Family may sue vet after dog's death from shot

Death shocks family
By ROBERT MARCHANT

Mack, a proud and frisky little English bulldog, went for a trip to the vet's office recently.
But a routine visit for a vaccination turned deadly, leaving an Ossining family angry, upset and ready to sue.
"My husband left with the dog, and he came back with the collar, that's all. How do you explain that?" asked Theresa Marino, who recently gave birth to a daughter, Joie.
"He was our dog, not even a year old, like a baby. I wanted him to grow up with my daughter. He was great with her," said Marino, who works in sales and has a stepdaughter with her husband, Joseph.
Mack was taken for a vaccination against rabies, Lyme disease and bordetella (kennel cough) at the Yorktown Animal Hospital on Sept. 30. Joseph Marino said he was wary and watchful about the procedure since another bulldog of his had died after receiving a vaccination 10 years ago.
After the dog was vaccinated, he suffered an allergic reaction, known technically as anaphylactic shock. His airways were constricted, and he suffocated.
Joseph Marino, a union steward, said he couldn't eat or sleep over the weekend after his dog died. "Every time I think about it, I feel like crying," he said, and the case is likely to end up in small claims court in Yorktown. The Marino family wants the hospital to pay for the $3,900 it cost them to purchase the purebred bulldog from a breeder.
Joseph Marino said he was upset at the handling of the matter at the animal hospital. He questioned why the dog was not weighed before he was given an injection in order to determine the dosage, and he said he pointed out a large lump on Mack's hip that should have raised an alert that trouble was coming in the form of an allergic reaction.




Dr. Phillip Raclyn of the Yorktown Animal Hospital said the hospital had done everything it could for Mack, that all the proper procedures were followed and his staff was not at fault. He noted that the same dose is given to every animal, regardless of a dog's size or weight, and added that a lump under the skin after an injection is not uncommon or unusual.
"Any dog, any cat, any human can suffer an anaphylactic reaction, and you can get a reaction in many ways," he said. "He (Marino) lost his dog, and we feel terrible about it. He wants to blame us, but we're not to blame. He doesn't want to accept that bad things happen. Bad things can happen to good dogs."
Raclyn continued, "We recognized the anaphylactic shock and did all the necessary steps you need to do." He urged people to vaccinate their dogs, since New York state has the second-highest rate of rabies in the U.S., after Texas.
An expert on bulldogs, Lita Eitner-England, notes they pose a number of medical challenges, along with many virtues.
"They have a noble, regal appearance, they're pretty good with kids, they're quiet and they don't need a tremendous amount of exercise. They have so much character and personality," she said, "But there are a lot of health issues: eye problems, elongated soft palates, allergies. The list goes on and on. There can be a lot of vet bills."
They are also an expensive dog, she said, because of the difficulty in breeding them, almost always via Caesarean section.
Eitner-England, a resident of the San Francisco Bay area, notes allergies are a particular hazard to bulldogs because their short muzzles can cause difficulty in breathing. She said she had never heard of a bulldog dying at a veterinary office but noted there were always unusual health risks involved with the breed's vulnerabilities. She also stressed the need for vaccinations.
There have been no disciplinary proceedings brought against the Yorktown Animal Hospital since it opened in 1980, said spokeswoman Mary Weber of the state Education Department's Office of Professions. The last time the animal hospital was taken to small claims court was in 1999, according to Yorktown Town Court records.
The Marino family is still adjusting to the loss. "There's a big hole," said Theresa Marino.

Reference:lohud