Case Description

My five-year-old German Shepard/Lab is prone to cysts and has had previous surgeries every year. I took him to a new clinic in Brampton upon moving because he had developed four more cysts that needed to be removed. There was an initial consultation where I pointed out the cysts to the doctor and highlighted the areas with green marker. The vet took notes and booked the surgery day. I dropped the dog off in the morning and was told to call back around 1:00 to check on him. However, at 1:00 I received a call from the vet to inform me that during surgery the dog was not fully sedated and fell off the table and had broken two of his incisors. The vet wanted my okay to extract the broken teeth, I was furious but told him to go ahead and remove the teeth since there was no other option at that point. The dog remained at the clinic overnight and I picked him up the next day at 1:00. The vet just kept repeating that he did not know how it happened because he had left the room during surgery. He also made it a point to repeat over and over that he has been in practice for 20 years and could not remember the last time anything such as this had happened. He provided the number for the college of veterinarians if we wanted to put in a complaint and also stated that he understood if we decided to press for a lawsuit. Up until that point the idea of a lawsuit had not really occurred to me. The vet also insisted I bring the dog back to him to have the stitches removed. I made it clear to him that I did not trust him or his clinic, but he insisted that if I took the dog elsewhere, then he would not be responsible for those areas.
I brought the dog home and when he flipped over to let me scratch his belly, he had three incisions where his nipples should be. The vet had removed all the nipples on his right side and stitched up the area! I called the clinic immediately and spoke with the receptionist who assured me that the vet would call me back immediately, but he never called back. I do not know if he had mistaken nipples for cysts or what, but I do not think he is fit for practice. This incident has left my dog with not only missing teeth and nipples, but also trauma. My whole family is shocked and traumatized by this. I cannot believe that this vet is running his own practice. I am taking the dog to our original clinic to have the stitches removed and to make sure nothing else was broken in his fall during surgery. The dog has not been the same since; he is limping and is extremely withdrawn. I want the original vet to cover the costs of his stitch removal and also the diagnostic tests and x-rays that have resulted from this incident. Furthermore, if there is any further treatment that stems from this, I want the Dr. to cover these costs. Ultimately though, I would like to see this guy out of business, because he is obviously not competent, and I am looking for some sort of legal way to go about that.