Sueing the vet

Animals
#1

My wife’s little Maltese terrier is dying, but not yet ready to go, she’s still very feisty, and usually not inpain, which is why we’re continuing to try and keep her alive. Each week she goes to the vet to have fluid drained from around her heart (this can be 20% of her normal body weight, but is common in elderly Maltese - big heart, small chest cavity).

However, this evening we discovered that the eldery locum - whom my wife said didn’t seem to be coping very well - had left the draining needle sticking out of the dog’s stomach! We only noticed it when she left a trail of blood around the house. Obviously we’re very unhappy with what has happened and wondered if anyone had some advice…

#2

Good Lord! That sounds dreadful. Presumably if the needle was inserted into the pericardial sac to drain off fluid it shouldn’t be draining blood? I admit to knowing nothing about canine anatomy, but for the needle to be still in situ sounds wrong, unless it’s some kind of drain, canula or ‘shunt’ .

Can you return the poor dog to the vet, and meanwhile perhaps put some dressing over the part that is draining to prevent infection getting into the chest and pericardium. It’s very dire whatever :slightly_frowning_face:.