A Coral Springs man is searching for answers after his dog became paralyzed while staying at a local animal-boarding business.
Frank Massaro, 26, said he brought his four-year-old Labrador Retriever-Shar Pei mix named Tux to VCA Coral Springs Pet Resort and Medical Center at 11555 West Sample Rd. for a multi-night stay beginning May 1. When Massaro picked up his best friend several days later, Tux’s legs were paralyzed.
“We brought him in, and he was 100 percent healthy, and when we picked him up, he couldn’t walk,” Massaro told Coral Springs Talk.
Massaro had dropped Tux off for three nights of boarding at VCA, a national animal hospital chain, before traveling to Tallahassee with family to attend his brother’s graduation from Florida State University. The playful Tux did not have any health issues when he arrived at VCA, could run and jump, and required no medical care, Massaro said.
On May 3, Massaro said he received a text from VCA personnel saying Tux could not walk on one of his legs following his morning outing.
“A few hours later, they let us know he couldn’t walk at all,” Massaro said.
VCA recommended Tux be taken to a specialty facility and Massaro agreed. When Massaro returned to South Florida to pick up his dog, the once-sprightly Tux could no longer stand.
Massaro said he was sitting on a curb outside VCA with his paralyzed dog, “trying to find where to bring him and what to do,” as the dog defecated on himself due to losing control of his bladder.
The heartbroken dog dad said his treatment by VCA personnel only made things worse.
“They didn’t care at all, and just all left the office, one by one, stepping over us on the curb as they walked to their car to go home,” Massaro said. “I’m left stranded there, no help, with my paralyzed dog defecating on himself.”
Massaro said VCA has not provided him with any explanation about how or why his dog became paralyzed.
“Now I’m left with over $7,500 in vet bills, and they keep going,” said Massaro, whose dog still cannot walk. “Still no answers.”
Massaro has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for Tux’s medical care.
VCA Animal Hospitals indicated it had taken proper steps to help Tux.
In a written statement to Coral Springs Talk, the company said, “Our initial investigation shows there were multiple conversations between Mr. Massaro about Tux’s condition while in our care.”
“Early on, we provided Mr. Massaro with multiple recommendations and included diagnostics and treatments prior to and after the decline of Tux’s mobility,” the statement reads. “In the end, after VCA medical professional and management expressed the seriousness of Tux’s condition, Mr. Massaro agreed to our veterinarian’s recommendation to allow Tux to be transported to the right specialty facilities.”
Massaro said VCA personnel wouldn’t allow Tux back inside the business after he picked up his paralyzed dog and was unsure where to go next.
But VCA, in its statement, said its doors are open to Massaro and Tux.
“The care of pets is our highest priority, and we take client concerns very seriously,” the company said.
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Author Profile
- Kevin Deutsch is an award-winning crime journalist and author. A graduate of Florida International University, Kevin has worked on staff at The Miami Herald, New York Daily News, and The Palm Beach Post.
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