian for comment.