A Georgia family received the shock of a lifetime after finding out that the dog they had paid to euthanise was well and alive, through a Facebook post. The pug named Cha Cha had suffered organ failure from diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), prompting the Georgia-based family to approach a veterinary clinic to put down the dog before the complications made the situation untenable.
Cha Cha was just four years old when owner Rebecca Belote, acting on the advice of Senioa Animal Hospital Coweta County, decided to part ways with her beloved pet. However, a few months later, when scrolling through her Facebook feed, Belote saw that a worker at the vet clinic had instead taken the dog home.
The confused family approached the clinic and demanded answers about Cha Cha. However, the clinic hastily took the dog back from the worker and euthanised him, piling further misery on the family.
"The fact that they put a healthy dog down. That's just sick," Belote was quoted as saying by New York Post.
According to Belote, the employee's husband confirmed that Cha Cha had been living with his wife and appeared to be in good health.
The family was told that DKA is a life-threatening complication where the body cannot use glucose properly for energy because of insufficient insulin. The treatment would cost thousands of dollars a month without a guarantee that Cha Cha would recover.
"They both took it kind of hard," Belote said, referring to her son and husband. "My son was really attached to the dog."
The family paid $716.50 for the vet visit, diagnostic tests, euthanasia, and communal cremation. They left the clinic, believing that Cha Cha had been put to sleep.
Belote has now filed a complaint with the Georgia State Board of Veterinary Medicine.
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