"As soon as he brought her in the room, I completely broke down," she told Fox13 of what she's described as a living nightmare.
Chloe had had an eye irritation and was consequently given three different eye drops — totaling $260 — in the days before Monday's visit, the anguished pet owner says.
When the pooch was evaluated at the St. Petersburg Banfield Pet Hospital they allegedly cautioned that Chloe may need surgery but Hayden says she never gave the vet that kind of consent.She says she has the form to prove it.
On paperwork shared with local media and on her Facebook page, Chloe's visit on Monday is seen declared as a "follow up." It was also specified that Hayden wanted to be notified if having to pay more than $5 for any kind of treatment. The surgery, she said, cost $1,400.
Instead she got a phone call from the vet's office later in the day after dropping Chloe off, revealing Chloe's big day while her owner was away.
"...the girl on the phone says, 'I just want you to know, Chloe is doing well. She's recovering well from surgery.' I started shaking. I think I stopped breathing for a minute," Hayden recalled her reaction.
"I was like, 'Excuse me? What are you talking about? She's supposed to be there for a follow up,'" Hayden said.Banfield Pet Hospital has since apologized for the mistake while calling the surgery "medically necessary based on the severity of her condition and lack of response to therapy..."
The apology has proved to have little effect on Hayden, however, who says she plans to sue.
