Misdiagnosed, Mis-treated, and Poisoned: Big Boy’s Fight for Survival
Abandoned and Left to Suffer
Big Boy is a powerful Kangal who once worked loyally for humans. When illness struck, instead of care or gratitude, he was dumped in a village. He was left with maggot-infested wounds and legs that could barely hold him up.
A Kind Carer, a Dangerous Prescription
A compassionate community carer reached out for help. A vet prescribed medication for Big Boy without ever examining him. What followed was catastrophic. Instead of improving, he rapidly declined. Within just five days, he could no longer stand and was consumed by pain.
Something Wasn’t Right
When we heard of his suffering, we offered to help.
At the animal hospital, Big Boy tested positive for Mycoplasma haemcanis, a blood parasite we know how to treat successfully & easily.
But his symptoms didn’t fit. The worsening neurological signs suggested something much more serious was happening inside his body.
The Hidden Poison Revealed
After much back and forth, the truth emerged: Big Boy hadn’t just been sick, he had been poisoned by the very medications prescribed to help him.
He had been misdosed with two drugs, one of which is highly questionable to dispense at all. Instead of recovery, he was pushed into crisis.
In a critical state Big Boy needed a transfusion and is now undergoing treatment for poisoning. The transfusion helped but he is still severely anaemic & undergoing further treatment to help him with that.
A Bill That Should Never Have Been
This tragedy has cost Big Boy dearly.
He has endured unnecessary suffering, fighting for his life against something entirely avoidable.
A case of mycoplasma alone would have been straightforward to treat, costing only a few hundred pounds. But because of negligence and reckless prescribing, the costs and his suffering have spiralled.
A Warning to Donors
This case underlines a vital truth: not all care is equal, and not all services are safe. Donating blindly, without knowing what you are funding, can support dangerous practices that harm animals rather than heal them.
Choosing to support organisations like ours that insist on proper, professional veterinary care means your generosity truly saves lives.
Big Boy’s ordeal is proof of what happens when standards are ignored. And this is not the first time a dog has been let down by a vet resulting in us having to help them.
Big Boy’s Fight Continues
Today, Big Boy is still in hospital, battling both infection and the devastating effects of poisoning.
We do not yet know if he will survive. What we do know is that he is finally receiving the best care available because that is what every animal deserves.
Whatever the outcome, his story must serve as a warning and a call to action: animals cannot afford anything less than expert care.