It is a very sad day. Tondo died this afternoon January 5th and we will all miss him more than you know. He had gotten in a scuffle with a stray cat in our orchard Monday, January 3rd, and the cat bit him on his front paw. His paw became swollen so, as a precaution, Karen took him to him to our local veterinarian to have the wound treated. The veterinarian told her that they would shave the hair from his foot and clean the wound, and would follow that up with some antibiotics. This veterinarian that was going to treat Tondo was new at the Kennewick Animal Hospital and had replaced our normal veterinarian, Dr. Root, one month earlier. We did not know anything about this new veterinarian, but since this was nothing major, we left Tondo in their care to be treated.

A couple of hours had passed and Karen had expected a phone call from the hospital that would tell her to come get Tondo. This phone call did not come during the next four hours so, Karen being worried, she phoned them to tell them she was coming to pick Tondo up. This is when she heard the news that would shatter our lives. Tondo has died they said. Karen could not believe this and she immediately broke down in a sea of grief and anger. I was then called at work by Karen as she frantically told me that Tondo had died.

I immediately raced from work down to the Kennewick Animal Hospital to find out what had happened. I told them who I was and asked to see the veterinarian immediately; the staff was visibly nervous at my arrival. The doctor took me into his private office and told me that Tondo's heart had stopped and that they could not resuscitate him. When I asked why his heart would have stopped, the veterinarian told me that he had a reaction to a drug that they used to put him out for this procedure. I could not believe this; they made a decision to completely put Tondo under to clean a wound on his foot?

So it was explained to me that the drug they used was a drug from Pfizer called "Domitor." The told me that within 10 minutes of the injection, Tondo collapsed dead from heart failure. They said that they had given him the reversing drug, also from Pfizer, called "Antisedan," but he was unresponsive to it. The veterinarian said that he had already been on the phone with Pfizer and that they were requesting that Tondo be sent over to WSU (Washington State University) to have a necropsy performed. I agreed to this as I wanted to know what had gone wrong. You don't bring in your pet to the veterinarian for a minor wound and expect to have your pet die. Something went terribly wrong here. I did not wish to see him because I did not want to ever have the memory of him dead. I simply asked for his collar and tag so that I could take it home. Tears flowed from my eyes as I noticed that his collar was soaked with dried blood.

Tondo was transported at Pfizer's expense to WSU the following day. As I talked with the doctor, she told me that the FDA laws kick in when a animal dies from a drug, however, she told me that all Pfizer was asking for was to find out if Tondo was a healthy dog or if they could see any pre-existing conditions that would have contributed to his reaction. After six days, WSU called me at home and told me that their examination and lab work could not determine the cause of death and that Tondo was a healthy dog, other than the infection on his front paw.

During this time I had also called Pfizer's 800 number and they did forward me to a case worker who was handling this type of case. She gave the company line that yes, some dogs have died before from this drug and that Tondo had a reaction that was rare but none the less lethal. I wasn't buying this at all and it disturbed me that Pfizer knows that this drug is dangerous to animals and this reaction has happened before, yet they continue to promote and sell "Domitor." I asked if Pfizer had a program to compensate families whose pets died from their drug. She said they did offer a maximum of $1000.00 that you could apply for, but in her 12 years with Pfizer this amount has never been awarded. Legal action was in the back of my mind, however. Realistically, my attorney said the amount of money required to bring a company like Pfizer to court would not be worth it. I did apply for the money and have yet to hear back from them.

Ten days after the death of Tondo, we arranged a meeting after hours at our veterinarian's clinic to discuss closure. While the veterinarian assures me they did everything right, he admits that this drug did kill him. Karen really gave him a piece of her mind about this and she just broke down once again so I continued with the meeting. I was very careful not to accuse the veterinarian as he seems like an honest man, but it was clear he would not take responsibility for this either.

I asked him to bring closure to our family and at least pay for the replacement cost of Tondo. Obviously no amount of money will bring him back and replace the hole in our hearts from this loving Shepherd, but we felt that something must be done. The veterinarian agreed as a goodwill gesture to reimburse us for the cost we paid for Tondo which was $750.00. He was reluctant to do this even though we told him that we were not seeking legal action. Am option we had considered was to stand on the public sidewalk in front of his practice and protest with a large sign. We were fully prepared to do this. Legal action is very difficult because of the permission-to-treat paper you sign nowadays any time your animal, or even your child, is treated at a hospital.

A couple of closing thoughts. I think that Pfizer needs to immediately change the warning label for the use of "Domitor." Pet owners should know about the deaths this drug has caused and veterinarian's should search out safer alternatives. Also, I believe that Tondo was not monitored closely enough after he was given the injection, I was not there in the room, but something did go wrong and I do not believe it was a reaction, but rather an overdose. I also would like to thank Carol Veitenheimer, owner and breeder at Ca-Ji Shepherds, for her love, compassion, and support through this difficult time. Tondo was so very special to us and taken away too soon. We are thankful for the three wonderful years he gave to our family and for that we will never forget him. We will always hold a special place in our heart for Tondo.

Give your dog a hug because I would give anything to hug him just one more time.