Deadly Service

Jewel was my 15.5 year old dog.

My dog Jewel fell sick on Saturday the 13th September around mid-day. She had vomited early that morning and after that she seemed unstable on her feet. She appeared quite weak, and her gums appeared pale. We tried to feed her by ourselves to get her energy levels up but later decided to visit the vet.

The Fourways Vet Hospital was the only facility that we were aware of that operated after ours and we arrived at their doors at 6pm on Saturday. The staff was polite and after a wait a nurse took Jewel away for general assessment. She was still very weak at the time. A little while later my wife and I were ushered in by Dr. Farai Munjer. Jewel was not in the rooms, but the doctor continued with his findings.

He said that Jewel had a high fever but was otherwise fine. He advised that she had cateract and could be barely see that’s why she was stumbling around, other than that she was fine and that he would give her an injection for anti-nausea and an anti-inflammatory. At no point did we see the doctor with our dog. We were aware of Jewel’s diminished sight and hearing due to her age, but she was far from blind and a very active dog otherwise. The doctors last words were that she should be fine and if we were not happy, we could take her to our family vet on Monday.

We brought Jewel home still weak expecting a turn around. Early Sunday morning I awoke to my wife crying in the lounge, cradling Jewel as her breathing had shortened dramatically and my wife expected the worse. We waited an hour before rushing her to out Vet in Olivedale. The Vet immediately said that her tummy was very bloated, and her gums were indeed very pale as I had noticed the day before. She took Jewel for an x-ray at no cost to ensure that her prognosis was correct. She was stunned that the doctors at Fourways Vet did not pick up the severity of her condition.

She reported that Jewel has a mass that burst in her abdomen and the content of this has filled her abdominal cavity. She was in severe pain at that point there were no possible treatment. With a heavy heart my wife and I gave consent to the doctor to put her to sleep.

I am utterly disgusted by the level of treatment at Fourways Vet Clinic. It is my belief that if the cause had been identified on Saturday they might have been treatment options available but die to the miss diagnosis by Dr. Farai Munjer we were forced to put our dog down. The lack of professionalism and ridiculous prices leave very little to desire of Fourways Vet Clinic.

We have been left heart broken and angry that our dear pet could not be saved. It is my belief that if this was picked up on Saturday something could have been done to save my dog.

I will be taking this up further with the South African Veterinary Council for further investigation as I have found numerous complaints online of a similar experience with other pet owners. I will also be taking this to the local media and social platforms.