4-Year-Old Dog Comes Home With Dislocated Hip After Grooming Session At KL Pet Store

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Warning: This story contains footage of animal injuries. Viewer discretion is advised.

Facebook user Nicholas Wolv took to his page on 26 November, claiming that his four-year-old Pomeranian got its hip dislocated during a grooming session at Petsmore in Setapak Central Mall.

He wrote, "On Saturday, 20 November, my mum and I sent our pet, Pax, for dental treatment at Petsmore Setapak Central at 10.45am, with a fixed appointment."

He said they watched as the groomer took their dog and strapped him to a grooming table before they left to hang about in the mall.

They also told the cashier to call them if they needed anything in regards to Pax.

Unfortunately, when they returned the second time ready to wait at the store until Pax's treatment was over, they heard a dog screaming from inside the groomer's room.

"Mum and I found out that Pax was screaming, but yet the groomer was continuing with the treatment. After Pax was done with his treatment, the cashier boy handed over Pax to us while he was still screaming," wrote Nicholas.

When the mother and son duo asked the staff if Pax fell during the session, they both denied and said Pax most likely had a previous injury.

Trying to figure out why their dog was still crying, they placed Pax on the floor and realised he was limping and screaming in pain.

Both the groomer and the cashier then told Nicholas and his mother that Pax must have a dislocated knee. However, Nicholas said his dog has never been diagnosed with a knee problem in all previous visits to the vet.

Unsure of what to do next, they left the store with Pax and went home.

After a consultation and a scan, the vet told Nicholas and his mother that Pax has a newly-dislocated right hip bone and a ruptured ligament.

The vet also said they will try a simple procedure the next morning to pop Pax's hip bone back into the socket. If the procedure is not successful, the dog may need to undergo surgery.

That evening, Nicholas said the Petsmore cashier called his mother to enquire about Pax. During the call, he said the staff also tried to explain that the groomer "found out that Pax had some complications with his hip bone during his treatment and tried to fix it".

However, Nicholas said the staff have continually refused to admit that Pax got his hip dislocated during the appointment.

Even with a police report in hand, Nicholas said Petsmore initially refused to hand over any CCTV footage, and they had to return with a police escort.

"At this time, a lady, who is the operational manager, still refused to hand over the footage, but the officer told them they had no choice," Nicholas said, and the store finally handed a recording over.

At home, they watched the CCTV footage but were still unable to ascertain anything.

"The CCTV footage showed that Pax appeared in a flash at 11.51am on the floor," Nicholas wrote.

The owner said the dog can also then be seen running around the grooming room before getting caught by a groomer who put him on her lap and tried "fixing his bone".

"After that, the groomer appears to carry him back to one of the big basins. That was when we arrived at 12.30pm at the centre to find the groomer continuing with Pax's treatment while he was still screaming in agony."

When Nicholas' mother called the Petsmore branch, the staff told her that they did not have any other angles of the incident.

Heading to the store to obtain some other information, Nicholas said his mother was then approached by the Petsmore division head, who tried to convince her to settle the issue quickly.

The man promised that Pax's medical bill will be borne by Petsmore and that he will also personally follow them to the vet for Pax's next check-up.

Nicholas' mother refused their help.

"We declined because no amount of money will compensate the amount of pain Pax is going through now and it can't restore his normal life," Nicholas later told SAYS.

"Our poor beloved furball won't be able to walk or run [normally anymore]. Pax will need to live with a lot of complications," he said.

"Since then, we have been looking after Pax and are looking forward to his speedy recovery, even though he has been having blood in his bowel movements," he said.

As a loyal customer of Petsmore for three years, Nicholas also told SAYS that he was unimpressed that the store has been "trying to sweep this incident under the rug and attempt to settle everything with money" instead of showing their family some empathy or remorse.

He said they shared the story on Facebook only to alert the public of the incident as the police have mentioned that no arrest can be made in their case, but would like authorities to take further action.

"I am sure many such incidents have happened before but nothing has been done. How many pets have to be hurt until action is taken?" he questioned.

In a Facebook post on 26 November, they wrote, "We are writing to clarify that this is a false statement."

"We are deeply sad about the dog's condition, but the customer's statements and accusations against us are incorrect."

SAYS also reached out to Petsmore but they have no further comment.