About

When Kenobe died after surgery at Brunswick Animal Hospital, I was in total shock. I had no idea that morning would be the last time I saw him alive. We were up early, and he was doing well; he had fasted in preparation for surgery, and I was preparing the house for him after surgery. One thing bothered me: he was hesitant to go in his crate that morning, despite the fact that he had never had a problem getting in his carrier before. Another thing is that when I dropped him off at Brunswick for the surgery that morning, I noticed him sitting up and nervously looking around in the carrier. He is normally very calm, lying down in his carrier, but not this time.

The entire reason for the operation was that he had a localized mass on his lower right front leg that had been removed twice by another local veterinarian, but the only cure due to the type of mass was amputation. It could not be completely removed, and if amputation was not performed, it would only grow larger and possibly spread beyond the area. I was told numerous times by the Doctor and even her nurse that amputation was a routine procedure at this animal hospital. There was no worry, no mention of complications, nothing at all. It was as if this was nothing, just bring him in, and we’ll do the surgery, and you can pick him up at 3 p.m. I even stopped by a couple of times before the date, once to get meds and once just to be sure. But, once again, I was assured, he would be fine. I even had an appointment with a specialist in Wilmington and an out-of-town option with three other specialists at another hospital. But, once again, they said it was nothing to worry about. He wasn’t fine after that surgery, and he died as a result of it. Even with a general practitioner, I discovered that this is almost unheard of after amputation surgery. When I asked questions and talked to others, I discovered that he was not the only one who died in the last year following surgery here. He also went into severe hypothermia during and after surgery, and he was never at a normal recovery temperature. Once again, this is not supposed to happen.

I was told that every doctor at this animal hospital and the owner were consulted after this occurred, but to this day, the only person I have heard from at this hospital is through the doctor’s personal email. The owner and the corporation that now runs it, Southern Veterinary Partners, have never contacted me about this incident. So, what exactly happened to Kenobe on that day? The day I was told everything went well and was fine, only to find out later that things were not fine. Then to be told things that were later contradicted, something just doesn’t add up. I want to know the truth.