A Mahopac couple blames five veterinarians for the death of their dog, Kiya, a female Pharaoh Hound, claiming that the doctors misdiagnosed and mistreated her.
Neil and Susan Belloff accused the doctors and VCA Animal Hospitals Inc., the parent company of Katonah-Bedford Veterinary Center where Kiya was treated, of malpractice, in a April 11 complaint filed in Westchester Supreme Court.
“Kiya was injured and needlessly suffered and died,” the complaint states, “as a result of defendants’ failure to adhere to the accepted standards of care.”
VCA spokesman Joseph P. Campbell declined to comment on active litigation but stated, “Our top priority is the health and well-being of pets under our care.”
Pharaoh Hounds are large hunting dogs, the national dog of Malta and rare in the United States. The Belloffs bought Kiya from a breeder in 2009, according to the complaint, and she quickly bonded with the couple and their three children.
By spring 2019 — when Kiya would have been about 10 years old — they claim she was an active dog with no health problems.
But in May 2019 they noticed blood in Kiya’s urine and took her to Katonah-Bedford Veterinary Center.
Dr. Emily Franquin tested her, according to the complaint, detected a mass in her bladder, diagnosed an aggressive bladder cancer, and advised the Belloffs that there was no cure.
Dr. Christine Merrick recommended chemotherapy to slow the disease’s progression, the complaint states, and give Kiya “additional weeks of life.”
By July 2019, Kiya could not bear weight on her left hind leg. Dr. Philippe Labelle, a radiologist for VCA affiliate Antech Diagnostics, ran X-rays and diagnosed a fractured femur “due to what he confidently believed was bone cancer.”
He allegedly advised that the leg could not be repaired because of the cancer and said their choice was to amputate the leg or euthanize Kiya.
Drs. Franquin and Dennis Ting saw no evidence of cancer on the X-rays, the Belloffs claim, but declined to conduct more testing and deferred to Dr. Labelle as the expert
Dr. Ting amputated Kiya’s leg on July 21, 2019.
About a month later, the Belloffs say, biopsy results revealed no evidence of bone cancer in the amputated leg.
Kiya was taken off chemo in August 2019 to allow her to recover from the amputation, but after a new ultrasound test showed that the bladder tumor had shrunk she was put back on chemo.
In October 2019, Kiya had swelling and fluid around her sternum. Dr. Justin Nowowiejski diagnosed a likely hematoma, according to the complaint, and recommended warm compresses and monitoring. Dr. Franquin allegedly told the Belloffs that the swelling would resolve in less than two weeks.
Two weeks later, Kiya had a softball-sized mass on her left shoulder, difficulty breathing and “even greater distress than before,” the complaint states. The veterinary practice allegedly sent her back home for continued monitoring and warm compresses.
On Nov. 11, 2019, the Belloffs took Kiya to Cornell University Veterinary Specialists in Stamford, Connecticut, where she was diagnosed with an aggressive blood cancer. There were no treatment options.
Kiya was euthanized on Nov. 25, 2019.
A postmortem examination found no evidence of bladder cancer.
Unnecessary treatments led to an agonizing death, the Belloffs allege, and failure to diagnose blood cancer resulted in failure to administer treatments that could have saved her life.
The Belloffs accused the veterinarians of professional malpractice, gross negligence and infliction of severe emotional distress. They charged VCA Animal Hospitals and Antech Diagnostics with vicarious liability for the actions of the doctors. They are demanding unspecified damages.
Manhattan attorney Alexander Sakin represents the Belloffs.
