A Border Collie was allegedly accidentally poisoned after anaesthetic was injected into her bloodstream at a vets in Airdrie after a syringe mix-up.
Furious owner Ashley Kennedy, 37, claims her dog Poppy could have died at Vets4Pets on Clark Street on October 27.
The mum-of-two, from Chapelhall, told how she had dropped the two-year-old dog off to be neutered when she received a phone call from a member of staff who reportedly said there had been a 'small error' and her operation could no longer go ahead.
Ashley claims when she arrived at the vets, she was told there had been a 'human error' but after insisting to see paperwork she said it was revealed a general anaesthetic which should have been injected into Poppy's stomach had been administered intravenously and poisoned the dog.
Ashley, who works in financial crime, told the Record: "A vet came out to speak to me, but she still wouldn't tell me what had happened. They just kept describing it as a 'human error'.
"I asked to see the paperwork and was then told a local anaesthetic that was supposed to go into Poppy's tummy went into her IV instead. They said that five bottles were laid beside each other and the vet had accidentally administered the wrong one.
"When they realised what had happened they had to call the poisoning line for guidance."
Ashley claims a staff member said the alarm was raised when the vet went to inject Poppy's tummy and realised the correct syringe wasn't there.
She continued: "They kept saying it was human error and not negligence. It is not human error to not read bottles properly.
"I asked the vet responsible if Poppy could have died and she said 'yes but she is okay.'
"I was later told I should be glad Poppy is okay. The fact they didn't do the basic checks is really worrying. My dog could have died."
Poppy had to be kept in throughout the day for monitoring after the incident at the practice after vets consulted with the animal poisoning line.
Ashley added: "Poppy was a bit dozy for a couple of days but she's doing okay.
"It was reversed as soon as they realised what had happened but I don't know if this will have caused damage to her organs in the future.
"This should never have happened."
Ashley has now moved Poppy to a new vet and said she reported the incident to an independent authority.
A Vets4Pets spokesperson said: "“Pet welfare is always our number one priority and we immediately informed Mrs Kennedy of the error that occurred in administering Poppy with her pre-procedure medication. This was quickly addressed, and Poppy received continuous monitoring throughout the day. We are very sorry for any upset and distress this situation has caused, and would also like to offer reassurances that whilst we already have robust processes in place to guard against such incidents, the case has been reviewed and appropriate findings have been implemented.”
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