I trusted this facility with my 15-year-old dog. I deeply regret it…read more
I brought my 15-year-old dog, Chloe, to Woof Gang Palm Beach Island for grooming on June 16. Chloe is elderly and blind in one eye, and before her appointment, my husband specifically warned the staff to be extremely careful around her eyes.
Immediately after the appointment, Chloe was visibly uncomfortable. She was squinting, tearing, unable to fully open her eye, and behaving completely differently than normal. The photo attached to this review was taken immediately after her grooming appointment.
We took her to an emergency veterinarian, where she was diagnosed with a corneal ulcer in the same eye we had specifically asked the groomer to be careful around. She required prescription eye medication, pain medication, and follow-up veterinary care.
When I contacted Woof Gang, I was initially told that they had not seen or been made aware of an injury and that they had no evidence that anything happened while Chloe was in their care. Despite that, the facility ultimately agreed in writing to refund the grooming service and reimburse the veterinary expenses related to her treatment.
The financial reimbursement is not what bothers me most. It is what happened to my dog and how the situation was handled afterward.
Unfortunately, the impact did not end when Chloe's eye healed.
Months later, because I no longer felt comfortable taking her to a traditional groomer, I brought her to her own veterinarian specifically to be groomed. We drove 30 minutes each way, gave her medication beforehand, and took every precaution we could. Despite all of that, Chloe was so fearful of being handled that the veterinary staff could not safely groom her.
Her veterinarian has also observed a significant change in her behavior and level of fear since the grooming incident.
Chloe physically recovered from the eye injury, but she has not gone back to being the same dog when it comes to grooming and being handled.
What makes this especially upsetting is that we were repeat customers. I trusted this business with my elderly dog and specifically communicated her vulnerability before the appointment.
I have retained the veterinary records, invoices, photographs, and written communications with the facility documenting what occurred.
I will never bring Chloe back to this facility, and I would encourage other pet owners, particularly those with elderly, medically vulnerable, or anxious dogs to do their research carefully before choosing a groomer.