Last October, I took my dog, Mattie, to the Sylvania Veterinary Hospital for the first time for surgery following a brief illness. I was reluctant, at first, because I would be taking her from her long-time veterinarian, who knew her well, and handing her off to strangers. Yet I was drawn by the hospital's claim of being the only facility in northwest Ohio to offer round the clock care.

Following surgery, the prognosis was guarded, but good. Masses on her spleen, which later proved to be cancerous, had not spread. She was alert and standing a few hours later. By 7 p.m., I was told she was not moving, and perhaps still groggy from surgery. At 9 p.m., according to her records, Mattie started breathing heavily. Four-and-a-half-hours later, employees who had left the building returned to find Mattie had stopped breathing, according to Dr. Kirsten Love, the vet on call at the hospital.

A necropsy (autopsy) failed to show a cause of death.