Lisner Animal Hospital

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Dr. Lisner killed my cat. We brought Jylian in for a routine dental cleaning and he returned her to us in a body bag. I hope I can adequately describe the pain, confusion and anger our family felt at the sudden, unnecessary loss of our beloved Tonkinese.



We moved to Michigan from out of state. Our two cats mean the world to us and due to proximity and reviews we chose Dr. Lisner to be their new vet. Being protective, when we brought Jylian in for her dental procedure, we made one request. That Dr. Lisner consult with our previous out of state vet regarding dosage of anesthesia because Jylian was small for her 4 years of age. We were assured and told the phone call had been made and everything was a go.



I can still hear my husband running through the house looking for me, sobbing that Jylian was dead. Dr. Lisner told my husband about Jylian as he was driving; it’s a wonder he made it home safely. I was numb. It was hard to believe this little light, so loving, shoulder riding, always purring wonder of a cat would never look at me with love again. I still can’t believe it.



We picked up my Mom and drove to Dr. Lisner’s office to get Jylian. He said, “Yes, I killed your cat and you can hate me for it if you like, but I can’t bring her back.” Apparently, Jylian died shortly after being put under the anesthesia cocktail administered by Dr. Lisner. He tried to tell us she may have had an unknown heart condition that led to anesthesia complications, despite the physical exam his office administered to Jylian a few days prior to her dental procedure. Dr. Lisner also told us he talked with Jylian’s previous vet. He handed Jylian to us, her small body still warm, zipped in a body bag. My last view of the office through my tears was of the receptionist smiling at me!



We decided to take our girl to the Diagnostic Center for Population & Animal Health (DCPAH) at Michigan State University for an autopsy. We drove the two hours to Lansing, taking turns cradling Jylian. Even my Mom, who is pretty stoic, had tears running down her face. The hardest part was handing over my Jylian to the pathologist. We were inconsolable.



It took roughly 2 months for us to get all the information back. Jylian did not have a heart condition; tests revealed she was healthy. MSU officials, who were the kindest, most caring and accessible we could ask for considering the circumstances, concluded Jylian must have died from a drug reaction from one of the drugs in the anesthesia cocktail Dr. Lisner administered. Further, when we questioned our previous vet, he told us he never received a call from Dr. Lisner or anyone else in his office regarding dosage or type of anesthesia previously used on Jylian. Our former vet was not a proponent of cocktails because he deemed them unpredictable. He never used them on Jylian.



In the months since Jylian’s death, our older cat has grieved. He initially didn’t eat, stayed very close to us and we could hear him crying loudly at night. He really missed her.



To make matters worse, we keep getting postcards from Dr. Lisner’s office reminding us to bring our cats in for a checkup. I would never trust him again.



We have learned from this tragedy. Through pain, we now know what to ask when one of our companions faces anesthesia. We no longer have blind faith in their vets and in this case, unwarranted trust when it comes to their care. We ask a lot more questions now to our very patient new vet, but it still won’t bring back our Jylian. May she rest in peace.