Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Thanks to everyone for your support through this tragedy. I'm really devastated and don't know how I'm going to cope with this. Your words of comfort and support mean a lot.

I went ahead and had the necropsy done by a specialist who consults with the emergency hospital where he died. It turns out that Tazzie was killed by the first vet. He punctured his colon. When his colon was punctured, cricket parts, fluid and fecal matter flooded his little body. He said that immediate emergency surgery might have been able to deal with the colon, but he probably couldn't have survived the massive infection from the fecal matter in his abdomen. He said there was no impaction and no signs of any disease whatsoever. He said that Tazzie appeared to be a very well cared for, completely healthy beardie. I asked the vet if the results meant that the vet doing the enema killed him and he told me, "that's the way it looks to me!" I don't think he did it on purpose. I don't even know if he knew he did it, but I can't imagine an experienced reptile vet like he is, sending me home with this unconscious lizard and telling me it was "stress". He had to have known something went wrong.

I thought I would feel better knowing what happened, but I don't. I'm more upset now than I was before. Tazzie meant everything to me. I'm fighting a life-threatening illness and Tazzie was really helping me. He didn't even sleep in his cage anymore - he slept in bed with me. What am I going to do without my precious Tazzie?

Thanks again for all your support!

Lisa

Here's a picture of my beloved Tazzie

Me myself at one time had a threatening illness. When I was ill I really had nothing much to do, that's when I started coming here, and really got into bearded dragons. At that time I was dealing with cancer. Every day no matter how upset or bad I felt, I cared for something else other then myself. I put every thing into the care of the dragons, and learning as much about them as possible. I know in some way of what you must have felt for him, and I'm really sorry at this time you had to deal with a loss. He was beautiful. In time, maybe not right away, but maybe someday you can let yourself make another dragon happy with the love you have to give them. I really am sorry, especially since it happened by hands of a Doctor. Good Luck.
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Photos

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That makes me so MAD!!!! Doctors are people we trust, and an animal is helpless, depends on us for care and attention. Basically, this was malpractice. I am so sorry for you and Tazzie. With an illness, it can be hard to gather the energy to tackle things like this, but I hope you pursue this further. The first Dr shouldn't be treating animals. You (and Tazzie) deserve some satisfaction or recompensation from the Vet or the clinic.
I'm so sorry for what you've been through in the past few days.

n/p
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TheClassyLizard

I agree and again, I am sorry for your loss. You definitely can't let him/her get away w/this. It could happen to someone else's beloved pet. Everyone makes mistakes, but that vet should have at least tried to act compassionate and not just dismiss your concerns. He should have "humored" you and made sure he didn't make any mistakes. Please don't let him get away w/this. At least file a complaint w/the BBB (or some vet association), not sure who is in charge of giving them/him their license to practice.

My prayers are w/you.

Everyone makes mistakes. Accidents happen. I would guess he had no idea that the enema caused the damage it did. Yes he should compensate, that goes without question, but understand that mistakes can and will happen, because veterinarians are human.

Veterinarians go through years and years of schooling and veterinary practice ethics are part of their core requirements. I know as a veterinary student that if I were to make a similar mistake ever I would feel aweful. And I would guess he does too.

I would think that it was a freak accident and some lizards do respond to stress very severely. Perhaps the vet saw things differently than you or I would. Not that it was right, but always realize that they are human.

Being human doesn't give you the power of god...

Is this a certified reptile veterinarian?

I agree. People do make mistakes. I make 'em all the time. I also take responsibility for my mistakes and try to correct them. I hope this Doctor does the same.

OH, I'm so sorry to hear about your loss.
I know exactly what you mean about having a beardie as a support system. My Jeeves serves me that purpose as well, as he sleeps with me at night too.

I really doubt this would be an consulation, but where do you live? My beautiful and great tempered beardies had babies a few months ago, and I have a few holdbacks. Would you be interested in one? I mean, as a GIFT. I would love to give you one, should you be ready, etc.

Again, my thoughts are with you completely.

