FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A South Florida woman is heartbroken after claiming a botched blood transfusion at a local animal hospital led her to euthanize her beloved cat. The veterinarian in charge denies any wrongdoing, but the woman insists the mistake was fatal.
Sherry Kwartler-Darcy, a Fort Lauderdale resident, described the anguish of losing her 11-year-old cat, Robert.
“We spent close to 30 thousand dollars trying to save his life, we put him through all the treatments and everything, for them to make such a horrible mistake and torture our baby,” Kwartler-Darcy said.
Kwartler-Darcy recounted how she was holding it together while caring for her other cats, but the loss of Robert has devastated her.
“I still have nightmares that this happened to him because it was murder, I mean torture and murder. I had to euthanize him but so that I didn’t let them continue to torture him any longer, I didn’t have a choice,” she said.
In March, Robert was diagnosed with cancer after experiencing trouble breathing. Kwartler-Darcy made the decision to fight for his life, stating, “He was weak and sick from chemo but he was doing well, he was doing the best that he could under the circumstances and the tumors were shrinking.”
The family moved back and forth between Animal Cancer Care Clinic in Fort Lauderdale for chemotherapy treatments and Leader Animal Specialty Hospital in Hollywood for emergency fluid drains. However, Robert soon needed a blood transfusion.
“A lot of people might have put him to sleep but they’re our children and we’re not going to give up on him; we didn’t do all the chemo for nothing,” Kwartler-Darcy said.
While the first portion of the transfusion went smoothly, things took a turn for the worse.
“The pictures were showing him like crouched in the corner looking terrified, looking weak, lethargic, like I know my cat and I’m like that doesn’t look good! I want to speak to one of the doctors, someone needs to call,” she said.
She was not prepared for what she heard next.
“Dr. Horgan, the owner, said he had integrity and he told my husband that unfortunately, somebody hooked Robert up to dog blood,” Kwartler-Darcy recalled, adding, “He’s fighting cancer, he’s compromised from the chemotherapy, and now you gave him dog blood?!”
Leader Animal Specialty Hospital did not respond to requests for an on-camera interview but sent an email stating that Robert’s condition was due to “an end-stage terminal illness” and that “despite our best efforts, no treatment would have changed the outcome.”
“It’s a mistake that should never have been made, it’s complete negligence and malpractice,” Kwartler-Darcy said. She also noted, “And the admission of guilt is the discount from the blood, why would you discount just the blood? That’s like the stupidest thing, it tells the story!”
Kwartler-Darcy claims the refund she received was for the blood transfusion mistake. When she complained about having to pay anything at all, she was offered a release to sign for $3,086.92, absolving the hospital of any responsibility for Robert’s treatment.
“It actually said on the form that they were in no way responsible for anything that happened to Robert. I couldn’t believe it. That was when I decided now you have a war,” she said.
She paid for an independent review by Veterinary Malpractice Consultants, which sided in her favor. Kwartler-Darcy found a 1.9 out of 5 rating on the Better Business Bureau reviews for Leader Animal Specialty Hospital, with comments from others expressing their dissatisfaction.
“Taking my cat to Leader was one of the worst decisions I ever made!” one reviewer wrote.
“The worst experience at a veterinary establishment I’ve ever had,” another added.
Additionally, Kwartler-Darcy claimed that she received a note from a hospital worker that read, “I feel like we failed you and Robert in the end.”
“He wanted to live, and if he got the cat blood the way he was supposed to, I would probably have him here right now,” Kwartler-Darcy said.
Local 10′s Animal Advocate Jacey Birch reported on the incident, noting that cats have three blood types, while dogs have at least a dozen, emphasizing the importance of proper blood transfusions.
After numerous attempts to contact Leader Animal Specialty Hospital, there was no admission of wrongdoing regarding the blood transfusion.
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