Location: NJ
On July 1, 2025, I brought my dog to a grooming business for a routine grooming appointment. When we picked him up, we noticed he was lethargic, panting excessively, and uninterested in food.
The next day, his condition worsened, and he was hospitalized for three days at an emergency veterinary clinic. According to his medical records, he was diagnosed with post-grooming furunculosis, a severe bacterial skin infection.
During hospitalization, he presented with:
- Generalized red, crusting, raised skin lesions
- High fever (up to 107 °F)
- Tachycardia (heart rate up to 180 bpm)
- Severe lethargy, anorexia, and dehydration
- Repeated regurgitation requiring placement of a nasogastric tube
- Abdominal pain and suspected ileus
He was treated with IV fluids, antibiotics, anti-nausea medications, pain control, and required continuous monitoring. The final veterinary bill was $10,535.40, which I paid in full. The treating veterinarian noted his condition was consistent with unsanitary or improper grooming practices.
I have medical records, an itemized bill, and photographs documenting his condition.
My questions:
- Do I have a legal basis to sue the grooming business to recover these costs?
- Is this something simple enough to handle on my own, or would it likely require an attorney?
- If my current evidence (records, bill, photos) is not sufficient, what else should I try to gather to strengthen my case?
Thank you in advance for any help.
Comments
You can start by formally sending a demand letter to the business, but that’s also something your lawyer can do.
The average cut-off for filing in small claims court is $5000. Depending upon where you live, it may be higher or lower than that.
Since your damages are beyond $10k, you should find a lawyer to represent you.
I found an animal hospital website that has a guide on this. It lists rough grooming, dirty supplies and allergies/sensitive skin as potential causes. Just from that, and not from any vet knowledge, you might have a case, although the groomer could try and call it an allergy to something used and/or sensitive skin. Even if your dog has been groomed a lot, this groomer might use some less common but still generally safe products that they can argue your dog has an allergy too.
Realistically, you’d be taking a shot at this, with your chance of success probably being modest. The vet, after all, will be testifying from personal knowledge claiming that they had clean instruments and did not groom roughly. You by contrast, do not have personal knowledge that disproves allergies, as its hard to prove a negative. About the only way you could testify from personal knowledge is if you recognized all the products used, and your dog has had those used with no problems in the past. Also, the limit in small claims is 5k.
What I would probably do is ask for the groomer’s insurance contact info and see if the insurer will negotiate something with you. Understanding that you will not get 10k or anything close to that.
You won’t get a lawyer to represent you for a %, and I would NOT pay by the hour. It won’t go well.