Dog nearly dies after medication mix-up at metro pharmacy, owner says

NORTH FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — A Roswell dog rescue owner is warning pet owners to be careful after she said her dog nearly died because a pharmacist gave him the wrong medication.

Carolyn O’Brien, of Two Tailz Rescue, said her dog, Ruger, had his leg amputated last year after years of abuse.

"(He) contracted a pretty horrible infection, and that infection showed that one antibiotic would fight it," she told Channel 2's Mike Petchenik.

O’Brien said she brought the prescription to a Kroger Pharmacy on Holcomb Bridge Road.

“They said they didn’t have it and said they’d order it within 24 hours, so I picked it up and gave Ruger his first dose,” she said.

By the time he’d had his second dose, O’Brien said Ruger began to act strangely.

“He couldn’t walk, he couldn’t hold his head up, his body was tremoring,” she said.

Dr. Byron Hawkins, of the Animal Emergency Center of North Fulton, told Petchenik he was surprised when O’Brien handed him the bottle of pills she’d received.

“When I looked at the bottle, it was not an antibiotic,” he said. “I thought it was a drug we’d use in large animals for … malaria.”

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Hawkins told Petchenik the consequence could have been liver failure leading to death.

The prescription was for a drug called chloraphenicol, but the pharmacist gave Ruger chloroquine.

“I don’t know if it was a handwriting error or an interpretation error,” said Hawkins.

After several days of intensive care, O’Brien said Ruger recovered and she went back to Kroger to let them know what happened.

“The local pharmacy was apologetic and embarrassed, verging on horrified,” she said.

O’Brien said after multiple calls to Kroger’s corporate office, she received a form letter apologizing for what happened and thanking her for her business.

“As much as I appreciate that, I’m still out thousands of dollars in vet bills,” she said. “I’m not asking for a whole lot here. I’m just asking for a corporation that’s proved to be responsible in the past to please take responsibility for what they did incorrectly.”

Petchenik reached out to Kroger’s corporate communications team and received the following statement:

“We understand the bond our customers share with their pets. We have reached out to the customer to apologize and provide assistance. 

Safety procedures are in place to help prevent this type of situation and we are working with our pharmacy team to ensure these best practices are followed. The safety and health of our customers, their family and their pets are our top priority and we will continue to work to ensure we are doing all we can to provide the highest level of safety procedures and service.”

O’Brien told Petchenik nobody has offered her any assistance as of Thursday.

“Check your prescription,” said O’Brien. “Check it twice, triple check it and check it again.”

Cox Media Group