My husband and I took our 4yr old dog Jasmine to Kennel Klub on HW6 in Houston on Fri 8/3/2012 because we were going out of state for a week. On wed 8/9/2012 I received a call saying Jasmine was having an allergic reaction and needed medical attention. When I asked what happened a Kennel staff member said they had taken her for a walk and when they went back to her kennel she was laying out on the floor with no movement so they hosed her down but shes not getting better. I directed them to take her to Banfield because that is where Jasmine med records are. 10min later Banfield calls saying Jasmine was none responsive and had blisters and bruising around her mouth and paws. It seemed she was suffering from a heat stroke and they needed to put her on IV as soon as possible. I called the Kennel, a lady (I think her name was Mary) tells me she is giving her personal credit card to cover the fee for the IV. I told her the vet said it looked like heat stroke and I asked about the blisters. She tells me "I do not know why they said that they need to keep there mouth shut because they do not know what they are talking about Jasmine must have just had an allergic reaction to something". I asked her what chemical could have given her a reaction and she tells me she is not sure what she was allergic to but it was not heat stroke. I called the vet several times through out the day for updates and they told me Jasmine was getting better but they needed to monitor her and would be keeping her until 6pm. I called the kennel to see if they had figured out what happened and spoke with another lady I think her name was Lesly and told her what the co-worker had said about the allergic reaction. Lesly said it was miss information Jasmine did not have an allergic reaction she just overheated but she was not sure of the details or why she had overheated in an air conditioned facility and that I would need to speak to the person who found her. She said she would have them call me to explain (no one ever did). Then she tells me I need to pick her up at 6pm because Jasmine needs to go home to rest. I reminded her that I was out of town and had no one to pick her up that was why she was at the kennel in the first place. At 5pm I called the vet and they said Jasmine was off the IV and was drinking water but they had not heard from the Kennel on who would be picking her up. When I called the Kennel I asked to speak with a manager and was told they were out of town until Monday but would make sure someone picks up Jasmine and take very good care of her. The next day Friday I call and I am told Jasmine is 100% better.
I got back in town on Sat Aug. 11, 2012 at 9:50am. As soon as we landed we called the kennel and spoke to manager Mike. My husband asked him to explain what happened. He says he does not know what happened but it was his understanding she overheated herself. He stated "I see this all the time where dogs are in a different environment and they work themselves up". We told him the vet said it was a heat stroke. He responded that he would have to contact the vet but he did not believe that to be the case. Before we went to the Kennel to pick up Jasmine we decided to go straight to Banfield and speak with someone who might be able to tell me what actually happened. The staff member who had checked Jasmine said a Kennel staff member had carried Jasmine in because she was severely lethargic. She was none responsive and her condition was critical. They rushed to put her on IV and do a blood panel. Jasmine WBC was severely low, her MCHC was low, her PHOS was abnormal and her urine ph was high. This meant her body was in full shock and she was dangerously dehydrated. She had blisters and bruising around her nose, mouth and paws but there was no way to identify what had caused it and no one who brought her knew why she had it. Once they administered the IV Jasmine began throwing up and had diarrhea. Jasmine was there until after 6pm. She was turned over to a staff member at the Kennel Klub with antibiotics to take 1 a day for the next 7 days starting that night. She also stated the next day the lady with the credit card had mentioned Jasmine had to spend the night at someones home.
When I get to the Kennel there was three staff members sitting at the front desk conversation. I announced who I was and directed me to the man a Mike.We asked if he had spoke to the vet. He seemed very unconcerned and said he had not called the vet because he was waiting for someone to give him the phone number. I handed him the report I had picked up from vet and I ask them to explain why my dog had a heat stroke and was dehydrated when she is supposed to be in an air conditioning facility. They responded that they took very good care of Jasmine. Mike tells me "It was not heat stroke she over heated because she is over weight." I asked why Jasmine was outside for 30min when it was clearly hot ( according to weather report it was 97degrees outside). A lady says that is normal they have to leave them out there while they clean the Kennel. I told her that earlier that day I had my mother call and find out what was the normal time and a staff member stated "we leave the pets in an outside kennel for 10 to 15 min the most while we clean up there kennels inside". When they bring Jasmine from the back she is clearly limping her head is down and she did not seem like herself at all. I asked the staff why she was limping and they tell me "It is because she was laying on the floor in our office." I called Jasmine over and it seemed she was struggling with every step. I looked at Jasmine's face her eyes were red and around her mouth was this crust of blister and she had these black spots on her belly. Then a lady states" I do not know why your upset its not like Jasmine died" "at least we took her to the emergency room and we payed" I was livid. I asked for Jasmine's antibiotics and left. When I asked when the last time her antibiotics were given I was told they had given her one that morning. I asked why there were still 6pills in the bottle when the instructions clearly state one a day beginning on 8/9 it was already 8/11 in 3 days they had only administered one pill. She said she did not know but she herself gave Jasmine one that morning.
I took Jasmine directly to the Banfield that had seen her during her stroke. I asked if the vet can take a minute to look at her. While speaking to the vet he stated in his professional opinion her heat stroke was not due to overweight and the bruising and blisters were difficult to say who or what had caused them but that when she left wed she was certainly not limping. He asked to keep her for observation because he was concerned about her lameness and the spots on her skin. Jasmine stayed at the vet until 6pm. When I picked her up I was informed the doctor suggested inflammatory medicine twice a day for the leg and minimal movement. A special shampoo to bath her with twice a week for her skin and to bring her back next week for a follow up.
