Dog Community I need your help x

[EDLORDER]

Hello, 

 

I wanted to get some advice, input and opinions regarding the subsequent death of my cousin's healthy 3 year old French Bulldog who was giving birth at the time. I'll try be as clear and concise as possible. 

Bella the Frenchie had an ultrasound a week before by a mobile vets not the emergency vets which was used for the c-section. He deemed her fit and healthy, advised to allow her to have her pups at home (scan could show around 5/6 pups) and if anything happens, to take her into vets. My cousin followed this advice and had bought everything she could buy to safely help deliver these puppies. Having 4 adult dogs she wasn't new to owning a dog, oldest being 16 yo this year just new to a pregnant one.

The first pup arrived naturally, it would be the runt of the litter and we were aware it might not survive. The following dog was stuck in the birth canal and needed help to come out which we read about. But it was the 3rd which prompted my cousin to call an emergency vets. They are called Vets Now, Manchester branch and are part of a massive chain. My cousin noticed the popped sack on the bed with no pup and had felt with her fingers and could feel the legs of a pup obviously stuck in the canal. She immediately called the vets and explained, to which they asked her to bring her in along with the runt. The vet after quick examination agreed that there was a pup indeed stuck in the canal and to my cousins surprise she was advised to take her dog home and told if the dog didn't pass this pup in 30 minutes to come back especially as Frenchie's have difficulty breathing and birthing. My cousin was expecting an emergency c-section - the practice also were aware of the distance to and from their practice, which totalled up to the 30 minutes, surely it was better for Bella to wait at the vets instead of going home? 

There ended up being multiple to and from the practice following their medical advice, charging per consultation which was £200+, my cousin expected the c-section to be around £3k plus and was intended to pay and she did pay. 

Bella went in for the c-section at around 2pm afternoon and wasn't taken into surgery until quarter to 7, even though when my cousin asked they said she would be the first in as there are no other emergencies, she was conscious of how much strain and pain she was in. Afterwards, they said that Bella was a little too cold but eventually woke up from the surgery and she was able to bring her and the remaining pups. They failed to get consent off my cousin when they took a needle to one of the c-section pups claiming they weren't thriving, this was a shock to my cousin when she arrived to pick up Bella and her babies. They were bombarding my cousin with information over the phone, she had been crying over the loss of the puppy in the canal and the amount of pain Bella was in, responding "ok" to everything she was saying, this is not an explicit consent response, usually they ask you to say 'yes or no', "ok" has never been used as someone giving consent, not to me at least. 

She was only home for a few hours and able to nurse her remaining puppies for the last time before having what appeared to my cousin as a seizure. She had calmed down by the time my cousin got through to the vets and was told to take her back to her registered Vets. However, when she called her registered vets, they said no - Vets Now Manchester did the c-section they have all the records of what they've given her you need to go back there. Only when this was relayed to Vets Now, did they said aright bring her back in. This was following the second and final seizure - my cousin quickly acted and performed CPR - her friend was with her at the time as it had been an overwhelming 12 hours. They quickly drove to vets now after that back and forth phone call between her registered vets and Vets Now giving CPR in the back of the car. My cousin had noted that she could hear squelching, the sound of water as she was giving the CPR. She told the vets upon arrival and in report  from them had said she wasn't taking in oxygen but this would make sense because there was clearly fluid in her lungs, so did they not act on that and clear her lungs first before trying to give her oxygen. 

Bella inevitably died, she clearly was already dead on the way to the vets but was still charged for resuscitation of £500 approx. 

They had said in their report that she died of a cardiac arrest but unbeknownst to them, my cousin had called the mobile vets who performed the ultrasound and he was shocked at the news. He took it upon himself to refer Bella to the University of Liverpool for Veterinary Science for an autopsy. By that time my cousin had arranged for a local crem that was recommended by her neighbours so Bella and the pups were taken there. It wasn't too long that the University responded and said that they were going to collect her the same day, after hearing the details from the mortician noting that the incision mark of the c-section looked strange the rest of crem were curious about this little frenchie causing so much commotion. 

Shortly after them taking Bella, they had phoned up and said they were going back to collect the pups and that they did not need the report from the vets and they would come to their own conclusion using science. It takes about 6 weeks for the autopsy to be done and we've since got the preliminary report stating that she had sepsis and pneumonia but she was clearly healthy prior to the c section as they have to take bloods before the surgery and she had a check-up. My cousin wasn't told but it was when the neighbour that received the report from the vets (cousin gave consent) that the report said she died of a cardiac arrest. However, in the preliminary report it said her heart and the tubes surrounding was all normal. It's my understanding that when us humans have cardiac arrest it shows in the aftermath, would it be silly to think the same of dogs? 

We're now waiting for the final report from them as they had more tests to run. 

We have made a formal complaint to them to cover our backs as advised by citizens advice, requesting all data including CCTV and recorded phones calls which corroborates the amounts of times my cousin had to readmit into the practice. We've also reported the veterinary surgeon who was the one giving the professional advice to the RCVS for medical negligence due to failure to treat and made a complaint to the ICO as they are withholding data, an area which I have knowledge on. 

Wondering if anyone has been through anything similar or has good knowledge around this area and could advise. I feel like I've covered all my basis so far but in case there is anything I've missed? 

Thank you for all your advice in advance! I understand it's a lot to take in and I didn't even share all the details. 

 

[HeadNun]

I thought all brachycephalic dogs had C-sections as standard? Perhaps your cousin was ill-advised in the first place? 

[EDLORDER]

Yes, in most cases I believe so. However, they can deliver naturally which she did in her last litter and was checked over by the mobile vet. My cousin followed the recommendation given but the issue doesn't lie with them, it is Vets Now.

 

Thanks for your response 🙂