.jpg?width=1200&auto=webp&trim=0,0,0,0#)
Vet said my dog was riddled with infection & should be PUT DOWN… but they failed to spot obvious blunder
VETS allegedly told a distraught dog owner her beloved Pomeranian was riddled with infection and beyond saving – after they failed to spot a lump of chicken stuck in her throat.
Sadaf Jaffari, 41, took her five-year-old dog Lala to her vets because she was struggling to breathe and after taking an X-ray thought she had an airway blockage and sent her for expert treatment.
After a pet ambulance whisked the pooch to top animal hospital medics at Queen Mother Hospital for Animals, in Hertfordshire, Sadaf says they insisted there was actually “no hope” and that Lala was at death’s door, suffering a full lung collapse and pneumonia.
Sadaf, a celebrity skincare expert, told the Sun on Sunday: “They thought the X-ray showed that she was in fact full of infection, that she had pneumonia and that her right lung had completely collapsed.
“They said there was no hope of survival and euthanasia was the only option. A doctor told me: ‘Why waste your money? You’re better off putting her down. She’s going to die.’
“They hadn’t X-rayed again, just hooked her up to machines, it was horrendous. Time and time again they told me to save my money and just put her down.”
But after refusing to condemn her precious pooch, a camera was finally fed down the tiny dog’s throat which dislodged a piece of chicken – allowing Lala to breathe on her own again.
The cost of the ordeal came to just under £6,000, including £3,850 for ICU care, £950 for ambulance transport, and £1,800 in vet fees.
Sadaf has made a formal complaint to the hospital.
She said: “I don’t plan legal action, but we deserve an apology. She isn’t just a dog, she’s my everything.
“Imagine if this were a child. You’d never just say, ‘They’re going to die so what’s the point in trying?’ So why is that okay for a dog?
“I don’t want any other pet owner to go through this. In my view, they took the easy option. All they cared about was getting me to agree to put her down.”
The drama unfolded earlier this month when Lala suddenly started choking at her home in Bushey, North London.
Sadaf rushed Lala to her usual vet, who did an X ray and suggested something was lodged in her airway and advised urgent care from specialists.
Lala, who was born with underdeveloped lungs, was transferred to the Queen Mother – among the world’s largest and most advanced vet hospitals in the world – but things quickly spiralled.
Sadaf said: “They injected her with general anaesthetic and hooked her up to oxygen while they took her to intensive care.
“After four hours, the doctor came out and said she could hardly breathe without being intubated.
“They said her chest had filled with bacteria and advised me to put her down.
“I said the money didn’t matter – we’ve got good insurance – and to do whatever it costs.”
But she claims the vet coldly responded: “Why do you want to waste your money? This dog is going to die.”
Sadaf said the hospital failed to perform its own X-rays which would have quickly revealed the blockage and prevented Lala from taking needless high-dose antibiotics and having her coat shaved.
She added: “I said over and over again: ‘There’s something in her throat. Please just look.’
“If they’d listened to me from the start, she would have been home the same night.”
After becoming increasingly frustrated, Sadaf demanded the hospital undertake fresh scans.
SHADOW ON X-RAYS
When a student medic picked up the X-rays sent the previous day by Lala’s vet, they noticed a shadow in the dog’s airway.
Almost 24 hours after Lala was admitted, a CT scan was then performed which revealed Lala’s lodged lunch.
The chicken was dislodged when a camera was then inserted and Lala began to breathe again.
Sadaf said: “They were insistent for 48 hours that I needed to put her down, and all that time there was a bit of chicken in her throat.
“I went to pick her up – she was bruised, her legs were blue from all the wires and tubes.
“All of it could have been avoided had they properly looked at the X-ray that was sent by the vet in the first place.”
Despite the trauma, Lala is now recovering and back by Sadaf’s side at her aesthetic clinic in Chelsea, West London – where clients include Rebecca Vardy, her footy star husband Jamie, Love Island star turned presenter Olivia Attwood and Millie Mackintosh.
She said: “She’s so small but so brave. She’s been through hell and survived. She’s traumatised – but she’s alive. I’m just so glad that I trusted my instincts.
The Royal Veterinary College, which runs Queen Mother Hospital, said in a statement: “While we are unable to comment on individual cases, we take any concerns raised seriously and all feedback is thoroughly reviewed and investigated as required.
“We remain committed to delivering the best possible care for all our patients while supporting excellence and innovation in veterinary practice.”