Lindsay//

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Lindsay//
::Beardeddragons.ca::
lindsay@beardeddragons.ca

Lindsay,
You deserve a huge forum hug for that generous offer.
AS with Gina Gauvins tragedy, herpers came through and donations are still coming.
Just goes to show you how that scaley bond works. We may have absolutely nothing else in common but our bearded dragons, but it has been proven...We're there for eachother when the going gets tough.
I think if your beardie gift is accepted, it should have a new hammock too. I'm in!!.
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TheClassyLizard

Even if she may not be ready in her heart, that is such a very nice thing to do. Very nice community we have here on kingsnake That's such a generous offer, but well deserved for this awful tragedy. I could only imagine the feeling I would have in my heart if I was in that same situation, and if I had the means to offer one, I would too. Very Nice of you.
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Photos

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Wow, Lindsay. Thank you so much. Your incredible offer is bringing happy tears to my eyes. Nothing could ever replace my baby, but in a little while, a new beardie could honor his memory. I think I need a little while to grieve Tazzie, but do you think I could contact you in a little while about this? You are really amazing for making such a wonderful offer. I'm hear a lot, but don't say much, so I know how awesome and beautiful your beardies are.

Thanks again -- so very much.

Lisa

Of course I'll wait ...
You do your grieving, and let me know when you're ready.
I have a couple in mind for you, but are still a bit too tiny to ship .. They're only 2 months old
They already have personalities, and will make great pets.

My heart is with you, and keep intouch!
You have a beardie waiting for you, when you're ready!

xo
Lindsay//

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Lindsay//
::Beardeddragons.ca::
lindsay@beardeddragons.ca

learn from you. for a year I have been impressed with your knowledge and care at the young age you are..... now we know your humanity also.

Again, its young people like you that reinforce our beleive in the success of the younger generation.

awww..thanks so much.
But at 24 years old, I dont' concider myself young!!
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Lindsay//
::Beardeddragons.ca::
lindsay@beardeddragons.ca

im 24 and im still young ! you callin me old ? well ill forver be 21 in my mind

Great gesture Lindsey Certainly nice to know there such generous and curtious people out there in the herp society. As for age, you are only as old as you want to be....take it from somebody who repeatedly has to add up the years every time I have to put down my exact age somewhere....I still like to think I am aobut 21 years old...even though in reality I am well over that age, by more than ten years. (not going to give an exact age, would mean recaculating it and don't feel like doing that..can't seem to find the calculator in Windows XP...which I hate...think I am going to replace it with Windows 2000)

can not take care of themselves or their own children. I see it everyday and there is no instilling in them responsiblity or proper caring for others. It is refreshing to see someone that not only knows what to do, but is doing it and can think beyond themselves.

So your new beardie can have a hammock waiting for him
I'm so glad that you are willing to love a new dragon...
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TheClassyLizard

Thank you both so very much. Your generosity has touched a heart that I thought would be too shattered to ever really feel again. Until I read your posts, I thought another beardie would just remind me of what I had lost. The thought behind your generous offers though, flooded me with emotions that I thoght were gone forever. Tazzie wanted so very, very badly to make some babies. With time, a youngster. especially if it were an affectionate one, would help me remember the good times with my Tazzie, not just those last horrific hours. And the beardie hammocks are wonderful! It will open the door for the new beardie to start making some unique new memories of his or her own.

Thank you seems rather inadequate for your heartfelt generosity, but that's all I have right now. So thank you both, from the bottom of my broken heart.

Lisa

Awwwww Herpers are soo great....

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Life is what happens when you are making other plans.......

i knew it...it couldnt of been stress....hun i am SOO sorry! the only thing i could think of is to ask yourself if you would beableto get another beardie....not to take the place of tazzie but to try to help you through your illness like tazzie did....i really dont know what to say but i hope it all works out for you in the end!

brittany

You must be devastated. I wish I could help you in some way - my heart goes out to you. Losing a pet is not easy. Especially when they are as close as Tazzie was to you.

I know you may not care to hear this right now, but your experience with the vet has opened my eyes. I have to take Mo, my one-year-old beardie, to the vet today for a recheck. She has been battling a nasty fungal infection in her EYE for 6 months now! I will never let the vet take my beardies in the back without me! Not after what happened to you! You have completely changed my view of vets. And that's a good thing!

