To Be Sad or Mad?

There's no easy way to break this news. Do you remember Lucy, the parvo dog the staff saved with help from the Flake's Fund? Well, she is dead, and I'm really, really angry about it. My staff is just devastated, and I can't blame them. It seems her adopted owner, the one we thought we were doing such a nice, generous thing for by donating over $600 of medical care when she claimed poverty on a newly adopted shelter dog, got frustrated by Lucy's "ongoing medical issues." We saw Lucy for a recheck and booster vaccines a couple of weeks after her hospital stay and found she had some warty growths on her lips and tongue. These were most likely due to a papilloma virus of dogs, probably contagious to other dogs but not transmittable to humans. I "treated" this problem by crushing a few of the largest growths, making them bleed a little, thus exposing the warts to Lucy's bloodstream. This would theoretically allow antibodies to develop against the virus and is often all that is needed to "cure" the problem; no costly diagnostics or treatment regimens are necessary. In a phone call a few days later to check up on that situation, the owner told us she gave Lucy to her brother and his family, who were a better match for her personality. That was a little hard to stomach, but OK, whatever was best for the dog. In reality, she took her to the local humane society and Lucy was euthanized for whatever reason. We do not know what the owner's situation was, if she was embarrassed or inconvenienced or why she didn't contact us when she decided she didn't want or couldn't keep Lucy any longer. We very likely would have gone the distance again and tried to find her a good home, especially with her history with us. She was a very sweet dog, a little shy, but who could blame her? My staff is in shock about the news, not understanding how their good deeds could be so unappreciated or taken so lightly. It will probably make them a little gun shy about extending those gifts in the future, and that is a shame. My hospital manager wrote a pretty heated letter to Lucy's owner; I asked her to sit on it for a few days and rewrite it when she wasn't necessarily in the height of emotions. I do agree she should send something to inform this woman what our perceptions are and how much the entire staff was hurt by her actions. Maybe we aren't the right veterinary team for this family; trust and teamwork have to go both ways. Rest in peace, Lucy.
Peace,
DrReneigh