An Arlington, Virginia, woman mourning the death of her dog says a veterinarian prescribed one medication, a pharmacy provided another and her longtime companion died within days.
Daisy was Miroslava Mircheva’s beloved Cavalier King Charles spaniel. She died at 10-and-a-half years old a few weeks ago. In an interview only on NBC Washington, Mircheva said she believes a medication mix-up was to blame.
“It’s a preventable mistake, and nobody should go through the suffering I experienced,” she said.
Daisy was Mircheva’s service dog, Mircheva said. Daisy was so important to her that when the pet developed a heart condition and needed a surgery that could only be performed at a few sites worldwide, Mircheva dipped into her savings, sold her car and flew the dog to London.
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“She came back with completely healthy heart and very happy,” Mircheva said.
But that happiness would be short-lived. Six months after the surgery, a check-up detected a heart arrythmia. Mircheva said her vet wrote a prescription and sent it directly to her local CVS to be filled.
After the first dose, Daisy started experiencing labored breathing, lethargy and extreme thirst.
Mircheva said she was advised to take Daisy to an emergency vet clinic. Within days, she would be dead.
Mircheva said the possible cause for Daisy’s decline was discovered when she sent her vet a photo of the dog’s prescription bottle. She provided an image of a prescription for amiodarone, which is used to treat heart arrhythmia.
A second image Mircheva provided shows a prescription bottle for amlodipine, a blood pressure medication.
Both drugs can be prescribed for dogs and humans, but for different maladies. The names are similar but they’re not the same.
“I never expected that. I fully trusted the pharmacist to give what had been prescribed,” Mircheva said.
She said she notified CVS, they told her to file a claim and she’s waiting for the next steps.
NBC Washington reached out to CVS and a spokesperson said they were looking into the matter.
Mircheva said she hopes her story can serve as a reminder to be extra vigilant with medications for both pets and people.
