CH. Castlerigg The Red Devil

July 8, 2003 - September 20, 2006

 

 

Red was a sweet, happy little guy who finished his championship quickly. On September 19, 2006 he hurt his back. I brought him to Angel Animal Medical Center in Springfield, MA. There Kirsten Piotrowski, DVM took his case. Six hours later he was dead.

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The stress and pain made him pant. If left unchecked, panting can lead to heat stroke in brachycephalic breeds as they can’t cool themselves off efficiently. Instead of cooling him down, Dr. Piotrowski put him in a warm (70 degrees) oxygen crate. The records indicate that he was left alone and unattended for at least 3 hours, during which his temperature rose to 106. Still not understanding that he needed to be cooled down, she performed a procedure (without my consent) that involved anesthetizing him with propofol, a drug which depresses respiration. The combination of high temperature and a drug that depressed the respiration in a dog already having respiratory problems caused his death. He was only three years old.

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I lost more than a dog that day. Red was the end of a valuable line that I had worked hard to establish in my breeding program. To this day, his absence is felt. I will always regret that I ever left the house with him that day.