Q: My 13 yr old dog walked into the clinic on her own but came out later that day paralyzed. Do I have any recourse?
A: It will depend on why she was paralyzed. Just because her treatment did not go well does not necessarily mean your vet was negligent. You will need another veternarian to examine your dog and the dog's medical records to determine if he/she thinks the first vet violated the standard of care for veternarians. Then you will need to find an attorney who thinks the value of your damages are sufficient to file a lawsuit. (This doesn't mean your dog doesn't have value; I'm a dog owner myself) but Tennnessee law requires a showing of damages and the value of a dog sadly may not be enough to recover the costs of this type lawsuit. Tennessee allows someone whose pet is killed by the negligence of someone else to recover up to $5,000 in damages as compensation for the loss of the pet's "society, companionship, love and affection, but I don't think it applies to injured dogs.
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