Two dogs who were transported home from a pet daycare facility suffered heat stress after allegedly enduring a hot van for up to 1.5 hours.
One of them was diagnosed with heat stroke and was in a critical state, said the dogs’ owners in a series of Instagram posts on Tuesday (10 March).
Source: @rescuewithlovesg on Instagram
On 6 March, the two male French bulldogs, Kreon and Gobu, were sent for daycare at Adventure Tails, a daycare facility in Lim Chu Kang.
Their owners, Ann and Eugene, opted for two-way transport to and from the facility, said the posts on the Rescue With Love Instagram page.
According to an incident report prepared by the Adventure Tails Management, they were transported in medium-sized transport crates by their owner and appeared “normal” when they arrived.
Source: @rescuewithlovesg on Instagram
At the facility, they took part in outdoor play and grooming.
When it was time for them to go home, they were loaded into the van at 5.30pm, with the driver having eight “clustered” drop-off locations.
However, when the dogs reached home, their owners said they opened the van door and felt “a gush of warm air”.
They did not detect any air-conditioning, they added.
When his crate opened, Gobu rushed out of the van. He was “struggling to breathe”, they noted, with a video showing the dog breathing rapidly.
Source: @rescuewithlovesg on Instagram
Kreon, on the other hand, was lying in his crate “unconscious” with his leash in his mouth, they alleged. His tongue had also turned purple.
A video showed Kreon being pulled out of his crate, unresponsive and panting heavily.
Source: @rescuewithlovesg on Instagram
The two dogs were “almost lifeless”, their owners said, posting another video showing the two dogs lying in distress and a man asking how long they were inside the van.
Source: @rescuewithlovesg on Instagram
Adventure Tails’ report noted that the dogs reached home at 6.45pm — meaning they had spent more than one hour in the van.
The driver was allegedly unsympathetic when he was questioned, alleged the owners.
They claimed that he also casually remarked that the dog was “still alive”.
As he said that the dogs had been in the van for one to 1.5 hours, the owners urged him to quickly send the rest of the pets back to their homes.
Afterwards, the dogs were rushed to Westside Emergency, a 24-hour veterinary hospital in Serangoon Gardens, reaching there at 7.15pm.
There, Kreon was diagnosed with heat stroke and assessed to be in “super critical” condition.
Source: @rescuewithlovesg on Instagram
He had suffered a mild seizure, affecting his kidneys and liver, and also had low glucose, bloody diarrhoea and mild bruising.
His chances of survival were low, said the owners, adding:
The first 24-72 hours will determine whether he lives or passes on.
Source: @rescuewithlovesg on Instagram
However, even if Kreon survives, he may still have health complications due to the severity of the stroke, they noted.
Fortunately, Gobu was in better condition and was subsequently discharged.
In a statement posted on Facebook on 8 March, Adventure Tails said it was “deeply saddened” by the incident, adding:
Hearing that a dog under our extended care is currently in critical condition is something that has deeply affected our entire team.
It has conducted an internal review of its transportation arrangements and terminated engagement with Pyro Logistics, a third-party provider of transport services.
Further improvements will be made to transportation arrangements, including engaging vehicles with dedicated rear air-conditioning systems for better ventilation, airflow, and comfort for the dogs being transported.
Adventure Tails is in contact with Kreon’s owners and sincerely hoped for positive news on his recovery, it maintained.
However, the dogs’ owners were unsatisfied with the statement, pointing out that their dogs were in the care of Adventure Tails and it was thus also their responsibility to ensure the safety of the pets being transported.
They wanted an acknowledgement that the dogs were kept in a hot van for up to 1.5 hours, and that Kreon became “unconscious” as a result.
They also wanted an explanation of the van’s ventilation conditions and why the pets were not monitored.
Ultimately, they wanted the company to take responsibility and acknowledge shortfalls so that such an incident would not happen again, they said.
They also noted that Adventure Tails and Pyro came down to the emergency vet when they heard about Kreon’s condition, and that Advenuture Tails has provided compensation for Gobu’s treatment.
In response to queries from MS News, the National Parks Board (NParks) said it is investigating the case after receiving feedback.
It stated that, under the Animals and Birds Act, persons working with animals in relevant businesses are expected to uphold higher standards of animal welfare.
This includes those in the pet daycare and transport sectors.
“Any person who is found guilty of animal cruelty while operating or under the employment of an animal related business, will face a stiffer penalty of up to two years imprisonment and/or fine of S$40,000,” said Jessica Kwok, Group Director, Enforcement & Investigation, NParks.
Ms Kwok added that the Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS), a cluster of NParks, has a Code of Animal Welfare (for the Pet Industry) which lists the minimum standards for pet businesses, including pet daycare and transport operators.
“All owners in the pet industry are encouraged to adopt these standards. Any non-compliance to the Code may be used as evidence to support enforcement actions,” she said.
The dogs’ owner, Mr Eugene Tan, told ST that he had lodged a complaint with the AVS.
Kreon was discharged on Thursday (12 March), three days after showing signs of improvement on Monday (9 March).
However, the dogs now require “24/7 supervision” from him and his family, adding to their “significant emotional distress” from the incident.
Kreon’s medical bills have gone up to more than S$10,000, he said. Adventure Tails has paid Gobu’s medical bills of S$1,600.
Also read: Dog allegedly left inside parked car with engine off at Compass One carpark
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Featured image adapted from @rescuewithlovesg on Instagram.