The lawsuit also states the hospital administered a drug to the dog that its medical
history showed it could not tolerate.
The hospital failed to "adequately review the dog's medical history, prior to surgery,
resulting in the administration of a drug, Acepromazine, to which the dog had a history of adverse reactions, including seizures,"
the lawsuit says.
The dog, which had surgery at the hospital on Oct. 21, 2005, died there in the middle
of the night on Oct. 22, 2005.
According to the lawsuit, the hospital promised Kaczala that it would have an around-the-clock
veterinary technician to care for her pet, in addition to having a doctor on call after hours. However, the dog was not provided
around-the-clock care by a veterinary technician, nor was a technician present at the facility at all times, according to
the lawsuit.
"Additionally, a doctor was not called in to assist the pet prior to its death
late in the evening of Oct. 21, 2005, and in the early morning hours of Oct. 22, 2005," the lawsuit says.
To date, Sylvania Veterinary Hospital, on its Web site, lists 24/7 services as a reason
to bring a pet there.
"If your pet is boarded or hospitalized, isn't it great to know that it is never
alone," the Web site states. "No other pet caregiver in NW OHio can make this claim."
In addition, the lawsuit alleges the hospital administered a separate drug,
Domitor, "in a manner which a veterinarian of ordinary skill, care and dilligence would not have administered," and that it
failed to administer Antisedan, a drug that specifically reverses the adverse reactions of Domitor.
Kaczala, reached at home, said she had taken the dog to the hospital for the
first time on Oct. 19, 2005, for surgery because the facility advertises 24/7 care and a veterinarian on call for emergencies
- services her regular veterinarian did not provide.
Kaczala said she filed the lawsuit because the hospital "should have been more
careful" with her dog.
"The Sylvania Veterinary Hospital was sloppy," said Kaczala. "Mattie was special.
She deserved better care."
Kaczala, who paid the hospital $1,682.57, is seeking compensatory damages, as
well as pre-and post-judgment interest and costs, according to the lawsuit.
Dr. Robert Esplin, owner of the hospital, did not comment on the lawsuit.
This article appeared in the Sylvania News Herald.
