PORTLAND, Ore. — A Portland family says DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital is to blame for the death of their beloved bulldog, Roscoe.
Roscoe was admitted to DoveLewis last Sunday for bladder issues. Stephanie and Justin Ackley said they weren’t told Roscoe would be sedated for the procedure he needed. When Roscoe was under anesthesia, the doctor decided not to use a tracheal tube to help him breathe.
Roscoe aspirated during the procedure, which led to breathing problems. Roscoe ultimately went into cardiac arrest and died Monday evening.
The couple said not using a tracheal tube is what killed Roscoe and it’s a step the doctor should have taken.
“I was angry and I told them, I said, ‘You killed our dog,’” said Stephanie Ackley.
Ron Morgan, CEO of DoveLewis, said the doctor and staff members are heartbroken over Roscoe’s death. He also admitted the doctor made the wrong decision.
“We have a doctor that specifically made a judgement call about the treatment she thought would be appropriate for Roscoe under the circumstances and unfortunately that decision she made was not up to our medical standards and it was not the right decision,” Morgan said.
Morgan wants people to know this wasn't done maliciously, but was an error in judgement.
He said they've launched an investigation and are interviewing everyone involved to make sure something like this doesn't happen again. The doctor involved is not working while the investigation takes place.
DoveLewis said they also refunded the Ackleys all medical costs and are paying for Roscoe's cremation.
Still, the couple said that can't bring Roscoe back. They're filing a lawsuit for $10,000 against DoveLewis.
“We just don’t want this happen to another family. I mean, our kids are crushed. This is the first day we got them back to school. We’ve missed work,” said Justin Ackley.
“We can’t even function. We can’t eat. We’re sick to our stomach,” said Stephanie Ackley.