Family devastated when dog Cocoa suddenly died at the vet. Then his body was lost.

Christine Pary and her sister Jennifer Gutierrez were heartbroken when they learned their dog, 8-year-old Cocoa, died suddenly while undergoing dental treatment at a Maryland vet hospital. What happened next was “salt to the wound.” 

Cocoa had a clean bill of health before he went under anesthesia on April 23 for his dental treatment, so it was a shock that he didn’t make it off the table, Pary told USA TODAY. Staff at Banfield Pet Hospital in Kensington, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C., said they would pay for a necropsy to find out what caused his death. They packaged up his remains and rushed the shipment to a lab in Virginia, but Cocoa was never seen again. 

Banfield, part of a national veterinary chain, told the sisters a week later that the package was lost. Cocoa’s remains were thrown away by FedEx after the package began to leak, Pary said they were told. 

“We can’t really mourn, but now we’re devastated because we don’t get our dog back. At least we thought we were getting his ashes, but now we get nothing, just absolutely nothing,” Pary said. 

What happened to Cocoa?

Pary, a 32-year-old business analyst, and Gutierrez, her sister who works for city government, adopted Cocoa and Cocoa’s brother Tofu together in 2016; Cocoa was Gutierrez’s dog and Tofu was Pary’s. The sisters live together in Silver Spring, Maryland, and shared four dogs and three cats, including the two chihuahuas. 

Cocoa had to go under anesthesia for dental treatment on April 23. Anesthesia is common for dental work in animals, for everything from a thorough cleaning to teeth extractions, according to the American Animal Hospital Association. There are some risks, but death is a rare one, the American Veterinary Medical Association says. 

Pary dropped Cocoa off that morning: “I kissed him and said goodbye, I’d pick him up later,” she said. 

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Cocoa’s pre-anesthesia screenings didn’t turn up any red flags, Pary said, so it was a shock when Banfield called to tell the family that he needed CPR on the table and they should come in right away. By the time they got there, Cocoa was gone.  

“My sister completely – she broke down, completely. We said our goodbyes,” Pary said. “When we asked what happened, (Banfield) said ‘things just happen, they did everything they could.’ That was it, there was no other answer.” 

Banfield said it would ship Cocoa overnight for a necropsy to be performed, but a week later, the hospital gave Gutierrez and Pary the news that the package had been lost. Days later still, they were told it had leaked in transit and been thrown away. They would never know what killed Cocoa, and they wouldn’t get his body back.  

Cocoa was the “sweetest, happiest little chihuahua,” Pary said. He was always eager for love and affection, and didn’t nip or growl like many chihuahuas do. 

Of all the fur babies the sisters shared, Cocoa was the barker of the pack, she said. Now their house is silent. 

Cocoa’s family calls for answers: ‘We don’t want this to happen to anybody else’

The sisters want to know what went wrong, and make sure this never happens to another family. Pary said they were insulted when staff at Banfield offered to buy them a new dog or give them money. Nothing could replace Cocoa, she said, and more than anything, they want someone to take accountability.  

In a statement to USA TODAY, Banfield said, “Our hearts go out to the Gutierrez family over the loss” of Cocoa. “The health, safety and wellbeing of pets is our top priority, and we will continue to work directly with (Cocoa’s) owners to support them however we can during this difficult time.” 

“Our hospital team closely followed the shipping directions provided by the diagnostic lab…,” the statement said. “We recognize the weight of what the Gutierrez family is experiencing and are giving the utmost importance to this situation. We are working directly with the shipping carrier and following up with the diagnostic lab to identify opportunities to improve and prevent issues in the future.” 

Pary said if she and Gutierrez had known there was a chance they wouldn’t be able to retrieve Cocoa’s body if there was an issue during shipping, they would not have agreed to it.  

“If you packaged him up correctly, why would he be leaking? Wasn’t the box marked?” Pary said. 

Banfield didn’t answer further questions from USA TODAY about its procedure for shipping animal remains for necropsy. Banfield told Pary that Cocoa was shipped to the Virginia Tech Animal Laboratory Services necropsy lab in Blacksburg, Virginia, about 220 miles away. FedEx tracking information shows the package made it to a facility in Tennessee before dropping off the radar. 

Leaking during transit appears to be a known issue when shipping animal remains for necropsy. Virginia Tech Animal Laboratory Services’ website gives guidelines for packaging animal remains to ship for necropsy that include using at least three layers of plastic bags along with absorbent materials like disposable diapers and freezer packs. 

“Packages that are identified to be leaking by the shipping carrier can be confiscated and destroyed, and the sender may be fined,” the lab says in its guidelines. The lab didn’t respond to questions about how often that happens. The guidelines also advise against labeling the contents of the package as a “dead animal” or “carcass” because it could be declined by the shipping carrier.

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FedEx typically prohibits the shipping of animal carcasses except in certain circumstances, which might include getting pre-approval. FedEx didn’t answer questions from USA TODAY about whether the shipment of Cocoa complied with its policies. 

“We extend our sincere condolences to the pet owners for this heartbreaking situation as we understand the importance of people’s pets in their lives. We are addressing this matter directly with the Hospital that packaged the remains and arranged for shipping,” FedEx spokesperson David Westrick said in an email.   

Pary said she and her sister “lost a little part of our hearts” when Cocoa died, and want everyone involved, including Banfield and FedEx, to review their protocols.  

“We don’t want this to be brushed under the rug. We don’t want this to happen to anybody else,” she said.  

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