'Pretty much cut halfway through': Pet owner accuses groomer of accidentally slitting dog's tongue

A routine trip to the pet groomer turned into quite a traumatising experience for one pet owner after her beloved Bichon Frise, Kaya, returned home with her tongue slit. 

Pet owner Jueni Tan, told AsiaOne on Tuesday (Oct 10) that she brought two of her dogs to Animal Arts Academy, a subsidiary of Pet Lovers Centre, located at Serangoon Gardens on Oct 6 at about 10.30am. 

Tan shared that this was not the first time she had brought her dogs to this groomer. 

"At around 3pm, my mother received a call from the groomers saying that they had accidentally cut Kaya's tongue and were actively trying to stop the bleeding. 

"They sent us an image of her mouth, saying that they may have accidentally slit her tongue while they were grooming her face," said the 19-year-old student, who rushed down to the shop upon hearing the news. 

"The groomer who was responsible for the injury came out with Kaya and explained to me that Kaya was sticking her tongue out while they were grooming her, so while they were trimming her fur, they might have accidentally cut her tongue when she turned her head." 

Tan added that the groomer had allegedly examined the dog's injury and concluded that the injury "wasn't that severe". The groomer also allegedly asked Tan to bring Kaya home for further observation. 

Worried about her dog, Tan decided to bring Kaya directly to the vet instead. 

Tan's other dog, Didi, also a Bichon Frise, did not sustain any injuries from the grooming session. 

Dog's tongue cut almost 'halfway through'

After taking a look at her dog, Tan said the vet told her that Kaya's tongue had been "pretty much cut halfway through".

The side of Kaya's tongue was also no longer intact, Tan told AsiaOne. 

According to the documents from the vet which were seen by AsiaOne, the dog suffered from a tongue laceration, and had to undergo surgery to stitch up her tongue - a painful procedure which cost Tan $936. 

"The incident has left my family and I deeply disturbed," said Tan, who added that her dog is also "going through distress" after the incident. 

When Tan tried to contact Animal Arts Academy about the incident on the night of Oct 6, she was allegedly told she would only receive a response the following week as their customer service officers were only available during office hours. 

She eventually received a response from the groomer at about 11.30pm on Oct 8, after a family friend shared the incident on Facebook. 

In the email to Tan seen by AsiaOne, Pet Lovers Centre extended their apologies to Tan and offered to reimburse her for Kaya's medical bill. 

They did not state if they would waive the cost of the grooming session. 

AsiaOne has contacted Pet Lovers Centre for comment. 

READ ALSO: 'He just shrugged and smirked': Woman says vet refuses to treat pet unless she pays 'walk-in fee'

claudiatan@asiaone.com