By Caitlyn Meisner | cmeisner@alextimes.com
The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria said in a news release on Monday that following a review of a necropsy – or an animal autopsy – there was no wrongdoing found by a Potomac Yard PetSmart employee in the deaths of three dogs in late June.
Clark, a 3-year-old Aussiedoodle, was the first reported death on June 29 following a two-day stay at the PetSmart PetsHotel. Clark was not cremated, so a necropsy was performed on him to find the cause of death. The other two dogs were cremated, so a necropsy cannot be performed on either of them.
The report showed there was a serious medical issue present in Clark’s body; due to the severity of the infection, it was determined the infection was likely present before his stay at the PetsHotel. The report stated Clark’s illness was advanced and he said bacteria in his lungs, thymus, liver, spleen, thyroid gland, adrenal gland, kidneys, heart, bladder and brain.
“The level of bacteria present in Clark’s body was highly unlikely to have occurred in the time frame in which Clark was in the custody of the PetSmart PetsHotel. Furthermore, according to the veterinarian, the onset of physical symptoms related to the illness would have been sudden and worsened rapidly,” the release from AWLA stated.
Despite these findings, AWLA also said they do not believe the care these dogs received in late June was “of an exceptional caliber,” since there were between 100 and 160 animals and only four or five care staff present at any given time. After reviewing the necropsy results with the Commonwealth’s Attorney, they deemed there was not enough evidence to charge anyone.
“It was determined that since Clark had a pre-existing medical condition and that medical care was sought by PetSmart staff for Clark, there is insufficient evidence to charge PetSmart or any of its staff with a violation of the Virginia animal care codes and no criminal proceedings will be filed in this matter,” the release said.
AWLA said they will be making recommendations to the PetsHotel to increase staffing or limit the number of animals in the facility based on current staffing levels. They will also recommend that PetSmart have a licensed veterinary technician on staff to monitor the health of the animals.
PetSmart provided a statement to the Times in light of the necropsy report:
“As pet lovers ourselves, we are incredibly sad to learn of Clark’s pre-existing condition that led to his passing. We take pride in our level of care and are pleased that the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria confirmed our findings that PetSmart did not have any wrongdoing in these matters. While the investigation’s findings do not bring Clark, Lily or Blu back, we hope their families find comfort in the closure.”