Owner questions veterinary treatment

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (WTNH) -- A puppy treated for Mange at the Bridgeport Veterinary Hospital died and the puppy's owner believes the veterinary hospital played a role in his death.

To say Sheri Polzella is a dog person would be an understatement. They are her children. She adopted a fifth for her pack from the Bridgeport pound but only had him a week.

"You never want to lose your pets, you certainly never want to lose a puppy, you know a little puppy who wanted to live. You know you look into his eyes and he just fought so hard," Polzella said.

Now, his ashes sit on her shelf.

First found in his litter on the streets, the puppy was treated for Mange at the Bridgeport Veterinary Hospital.

Pictures show he came out with open sores lining his skin and without antibiotics.

"When barkley's blood from him shaking his head, his ears, the blood splattered on the wall," Polzella said.

"It was the worst case I've ever seen. He had no hair basically at all," Dr. Kristina Matz, a Cheshire Veterinarian, said.

In Cheshire, Dr. Matz saw Barkley after the Bridgeport doctor when Barkley developed Parvovirus also known as Parvo.

"You know, it's unfortunate that he developed the Parvo on top of it because we probably could have worked through the Mange," Dr. Matz said.

Polzella said she tried to call here several times to see what drugs Barkley took, but never got a call back.

"They didn't leave me with any medical records or antibiotics, no discharge, anything," Polzella said.

News 8 called Bridgeport Veterinary Hospital asking to talk with the doctor. The office said they knew barkley's case, but declined to comment.

"I definitely believe there's something going on there that has to be investigated," Polzella said.

She says Barkley's litter mates were treated here and are also coping with Parvo, a disease the doctor says can be contracted anywhere.

"Because I don't know exactly what he was treated with, so for me to say that it was something done wrong, I wouldn't feel comfortable saying that," Dr. Matz said.