I know you're hurting right now, but are you considering contacting the vet that hurt your Tazzie? I am so MAD! He needs to pay for what he did. He needs to refund all of your money, pay for the emergency expenses, and pay the current market value price for what a similar beardie is worth. Then after all that is said and done, he needs to hope and pray that you won't bad mouth his business all over town, to the papers, to the BBB, to the local news channels, and to a lawyer. That can be financially devastating to a vet practice. I've seen it happen. People won't take their pets to a vet they can't trust. Even if what he did was an accident, an experienced vet would've never done that! I've just consulted my reptile vet and he completely agrees! He said it is very, very difficult to puncture the colon. Especially without knowing about it.

If you need any help with this, just hollar. I don't know if this is allowed on this forum, but you could post this vets phone number and he'll be getting some calls from upset beardie owners all over the US! I think we should all come together to help out. But of course if he's willing to reimburse you for everything, then there wouldn't be any need for this. Just a thought. I'm just mad and venting!

After losing Egor to MBD, I blamed myself for a long long time. It took me several weeks before I could go to bed without crying. Even now, a year later, I still get teary eyed thinking and writing about him. But believe it or not, a few weeks after I lost Egor I got Mo. She really helped me cope with the loss of Egor. But since I waited a few weeks to get her I didn't feel guilty about replacing him. Like I always say, once a beardie owner ALWAYS a beardie LOVER. I have no doubt that after some of the hurt subsides, you will find another beardie to love and who will love you back. Right now that's probably the farthest thing from your mind. But just having another beardie around helps tremendously.

You're in my thoughts and prayers. God Bless.
Veronica

as for what lindsay did, i commend you. That was very very generous. But lisa, you should try to talk with the vet about reinbursing you everything , annd if he doesnt like htat, bring it to small claims court.that was sooo unnacceptable and unprofessional. I would glaDLY call that vet and show him what an angry beardie owner really sounds liuke. That just pisses me off!!!!!!!!! well, god bless, and you are in all my prayers.
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~David - KDRKreatures
My Main Herps-
1.2 Bearded dragons (Ralph, Artemis, Cheech)
1.0 Veiled Chameleon (Chiquito)
1.0 Black Racer Snake (Chong)
1.1 Eastern Box Turtles (Athena and Mercury)

KDRKreatures-Home Page
My Email

you did right by tazzie, i know how hard it is to loose one of these guys. Hopefully someday youll be able to give another wonderful dragon, a great home.

if there is somewhere we go certianly hes there with my girl Kinta, in sunny fields, with shady trees to climb in, and warm rocks to bask, chasing big juicy bugs =]

I wish that it was something I could say or do to help you feel better... What a sad story...

Take care....
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Teo - A Bearded Dragon

I'm glad you were able to get some answers as to what happened to Tazzie. You did a great job trying to give him the right care, and it's devastating that the vet took his life. Call him, let him know what he did. Maybe if anything, he will learn not to treat things he doesn't know how to.

I am so sorry to hear what happened Lisa. I suspected the first vet must have ruptured the colon and tried to cover it up with some lame excuse that the dragon was stressed. It struck me as really odd to give a small animal an enema because of the risk of rupturing the bowels. From what you mentioned here it certainly sounds like the first vet (glad you didn't mention his name as it would be against sphere rules and could be considered slander..even if correct) tried to cover up his mistake.

I would talk with him and tell him what you found out in the necropsy and request to be compensated for his mistake. If he refuses or gives you a hard time just say ok and hang up then consult a lawyer and/or humane society to see what legal action you can take. If it was an honest mistake, the vet should have just stated there was complications and try to flush out the fecal matter from his stomach cavity and repair the damage. At the very least you should be refunded the cost of the vet visit with the first vet plus the additional cost of having to take him to another vet. Personally though I would sue to have all vet expenses and necropsy cost refunded plus $1000 or more for the lost of your dragon and personal anquish over the loss.

Annoying thing is though, it would probably be months or more before a trial, even in small claims court, to take place. Took me 6 months to get a parking ticket fought in court (and turns out the person who gave me the ticket dropped the charges, but hey, it was worth it.)

Again, very sorry over your loss and I support you in any action you decide to take against this vet.

I remember you talking about and showing pictures of Tazzie before on this forum and will miss him too.

www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/1151/malpractice.html

This is the URL for a site that has links for Veterinary Malpractice. At the very least, you can report them. Please keep us updated to how YOU are doing.

I won't go into details, as it will not help you deal with this, but I will tell you that yes, when the lower bowels was perforted it would have been almost impossible for a knowledgable expert to not know it happened, the response is instant and you feel it give.

