Mum takes dog in for routine check-up only for beloved pet to attack and rip off her lip
Ellen Grace, 43, from West Sussex, endured serious facial injuries after her pet Daisy bit her during a routine check up at a vets. She claims the vet didn't fix her muzzle properly
A mum has issued a warning to dog owners after she took her pet for a routine check up - and left with a part of her lip missing.
Ellen Grace, 43, from Littlehampton, West Sussex, visited Stellar Vets in Littlehampton with her German Shepherd-Rottweiler cross, Daisy. Her beloved pet had been displaying signs of distress and not eating properly. The pet owner said that her dog became increasingly restless and distressed during the examination.
She explained that she bent down to "make sure she was ok" because she was wriggling and yelping in pain. But when she bent down, Daisy managed to slip out of the muzzle before jumping up and biting Ellen on the lips. Ellen believes the muzzle wasn't secured properly by the vet and said they first attempted to put it on when they first arrived.
Stellar Vets confirmed that "Daisy was muzzled securely with a mikki muzzle of the correct size." A spokesperson further explained that she acted "incredibly unpredictably" and managed to get the muzzle off.
READ MORE: Shoppers praise BaByliss Air Wand and brand it 'best hair styling item'Ellen recalled speaking to the vet about the muzzle and said: "I said, ‘It doesn’t look like it’s on properly,’ but he insisted it was fine." A significant portion of Ellen’s bottom lip was missing, and her top lip suffered major lacerations. “I didn’t realize the extent at first but then I looked down and there was just blood everywhere," she added.
She was then rushed to A&E in Worthing, where her injuries were cleaned and treated. She was later transferred to Chichester Hospital’s maxillofacial department, where her lip was stitched up. Ellen said: “I fainted halfway through and came round with an oxygen mask on me – it was excruciating.”
The police were informed, and a dog handler assessed Daisy. Ellen says police confirmed Daisy was not dangerous, and that the incident was a result of the dog being in a high stress situation. Ellen says the veterinary practice has questions to answer – particularly with regards to her claim that the muzzle was not put on properly.
Ellen added: “They didn’t even call to check if I was okay.” When she emailed on January 2 to express her disgust and mention legal action, the vet claimed such an incident had never happened in 35 years and offered an apology. The woman has since reported the incident to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and sought legal advice. The physical scars from the incident are permanent, with part of her bottom lip missing and her lips stretched during surgery to close the wounds.
“I haven’t left the house for two weeks – it’s been so traumatic,” she said. Determined to prevent similar incidents, she is raising awareness about the importance of proper procedures and safety measures in veterinary clinics. This should never happen to anyone else. If things were handled differently, I don’t think this would have happened, it was awful.”
A spokesperson for Stellar Vets told The Mirror: "Stellar Vets takes the health and safety of both our staff and clients incredibly seriously at all times. I can confirm that Daisy was brought to us for a consultation. During that consultation, after the vet had been examining Daisy's head and neck Ellen Grace informed us that she had been having behavioural problems with Daisy.
"Daisy had been in an altercation in a shop causing damage and that she had been lunging at people and cyclists on walks. After being given this information we advised that Daisy should be muzzled. Daisy was muzzled securely with a mikki muzzle of the correct size. After successfully taking Daisy's temperature with the muzzle on. It was decided that Daisy's anal glands should be checked.
"It was during this checking of the anal glands, a very common procedure that our vet has performed tens of thousands of times, that Daisy reacted incredibly unpredictably and managed to get both the muzzle off and bite Ellen on her lips. This all happened in a split second. Unfortunately no muzzle is 100% efficient 100% of the time.
"We immediately applied first aid to Ellen and made sure her partner was informed. He arrived within minutes and took her to A & E immediately.We can not stress how sorry we are this freak accident occurred. It all happened so fast and is so unusual that our vet has also had mental health issues dealing with it."