Photo shows where skin had to be removed and stitched together. Drains were put in to manage the wound and keep infection at a minimum.
Brian Cox took his dog to his regular vet so they could perform knee surgery. What should have been a surgery to help his dog to be able to live a pain free life ended with a severe football-sized, third- degree burns on the dog’s body fro the heating pad used during the procedure resulting in numerous complications and pain for the dog. The burn became infected and the skin in the area fell off so you could see I could see the muscles, and tendons.
The burns were supposedly caused by an electrical malfunction in the heating pad according to the attending veterinarian. The staff claims the heating pad was on prior to the surgery, then turned off during surgery but it apparently was still heating. No one will know exactly what happened and why things went so terribly wrong because the heating pad was thrown away after the surgery.
Unfortunately this is not an isolated incident. Pets get burned by traditional heating pads quite regularly. They are left on a heating pad during surgery while under anesthesia and medications so they cannot feel the surgery being performed. The dogs and cats can therefore not feel that the pad is getting too hot and move off of it themselves as they would under normal circumstances.
There are alternatives to traditional heating pads such as hot water bottles or pads that do not self heat. The heating pad could also be warmed up and then turned off and unplugged after a few minutes in order to keep the patient warm. Some vets will wrap the dog in blankets and put the heating pad under the dog or use something else as a barrier between the pet and the heating pad. No matter what method is used someone on the staff needs to monitor the device as part of their surgical duties so that burns cannot happen. Complications can happen with any surgery but staff need to be aware of what is taking place during surgery.
Thank you for sharing this. My little Maltese was burned during dental surgery. The large 4″x 3″ black mark was unusual and when we first took her back to the vet we were told they couldn’t identify it and that it was unusual. After hair loss, redness and scabbing they determined what had happened and have been very good about treating her. She doesn’t seem to be in a lot of pain but dogs are so stoic I don’t really know. She does cry out if we actually touch by accident but eating and drinking well. Hopefully she will heal well and the hair will grow back in. We are just grateful they admitted their mistake and are doing everything they can to fix it.
I know the above article is a couple years old but I have had a horrifying incident 3 days ago where my westie was severely burned by the heating pad while under anesthesia for tooth surgery. I am so angry that this happens but they still keep using this process unbeknownst to the owners until its too late. My dog has 3rd degree burns and theres very little we can do for him. He’s in much pain and it’s killing us. I’m not law suit happy at all but this may be the only way to stop this process so no other animals get hurt.
Recently took our little x Maltese to get her teeth cleaned. When she came home she was very sore towards the back of her tummy. About 5 days later she had what looked to be a burn, about the size of a 10 cent piece. Took her to another vet they said it looked like a burn, I couldn’t understand how it could’ve happened. Anyway, within a week it had travelled up her left side, it was black and weeping u could see it had burned several layers of skin. Thinking it couldn’t get any worse it also started happening on her right side. She was in so much pain, and besides medicating her there was nothing I could do for her. Fortunately, after weeks and weeks of treament she is on the mend, but physically she will be permanently scarred, we don’t care about that she is still our little baby. I have reported the vet to The Veterinarian Board and am waiting for the Vet to reply to them.
Thanks for sharing. My cat was severely burned two months ago due to a heating pad malfunction during surgery. She had to be hospitalized 3 times afterwards with two major debridement surgeries. At least 40% of her body was covered in 3rd degree burns. She didn’t survive the night after the last debridement surgery. She had necrotic tissue all over her abdomen. This was just over this past weekend. It’s a sad and unfortunate situation. Especially since she was such a nice kitty. I hope this doesn’t happen to anyone else 🙁