Illinois Vet Spayed Dog When It Was Supposed To Be A Teeth Cleaning, Owners Say

A mixup at a vet's office has led to some unhappy dog owners.

Pet owners are really protective of our animals and a couple of dog owners in Chicago are far from satisfied after their latest vet visit. It's already expensive to take pets to the vet, added stress isn't needed. NBC Chicago reports that Banfield Vet's Office (in the Beverly neighborhood of Chicago) is at the center of the controversy.

Ashley Martin Jenkins, from Woodlawn, says that instead of getting a teeth cleaning like her 10-year-old dog was scheduled for, the dog ended up getting spayed.

She showed NBC Chicago the appointment reminder she had on her phone for her dog, Savannah, a Cavapoo. She also had the unexpected aftercare instructions that she got from the vet's office too.

The family never wanted the dog to be spayed and they don't want the mixup that happened to Savannah to happen to any other pet:

I think some responsibility needs to be taken, and I think they need to have better protocols in place so that this doesn't happen again. What if it was more severe? What if she was like, it was like another surgery? What if she was scheduled to be put to sleep?

The Vet's Office Is "Investigating"

The vet doesn't have a concrete answer as to what happened but they did tell NBC Chicago that there are "existing measures in place to prevent errors" and they're investigating the case. They said in a statement:

At Banfield, the health, safety, and wellbeing of pets is our top priority, and we're committed to providing high-quality care to the millions of pets we see every year. Banfield has existing measures in place to prevent errors from happening and we're thoroughly investigating what occurred. All other patients in the hospital received the intended care they were scheduled for. We are taking this matter seriously and working directly with the Martin family to address their questions and concerns, as well as extend our sincere apologies. We are glad to hear Savannah is recovering well and remain committed to providing and covering the cost of any related care.

Savannah's owner, Ashley, is looking out for her pet and helping her recover from the surgery. She said:

I know mistakes happen, but this was a big mistake

There's no word yet on any suits being filed or charges pressed.