Man says Pittsburgh-area emergency vet euthanized his son's lost dog without trying to contact him
A Butler County family is blaming a local emergency vet for killing their lost dog over the Fourth of July holiday.
Roy Meyerl said his son, Brandon, has owned Rowdy, a 7-year-old American bully, with his wife, Michele, since he was a pup, and like most dogs, he is scared of fireworks.
"They were having their picnic, and the neighbors next door started really blowing off some big stuff," Roy Meyerl said. "So at that time, my son went upstairs to check on the dog and check on the house, and so on, and the dog got out the front door."
Meyerl said Rowdy got loose around 9:30 p.m. on July 4.
"He ran across the street. It's happened before, so my son figured he'd come back, so he gave it a little bit. No dog, no dog, no dog," Meyerl said.
Within an hour, Meyerl said a neighbor called his son about a lost dog.
"A neighbor called and said, 'Hey, any Blue America bullies up there at all?' And this, again, this is a pit bull, but this dog will lick you to death," Meyerl said. "And at that point they said, 'Oh man,' he says, 'My neighbors, who are elderly, found the dog on their doorstep and sent it off to a vet. They drove it to a vet.'"
By 11:30 p.m., Brandon was on the phone with BluePearl in hopes of picking up Rowdy when he said he got unexpected and shocking news.
"They said, 'We're sorry, sir, we've euthanized your dog," Meyerl said.
"What is the reason the vet gave for doing that?" KDKA investigative reporter Erika Stanish asked.
"They said he was panting, and he was in distress. He was panting and hot in distress," Meyerl said.
Now, the Meyerls want answers to why the vet euthanized their dog without attempting to contact them first.
"He had a collar on. He was chipped. He had a tag on, the whole nine yards," Meyerl said. "He was here for less than three hours, and they put a needle in my dog, in our dog, and they killed our dog."
The Meyerls said Rowdy was healthy and had no prior medical issues.
"This dog will lick you to death. In my opinion, with pit bulls, it's how you raise a dog. The dog is a loving, great dog," Meyerl said.
According to paperwork provided to KDKA-TV by the family, BluePearl stated that Rowdy was brought in "after being found outside of a good Samaritan's house and panting."
A vet at BluePearl then diagnosed Rowdy, who is referred to as "Blackberry" in the paperwork, with "heat stroke" and "upper respiratory obstruction."
In a summary of treatment and procedures, the paperwork states, "No microchip was found and no collar was found for identification. Due to severely guarded to grave prognosis Blackberry was humanely euthanized."
"This is a butcher shop behind me. That's what it is. They kill dogs, and they killed our dog. That's what I want the public to know," Meyerl said. "If this dog's leg would have been hanging off, hit by a car, sure, we would have never been here. Thank you very much for putting my dog out of misery. This dog was panting from the Fourth of July, for God's sakes."
The Meryels said when they went to pick up Rowdy's remains, the vet refused to release him until they paid $320 for his "cremation/dignity package."
Meanwhile, the Meyerls said Rowdy was never cremated at all as they received and carried out his body after paying, later taking him to their own vet to be cremated. The Meyerls said they were refunded for the "cremation/dignity package."
"Yeah, so that was for putting a needle in and killing our dog. They charge us 400 bucks. Yep. Never a call. Never, 'Hey, man, I think we might have screwed up here.' What happened?" Meyerl said.
KDKA-TV reached out to BluePearl for comment. A spokesperson said they can't comment on individual cases.
KDKA-TV then asked BluePearl what its standard policy is when a lost or stray dog shows up at the vet office.
A spokesperson sent this statement: "Whenever a good Samaritan brings an animal or stray into any one of our hospitals, we make a concerted effort to locate the owner. Our routine protocol is to scan for a microchip in the first instance."
KDKA-TV then asked what steps, if any, are taken to locate an animal's owner.
"Once the patient is deemed in stable and healthy condition, if we are unable to detect a microchip, we partner with local rescue organizations to provide care until the owner is located, or a loving home is established," a BluePearl spokesperson said.
KDKA-TV asked in what case an animal would be euthanized and how quickly those decisions are made.
A spokesperson said, "In scenarios where the patient presents in advanced critical condition or with catastrophic injury, we must prioritize the welfare of the animal and make decisions that are most humane. This is in line with the commitment made by all veterinarians to ensure the prevention and relief of animal suffering."