9 Investigates dog deaths at county-run animal shelter

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — 9 Investigates uncovered animals dying or in need of intense care after surgeries residents paid for at Orange County Animal Services.

In the last two months, Channel 9 learned two dogs died after being spayed, and a third is still receiving treatment after what some are calling a ‘botched’ operation.

Miniature pinscher ‘Dawn’ has been hospitalized twice in the last month after a failed spay attempt at Orange County Animal Services.

Notes from the taxpayer-funded clinic show due to an abnormal mass known as an adhesion, the veterinarian ‘closed in routine fashion’ and noted ‘follow up immediately for surgical correction’ instead of completing the surgery.

Phoenix Rising Rescue Coordinator Sharon Sutter spent $1,400 at a private veterinarian to save the dog.

“They just simply sewed her back up and demanded we come and get her,” Sutter said.

Shelter officials said the OCAS Clinic is not meant to be a full-service veterinary office, and that most of the spay and neuter operations handled there are successful.

More than 6,500 animals have been sterilized without problems at the clinic since October 2015.

However, shelter coordinators say, like Dawn, most of the animals they treat have no medical history, making it hard to predict a surgical outcome until the animal is on the operating table.

“The majority are successful, that's not to say when we do lose an animal or have an unexpected outcome it's not heartbreaking,” OCAS Communications Coordinator Diane Summers said.

Channel 9’s Karla Ray found that includes ‘Sienna’, a dog who shelter veterinarians deemed fit for a spay while pregnant.

She was found dead inside a kennel hours later.

Hours after another dog, named ‘Tully,’ was taken home with her would-be adopter, she had to be euthanized at an emergency clinic.

Documents from the shelter’s veterinarian noted complications during Tully’s spay, an abnormal bleeding five days later, no checkups in between, and no warning to Sniffing Snouts Rescue until the night of the dog’s release.

“We’re a rescue, we’re not in the business of putting dogs down,” Heather Henderson with Sniffing Snouts Rescue told Eyewitness News.  “They’re falling short.”

In response, Orange County leaders are now working on a quality assurance review process to better explain poor outcomes when they happen.

“We want to be completely open with reviewing our processes,” Summers said.

Officials tell us the review process will allow all three of the shelter’s veterinarians and outside veterinarians to review cases after an unexpected outcome.

OCAS Statement in Response to the Development of Enhanced Quality Assurance Process -

“The care and well-being of all animals in the custody of Orange County Animal Services (OCAS) is of the utmost importance. We are currently expanding our quality assurance review process to create a forum that will allow shelter veterinarians to review individual cases after an unexpected outcome at their request, the request of OCAS, or the community. This enhancement will welcome feedback and observations from outside veterinary staff who treated a shelter animal post release and provide a response to those with questions regarding animal care. It will also offer valuable information to the shelter.

OCAS is an open-admission shelter designed to accept all animals that are homeless, stray and quarantined. As a result, the shelter serves as a triage center and it’s important to remember that an animal's condition upon admission is a result of the environment in which they lived and not a reflection of shelter care. While many animals are healthy and ideal candidates for adoption, others reflect the results of egregious neglect and profound abuse. All animals are evaluated for adoption, treatment, rescue and foster services. Without past veterinary care or access to records, some needs are apparent, others underlying. In few cases, these conditions are discovered during general spay and neuter procedures. Despite compassionate efforts by veterinarians and staff, some conditions are too extreme and result in the animal’s passing or humane euthanasia.

OCAS has a wonderful community network which includes the support of many local veterinarians and rescue partners who come forward time and time again to help us give animals a second chance at a healthy life whenever possible. For that, we are grateful.”

Cox Media Group