An animal hospital in Central Florida is under fire amid allegations it misdiagnosed a dog's illness than led to the animal's death weeks later, according to a Problem Solvers investigation.
The report featured Russell Freels and his pet Rottweiler, Tut.
"Tut was actually stillborn," Freels said. "We did cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him as a puppy."
Tut survived his birth and lived a good life until recently, Local 6 reporter Steven Cooper said.
Freels noticed the dog was having trouble moving around.
Tut was on a health plan with Banfield Pet Hospital at a Petsmart in Oveido, Fla. The plan covered checkup, dental cleaning, lab work, vaccines and other routine health issues.
Reports from Banfield Pet Hospital indicated the hospital examined Tut on March 11, 18 and 29.
"They told me my dog was healthy," Freels said. "No problems. They said it was hip displacia and then I took him to another vet and they told me he had cancer."
The visit to the other veterinarian came just days after Tut's last recorded exam at Banfield and there is no indication of the cancer on Banfield's report, the report said.
Dr. Alex Suero is the veterinarian who diagnosed the cancer.
"I suppose it was going on for months, Suero said. "So, I suppose if the dog had been checked within the time period -- that should have been diagnosed. It appeared to be osteosarcoma. It could have been a number of other aggressive bone tumors."
Freels even went for a third opinion from a veterinarian.
Since the dog's death, Freels has accused Banfield of misdiagnosing his dog. He said a correct diagnosis could have bought Tut more time, the report said.
"No one is sure how long Tut could have survived," Cooper said. "We do know Banfield did not detect a neurological disorder that Suero said was key in diagnosing the cancer."
"It should have been diagnosed months prior," Suero said.
Banfield did X-rays on the dog but when Freels asked to see the film of Tut's hindquarters where the cancer should have been visible, he said the veterinarian, Dr. Scott Swetnam, tried to mislead him, Cooper said.
Freels claims Swetnam gave him an X-ray of another dog.
"We can't confirm the origin of the X-ray in question but the two other vets confirm that the X-ray Russell said he got from Banfield does not match the one taken by Suero," Cooper said. "It is the X-ray of a pup and not a 10-year-old. It's the X-ray of a dog with a tail and not a Rottweiler."
Tut died about three weeks after he was diagnosed with cancer.
"He was my kid so you know, it is a major loss," Freels said.
Banfield declined our request for an interview but in a written statement, the company said it has no way of evaluating Russell's claims because it has not been allowed to review all of the medical records, Cooper said.
"You should know that we did comply with Banfield's request to see records and faxed the company several pages," Cooper said. "Dr. Swetnam has offered Freels a settlement for $400 with three pages of stipulations. Russell has declined."
Cooper said the Problem Solvers have received other calls from pet owners about the company.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
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