CHENNAI: Angered loved ones turning against doctors when patients die while undergoing treatment is an unfortunately common occurrence in India. However, the patients in those cases are usually human. On Sunday, Kumaran Nagar police encountered the unusual case of a grieving dog-owner filing a complaint against veterinarians for the death of his beloved pets.
G J Moses, a real estate businessman, filed a complaint raising suspicions over the death of his two dogs after they were taken to the Saidapet veterinary hospital for treatment on Saturday. Police, taken aback, have taken his complaint but have decided to wait for the results of the autopsy before taking further action.
Moses, who lives at West Mambalam with his wife Lydia Padmini and their sons, said the whole family was grieving since the death of the dogs.
“We had a pomeranian named Pappu (8) who gave birth to a Dashschund crossbreed few years ago. We named that puppy Bujji (6). On Saturday around 11.30 am, Bujji came down with fever and we took her to the Saidapet Veterinary hospital. The doctors there administered an injection and she was brought home. On Saturday evening, Pappu did not eat food and fell ill. We took her to the same hospital and she was given antibiotics. However that night she died,” Moses told Express. Bujji, too, died in the early hours of Sunday.
Hospital authorities could not be reached for comment. Moses said he usually took the dogs to the veterinary hospital in Vepery but on Saturday went to the hospital at Saidapet as it was an emergency. He said that as both dogs were up to date on their vaccinations, they had rarely fallen ill.“The dogs were very active. I have suspicions about their deaths. I have given their bodies for post-mortem to the Vepery veterinary hospital and the report will be provided in 15 days,” said Moses. “Their absence has left a void in our lives. I don’t want other pets to meet the same fate. I want to know how they died, that’s my main aim. They are also living beings.”