Pets At Home grooming session '˜burned my dog's testicles'

Kay Betson says the employee who gave Woody his close shave put in earphones because of his howling but failed to realise it was because he was in pain.

She took her two-year-old shichon for a £35 fur trim at her local branch but says he was not his normal lively self when he returned home.

When he got worse she took him to a vet and he was put in an animal hospital for a night.

She says it has taken him two weeks to recover, but now starts trembling at the sight of anyone with scissors.

Pets At Home say the dog suffered nothing worse than ‘clipper rash’ and have offered to reimburse her vets bills and expenses.

Kay, 45, from Sheffield, said: “I’d always taken Woody and his brother Ringo there to have their fur trimmed.

“When I went in the girl who was cutting his coat wasn’t the usual girl and she told me that because his fur was a little matted on one side she might have to cut it a little shorter than normal.

“When I came to pick him up she said to me that he had been more vocal today and she had to put headphones in.

“When we got him home for the first couple of hours he was fine and then rapidly deteriorated.

“He wouldn’t move, he wouldn’t eat and he cried constantly.

“A day or two later we took him to the vets because he wasn’t eating.

“He was put on a drip to feed him and he was bandaged up and given various medicines.

“But it took another two weeks for him to be back to normality.

“However he’s now terrified of being groomed and only my husband can cut his fur now.

“He is frightened to death of people and if you come near him with a pair of scissors he starts trembling.”

She added: “He was fine before he went in and it was like he was a different dog by the time he came out.”

Kay, mum to Sam, 21, Harry, 19, and Lucy, 17, said if she hadn’t had pet insurance to cover Woody’s vet bills she could have found herself £4,000 out of pocket.

She claimed Pets At Home “ignored” a number of letters of complaint after the incident last September.

She first wrote to them in October and after getting no reply contacted them again just after New Year.

She said: “I’ve complained and sent various letters to Pets at Home. They’ve only replied once and asked me to send vet bills to them.

“I did that and I haven’t heard anything from them - I’m so angry and I feel like I’ve been fobbed off.”

Kay, married to Richard, 51, has demanded the pet store chain apologises for what happened and they repay her £75 pet insurance excess.

Pets At Home said Woody suffered “clipper rash” during the mishap and the injuries weren’t burns.

A spokesman said they were waiting for Kay to send her vet bills and expenses to them and they would reimburse her.

However Kay said there is no indication the firm will refund her the £35 for the grooming cock-up.

Kay said she already sent the vet bills and expenses last year and has sent them to the company again.

A spokesman for Pets At Home said: “Our groomers are all highly trained and will always put the welfare of pets first.

“We received Mrs Betson’s letter of complaint in November 2015 and responded immediately, requesting details of the treatment and costs incurred.

“We look forward to receiving the information requested so that we can reimburse Mrs Betson accordingly.”