MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas – A Conroe family’s dog was rushed to the vet and nearly died while in the care of Dogtopia The Woodlands West.
The pet’s owners told KPRC 2 they believe their four-legged friend may have ingested enzymatic cleaner, drank too much water, and began vomiting.
The 2-year-old Bernese Mountain Dog Leo has since had surgery and is recovering at home, but saving him has cost the family about $10,000.
Leo may just be a dog to some, but to the Malay’s he’s family. The normally active dog has looked and felt drastically different this week. Brett Malay believes it’s because his pup may have ingested an enzymatic cleaner while in the care of Dogtopia.
“Gastric Dilation Volvulus and from my understanding it’s a twisted stomach. So, the stomach flips over, that’s when GDV happens and in Leo’s case it was double twisted so it flipped over once and it flipped over again and then it cuts off the circulation and blood flow to that stomach,” Malay said.
Malay and his family were out of town at a funeral, but rushed home.
“The vet said GDV is caused, the twisting of the stomach is caused by either fluid or food in this case it was fluid and then activity afterwards,” he said.
Malay showed KPRC 2 the documentation from the vets office which indicates Leo was initially brought in because of that cleaner.
“Leo stayed with us for one night and was only observed drinking water from our water bowls. For cleaning, we use a dilute, non-toxic enzymatic solution that is safe for ingestion, contact or inhalation across all our centers,” Dogtopia said to KPRC 2 in a statement.
Malay said while the cleaner may be safe, it’s the water he was allowed to drink after that he believes caused the GDV.
“The theory is he could of drank this cleaner, tried to flush it out. We don’t know if Dogtopia encouraged him to drink water after they noticed it,” Malay said. “We feel Dogtopia is responsible at least partially responsible if not fully responsible for the medical expenses incurred. They came to the table with 3 thousand dollars.”
Dogtopia’s full statement can be found here:
Dogtopia takes the health and safety of the pups in our care very seriously. Leo stayed with us for one night and was only observed drinking water from our water bowls. For cleaning, we use a dilute, non-toxic enzymatic solution that is safe for ingestion, contact or inhalation across all our centers, which are held to the highest standards of cleanliness and safety. While Leo was in our care, our trained Canine Coaches picked up on the signs and symptoms of Gastric Dilation and Volvulus which is similar to “bloat”. Our team knows this is a rare, unpredictable, life-threatening condition and immediately rushed Leo to the veterinary hospital. We are proud of our team’s quick response which helped ensure a positive outcome for Leo’s survival. Leo is a long-time daycare dog and a beloved part of our Dogtopia family. He is often the star of the show with the nickname “King Leo”, and we continue to wish for a full and speedy recovery. We want all pet parents to know that this condition is preventable with a procedure called gastropexy and is recommended for all high-risk breeds.