BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — An Oklahoma woman's post on social media is going viral after she said she took her dog to a PetSmart store to get groomed only to learn it suffered a broken jaw.
"I'm very emotional," Tania Lara, the owner of the dog, said. "I feel scared."
Lara says in her Facebook post that about an hour after she dropped off her dog Susie to get groomed at PetSmart on Hillside Drive in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, she received a phone call from a store employee who said the dog was not doing well.
"Something really bad was going on," Lara said.
The dog owner said when she arrived at the store, the dog was bleeding and was unable to close her mouth.
"She was in a lot of pain," Lara said. "She was touching her face and she was crying."
The woman said she was told employees attempted to take Susie to the in-store vet, but the vet was busy. She adds they also told her Susie had dental problems.
Lara said she immediately took her dog to the veterinarian, who said the dog's jaw had been broken in two places.
"She [had] to be hospitalized during the weekend," Lara said. "She has a feeding tube in."
The dog underwent surgery on Monday. Lara said the hospital bills and surgery totaled around $4,500.
Lara said she tried to file a police report but was told to file a report through PetSmart corporate first.
PetSmart released the following statement:
“Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of pets while in our care. Without access to the vet records, it’s impossible for us to know what exactly contributed to Susie’s condition. We have requested these from Susie’s pet parent and are hopeful she shares that information with us. We do know that while Susie was being groomed, our associates noticed blood in her mouth. They immediately stopped the groom and rushed her to the in-store veterinarian. This vet indicated Susie had extreme periodontal disease and needed to go to a vet that could sedate her in order to assess the situation thoroughly. We also know that jaw fractures can occur in small breed dogs that have severe periodontal disease due to weakening and infection of the bone itself. We have been in contact with Susie’s pet parent and will continue offering our support while Susie recovers.”
Lara said she has yet to hear from PetSmart directly. If you'd like to help Susie with her recovery, you can clickhere.
