Man files complaint after dog dies following Hoover boarding stay
By Lisa Crane
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BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (WVTM) — A Birmingham man said he filed a complaint with the Alabama Veterinary Board after his dog got sick at a Hoover boarding facility and later died. He claims it was a tragedy that could’ve been avoided.
Wilson Archer brought his boxer named Bruno to Pet Paradise on Tattersall Boulevard in late March as he left for a spring break trip. When he returned five days later, he said Bruno was very sick and died within 18 hours.
Before that vacation, Bruno was a happy, healthy 2-and-a-half-year-old boxer. To his owner, he was more like a child than a pet.
Wilson Archer said, “He loved to lick people, the boxer lick.”
After Archer returned from vacation, he picked Bruno up from Pet Paradise. He said at that point Bruno was clearly very ill, and he pointed that out to workers at the facility.
Archer said. “He could barely walk, super lethargic. He was hot to the touch. He smelled like he’d been lying in urine. I said something to them, and they took his temperature, and they told me he was normal, and he was just tired.”
Archer took Bruno to an emergency vet; they sent him to Auburn’s Veterinary Hospital. Bruno died the next day.
Archer said, “The hardest part about everything was coming home after we left Auburn and having to pack his bed.”
According to Bruno’s necropsy report, he died from pneumonia caused by E. coli in his lungs. Archer said if the vet at Pet Paradise had noticed Bruno’s decline, he might be alive today.
“They could have given him some oral antibiotics. We’re never notified. They never called us. They never sought outside vet care, never gave him a vet evaluation,” Archer said.
Archer said he filed a complaint with the Alabama Veterinary Board, which is investigating.
We reached out to Pet Paradise and received this statement:
“We were deeply saddened to learn of Bruno’s passing, and our hearts are with the Archer family during this difficult time.
At Pet Paradise, we take every concern raised by a pet parent seriously. Because this involves an individual pet care, we aren’t able to comment on the specific circumstances or discuss operational details related to Bruno’s stay.
We have cooperated with the appropriate regulatory authorities and remain committed to providing a safe, healthy, and loving environment for every pet entrusted to our care.”
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