Two French bulldogs reportedly suffered heatstroke symptoms after being transported home from a dog daycare.
The daycare’s operator subsequently alleged that a driver from a third-party transport company had turned down the air-conditioning in the vehicle.
Stomp was alerted to the incident by Stomper Elizabeth, who shared posts she had made on RescueWithLoveSG’s Instagram account about what had happened.
The dogs, Kreon and Gobu, had attended dog daycare at Adventure Tails on March 6.
Both dogs are turning five in April. Their owner, Eugene, said he adopted the pair from their previous owners about three to four years ago.
Eugene told Stomp that Kreon was returned home in a critical condition.
According to Eugene, the transport van operated by Pyro Logistics arrived at the daycare at about 5pm on the day of the incident and departed with the dogs at about 5.45pm.
This is part of Adventure Tails’ standard operating procedures (SOPs), in which vehicles are required to be running for at least 30 minutes to “cool down” before dogs can be loaded by their staff.
When the van arrived at his home at about 6.46pm, Eugene said he immediately sensed something was wrong.
“When the driver opened the van door, I felt a gush of hot air coming out from inside,” he said.
He recounted how Gobu immediately rushed out of the van in an attempt to get air, while Kreon remained lying inside the crate unconscious with a leash in his mouth.
Kreon was unresponsive and Gobu appeared weak, prompting Eugene and his partner to rush Kreon to Westside Vet Emergency & Referral Hospital, which was nearest to them.
Eugene claimed the driver showed “no remorse” and casually remarked that the dog was “still alive”.
He said the driver had initially wanted to wait with them, but he asked him to leave after noticing there were other dogs still inside the van that needed to be sent home.
Kreon hospitalised with ‘severe heatstroke’
They arrived at the clinic at about 7.15pm where Kreon was reportedly found to be suffering from severe heatstroke and had to be placed on a feeding tube as it was unable to eat or walk.
“He also had a low platelet count, many bruises and bloody diarrhoea,” Eugene said.
French bulldogs are a brachycephalic breed, meaning they have shorter snouts and can be more susceptible to breathing difficulties and heat-related stress.
Eugene and his partner spent several nights at the animal hospital to monitor Kreon’s condition.
Fortunately, Kreon is now in stable condition and out of the critical stage.
“He is on his journey to recovery but still has a long way to go,” Eugene said. “His energy has been slightly brighter and he has started eating again.”
Gobu was also affected but has since been discharged from VES Hospital.
