Cedar City couple demands answers after dog mistakenly euthanized

Cody and Amy Zylks say their dog Lilly was given a euthanasia injection instead of an allergy shot at a Cedar City animal hospital. The couple is now demanding answers and considering legal action after the mix-up at Southern Utah Animal Hospital.

The Zylks were already grieving the recent death of their 16-year-old dog Remy when Cody brought Lilly to the clinic, according to the couple. He said he was dropping off Remy’s body for cremation and had also set up an appointment for Lilly to receive an allergy shot.

Cody said he confirmed the appointment details with the receptionist, who verified Lilly’s name and the purpose of the visit. He then took Lilly into an examination room, where he said the staff engaged in routine small talk as the veterinarian administered what Cody believed was the allergy injection.

“Nothing out of the norm, just the same, how we always get the allergy shot, so then he started administering the shot, and she started to go limp, and I asked them, I said, ‘What is going on? Why is she going limp?'” Cody said.

When the vet told him it had been a euthanasia shot, Cody said he collapsed to the floor.

“I fell to the floor because I just couldn’t believe that they euthanized the dog, and I was very upset, and I started to yell, and I just said, ‘Why did you euthanize the dog? That was supposed to be an allergy shot,'” Cody described.

Cody said the veterinarian was cold and unconcerned, and he remembered the vet allegedly saying, “Well, we can’t fix it now; we can just buy you a new dog.”

“I don’t want a new dog. I don’t want a replacement. You can’t replace the dog that you took from me,” Cody said he replied. “That is my baby, and you just, you can’t do that.”

According to Cody, the vet and staff told him the mistake happened because they had been scheduled to euthanize a cat at the same time, but that appointment did not show up, so they mixed up the shots.

Amy said the vet later called her to apologize, but she described his demeanor as unconcerned. “It was like he ruined our shirt, not just took our dog,” she said.

Dr. Zachary Francisco, the veterinarian, released a statement explaining his perspective. He said Cody brought the dog to the office alongside another dog that was to be cremated. While Francisco was in surgery, a technician told him there was a euthanasia to be done, and he said he would come to the front after completing the surgery.

About 20 minutes later, Francisco said he went into the examination room and asked Cody if he was ready. Francisco claims that Cody said he was ready, and then Francisco said, “you are welcome to be up at the table with us as we do this if you would like.” He said Cody did not respond, and he went forward with the euthanasia.

“It was only after the euthanasia was completed that he stated we were supposed to only be giving an allergy injection, not a euthanasia,” Francisco said.

“I admit that a major error occurred and would like to express my sincerest apologies to the Zylks family,” Francisco stated. “I will ensure that nothing like this will ever happen again. We would like to emphasize that our clinic does everything we can for the preservation of life for every animal that is brought into our facility.”

The couple said they don’t have children and have raised their dogs like family members. Amy described Lilly as “the light of everybody’s life” who brought comfort and joy to everyone.

“She just knows what people need, and she’s there to just help deliver what they need to comfort them,” Amy said. “She’s just the sweetest, loving dog, and she gave every day of her life just to love everyone.”

Since the incident, the Zylks have not been contacted by the animal hospital, and they have not reached out either. The couple said they want to raise awareness about the importance of verifying what veterinarians are doing during appointments.

“We’re trying to make sure that people are educated to really pay attention when they go to the vet, make sure that they ask questions, question everything, make sure that they know what’s going on,” Cody said. “Just because something seems routine or you’ve been to the vet for a long time and you feel like you can trust them, double-check.”

The Zylks are considering getting an attorney.

“If this is what it takes for this not to happen to another family, then that’s the road that we’re going to go down, because we don’t wish this on anybody else,” Amy said.

Cody and Amy also had a message for Lilly. “I just want to thank her for all the time that we had and all of the memories that she shared and all of the love that she’s given us,” Cody said. Amy added, “We were honored to be her pet parents.”