I took my beautiful German Shepard mix Sophia to the Country Care Animal Clinic in Penngrove California. She had a small hematoma develop on her left ear and they stated that surgery was our only option. We proceeded to surgery but Sophia came out looking a little different than what was originally explained to me.

I was told they would cut her ear open, cauterize the nerves, a contraption would be used to compress her ear at the hematoma site to prevent further blood pooling, a drain would be inserted, and her ear would be taped to the top of her head. Sophia came out with over 10 drains, the contraption stretched from the tip of her ear to the base of it, and her ear was stitched into her scalp on the back of her head. She was released with no antibiotics, only pain medication.

Over the next few days Sophia’s pain increased, I reached out to Country Care several times for advice and received no response. Saturday, just three days later, Sophia was rushed to the emergency room. They removed the contraption and the drains in an attempt to save her ear, however in the end nothing could save it. By Monday, her ear was almost completely blackened. By Tuesday, her tissue was beginning to tear from the base of her ear. By Wednesday, Sophia was rushed into emergency surgery. Her ear had become necrotic and was literally rotting off her head. Her beautiful ear that once stood tall and strong now laid flat against her head and so badly destroyed you could see into her ear canal through her ear flap.

Sophia battled a massive infection the following weeks after her surgery and the light in her eyes dimmed for a long time. I am thankful everyday she didn’t lose her life and that she can move on from this and live a normal life again, as some do not get as lucky. She does need modifications to her activities like head wraps to keep her ear protected from the rain, foxtails, and other foreign debris. She wears sunscreen to keep it from burning, shower caps, and regular routine cleanings. Sophia is a fearless, strong, and beautiful soul who suffered an inexcusable amount of pain for a procedure that both her emergency vet and her new general vet said didn’t need to be done in the first place.

Before you take your fur babies to any facility make sure you trust them, truly know them, ask around and listen to experiences people you trust had with them. Online reviews don’t always mean everything, trust me, I know. Every day is a constant reminder that I put my baby girl in the hands of people I thought I could trust, and I never should’ve.