I (was) active in a local Golden Retriever rescue group. Recently there was an older female dog named Edna who was adopted out, that was euthanized less than 24 hours after her adoption. This is a quote from her foster mom: "Today I got an Edna update. The day Edna was adopted, she broke her leg getting out of the car. The vet discovered that along with the broken leg, Edna had a spinal break and bone cancer. With tears running down my face, I wanted you to know that Edna was euthanized to end her suffering."
How does this happen??? I understand that certain cancers are hard to diagnose, but the dog had obvious lumps on her that were being treated and was supposedly under veterinary care. How did this rescue group not know about her cancer before adopting her out?
In their closed Facebook group, I expressed my sympathies, and asked how a spinal break and bone cancer could have been overlooked by a veterinarian before the dog was adopted out. I asked this in the kindest and most polite way possible. I was told in a private message by an admin that I was being insensitive and that I should "let it go" (my *one* Facebook comment on this matter was, and I quote, "I'm so sorry that this happened. How was this not diagnosed by a veterinarian beforehand?"). I suppose it *could* have come across as insensitive, but honestly I was quite angry at hearing this story, and from the sounds of things the family who adopted her is quite upset. I apologized to the admin and told her that I hoped the rescue was looking into what had happened, because I was confused about how a dog under veterinary care was not diagnosed before being adopted out. She said, and I quote, "well, you're entitled to your opinion", and I was blocked from the group.
Does this seem suspicious to you? I am not sad about the Facebook group, but I am concerned about the welfare of their dogs, as well as the impact on potential adopters. I know there are many people who would still adopt dogs even with a cancer diagnosis, but I do think that adoptive families should be aware of whether a not a dog has a serious medical condition (like cancer) before being adopted out.
I'm not convinced anymore that this rescue organization is doing things by the book. But maybe I'm jumping to conclusions...