Pet owner sues vet after she says surgical tools were left inside her dog, leading to its death

LINCOLN, R.I. (WJAR) – A pet owner in Rhode Island is suing a veterinarian after she said surgical tools were left inside her dog, ultimately leading to its premature death at just 3 years old.

Kristen Breton said she took her Saint Bernard named Princess Freckles for what should have been a routine surgery.

Breton said it was time for Princess Freckles to get spayed, but her regular veterinarian was not able to perform the surgery because the office was undergoing renovations.

“My current vet was closed because they were under construction, so I found another vet that could do her procedure,” Breton said.

So, in August 2022, Breton brought Princess Freckles to the Rhode Island Animal Medical Center, where she was spayed by Dr. Deborah Hirschmann.

Breton said at first, there was no sign that anything was wrong after the surgery.

“Everything seemed normal, there was no sign at the time that anything was clinically wrong,” she said.

But that changed over time when Princess Freckles started having stomach issues.

Breton changed her dog’s diet, thinking maybe she had a food intolerance.

But by May 2024, the symptoms turned severe.

“She started to vomit constantly, and it was getting worse,” Breton said.

She rushed her dog to Ocean State Veterinary Specialists, where she received the shocking news.

Veterinary staff took an X-ray and found that surgical scissors and gauze were left inside Princess Freckles from her spay nearly two years earlier.

The 3-year-old dog was now in kidney failure, and surgery wasn’t an option.

Breton had to say goodbye to her beloved pet.

“I just wasn’t ready. She was 3, and it was also kind of such a gross ending to her life that I was feeling incomplete,” she said.

Breton is now suing the pet hospital and the vet who performed the spay.

Breton’s lawyer, Marshall Raucci, said the case is cut and dry.

“This is a clear case of malpractice. Because the necropsy that was performed was so clear and is so glaring,” Raucci said.

Breton said she will fondly remember Princess Freckles as “like having a third daughter.”

“She just had a big personality. Everyone loved her,” Breton said.

Dr. Hirschmann was placed on a two year probation and was ordered to undergo professional training by the Rhode Island Department of Health.

The Rhode Island Animal Medical Center, where the surgery was performed, has not commented on the case.

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