Shelter Headache

[Jentarin]

I posted a while ago that when we got Bessa's registration tags in April, we brought home a 10 year old English Lab that we found at the shelter named Lilly. A little overweight but just an awesome disposition. The shelter gave us a little bit of a run-around about whether or not she was spayed ("we think she is, but the scar isn't quite in the right place and she's too fat to check"). A month later, she went into heat.

Two weeks ago, she stopped eating, couldn't move her bowels and was basically miserable. We took her strait to the vet and found that her uterus was so infected that it had swelled to twice its normal size and was pushing her bowels and stomach out of place. One emergency surgery, half a months salary and a week later, she's home, happy and the most active she's been since we've had her. :allg069:

Vet says that she probably had this infection for quite a while and her cycle just exacerbated it, and that there was no way that any vet would have thought that her scar was from a spay.

What kind of a shelter pulls crap like this? Their own policy says that every dog gets neutered/spayed before it is adopted out, and we nearly lose our girl after two months because you don't want to suck up the extra cost of doing it because she's too fat? :banghead:

 

[lmfoltyn]

Wow...so sorry for you and your girl...that is just awful to do to someone! Good luck to you and her for a happy life now that she is feeling better!!

 

[Angela]

That is awful, thank goodness she is OK now.

 

[NinaA]

Hope the local newspaper got this story. That would shape them up.

 

[anya]

So glad Lilly is doing well.

 

[dreamchaser456]

Don't think I've heard the too fat to check line before (and I used to work in a shelter)! Of course we spayed all (if older than 6 mos) before they were adopted and unless the owner surrendering had papers from vet for spay, we assumed they were not and vet checked to be sure! This girl obviously wasn't vetted before adoption and I would check the shelter regs to see if they followed their own rules, if not, I would expect at least a partial reimbursement for your costs. If they aren't willing to work with you, tell the media what's happening because they are likely not following other procedures too.
So glad she is going to be ok and found such a wonderful home!

 

[R Taft]

She is lucky to have found a loving and caring home

 

[hhunter]

I think the replies here are being quick to judge.

The scar can be very difficult, if not impossible, to see on a 10 year old dog (eg. if the surgery was done 10 years ago).

What the shelter could have done, if they were unsure about the scar, is opened her up to see. We've done this in rescue several times, only to sew them back up when the vet sees that the procedure has in fact already been done. The problem is, with a 10 year old dog, you need to think long and hard about the cost/benefit of invasive surgery that may be for nothing. It's a lot to put the dog through, versus waiting to see if she goes into heat. Arguably they shouldn't have been adopted her out without being 100% sure, but heat cycle might not be for another 6 months, and that's not fair to keep a senior in a shelter environment for 6 months either.

My point is just that, they might not have been "pulling crap". Rescue and shelter work is hard, the conditions and circumstances are ALWAYS less than ideal.... and they might have made the decision that made the most sense at the time. I volunteer in rescue, and we have a lot more leeway because we are not mandated to take all stray dogs, but shelters are overcrowded and under a lot of pressure. Rather than sick the media on them, why not make a donation, that's what they need to do a better job.

Also, if the adopter wasn't 100% sure if she was spayed, they really could have taken her into their own vet for their opinion, and it's always a good idea to get a new (to you) dog in for a checkup soon after adoption anyway.

Most important thing is that she is happy and healthy now. Congrats to the owner, she sounds awesome. Kudos too for picking a senior, they don't always get a second chance. <3

 

[Jeannie]

Could they have not done an ultrasound?