Also, from the point it happened, there was 99.9 percent chance that nothing could have been done to save him, even repairing or removing a section of colon would not have addressed the massive infection that would have followed or the bacteria that entered the bloodsteam at the moment it happened.

When you can deal with this better, you might want to contact the clinic that the vet works at and request they cover the cost of his treatment there, at the ER clinic and the necropsy.

My heart goes out to you, this is a terrible loss. If I had one of our babies ready to go to a new caring home, I would give you one knowing he would be in the best of hands and a lucky baby. Our last one went to a new home in May, but someone is trying to contact you that has a nice offer when you are ready for another one that I can guarantee is healthly and should give you as much in return as you give him.

I want to thank you all for your kind words and thoughtful support. A lot of people don't understand how deeply I loved my Tazzie and what his loss means to me. I knew this would be the one safe place to be right now, where I wouldn't get the puzzled looks or the "it's just a lizard" attitude. Tazzie was my baby and my best friend. He meant everything to me. He loved me completely and unconditionally and took every opportunity to show me how much he loved me. He visited me in the hospital and brought me through times that I shouldn't have survived. On good days, he loved to play his little "games" and sit proudly on my shoulder while we took a walk through the park. On bad days, he somehow knew whether I needed cheering up with his silly little antics or just cuddling and non-stop loving and affection to get me through the day. He even gave me the strength and courage to stop hiding behind my living will and aggressively fight this disease so I could live to continue loving and caring for my precious little Tazzie. Thank you all for basically "validating" my pain and understanding my loss.

As far as legal issues go... I'm leaning towards a settlement. A lawsuit would drag on for a long time and I would be forced to relive those last horrific hours and all the what if's for a very long time. The clinic has agreed to reimburse me for the necropsy and the emergency fees, refund the money I paid for the enema that killed him and give me a "small amount" for the value of Tazzie and my suffering. I think a lawsuit for malpractice and wrongful death would make a stronger statement and have a better chance of stopping this vet from hurting any more innocent repiles, but I don't think I'm strong enough to endure the fight. I think I am going to ask that he agree to get more training before treating more reptiles, agree to refrain from doing any more enemas and promise to enact a new policy that unconscious animals are not to be sent home under any circumstances, especially under the guise of a "stress response". I also plan to file a complaint with the Arizona State Board of Veterinary Licensing. I don't know if any of it will prevent this from happening again, but I need to find a way to get past this tragedy and remember all the good years with Tazzie, not just those last few hours of horrific surrering.

Thanks again for all your support, kindness and generosity. Grieving is a very lonely process, but all of your support helps make the pain a little more bearable.

Lisa

for a tragic incident. It is not worth jeopardizing your health more over this.

I lost one to a vets mishandling a few years ago also and having the others did help me through it, there is a pang when you see them frolicing, but there is so much joy also in watching them and knowing you are giving them the best possible life. You never forgets, but in time you remember the better times more.

You have much skill and knowledge to share with another dragon and he would be very fortunate to be able to experience all you have to offer.

I think that is a very fair and respectable solution to the situation. I also agree more training should be advised for the veterinarian. As well as unconscious animals never being sent home. I know with any of the vets I've ever shadowed that they wont' send animals home until they're eating and drinking and awake.

Boy, for going through what you have recently, you sure do have your head screwed on tight. It sounds like you have made a good decision, and also one that you are happy with. That is ALL that counts. Glad to hear that the Dr. took responsibility for his mistake, and is willing to work with you.
Be well.

;

I'm so sorry to hear what happened to your precious baby! I know how it feels to lose a pet, and sometimes it's hard for others to understand how much we animal lovers grieve when we lose a pet. They are more than pets, but family that are always there for you when you need them and they never judge or turn their back on you when you need them. Their love is unconditional. I recently lost a dragon that I hatched (she was the first dragon I ever hatched) and it tore my heart out. She was a sweetheart and I miss her dearly. I know it's hard, but hang in there, Tazzie would want you to be strong. Maybe when the time is right, you will be able to let another special dragon into your life, another dragon will never take the place of your precious Tazzie, but I'm sure you will find a special place in your heart for him/her as well. Once again, I'm so sorry for your loss and my heart breaks for you. Christy