A Fort Myers man says he sought a second veterinary opinion after .
WINK Investigates first told you about Gene Brzozowski last month, after he says he boarded his three dogs at East West Veterinary Care Center’s boarding facility on Sept. 10.
Brzozowski sent WINK Investigates and the Cape Coral Police Department photos he believes show a burn mark on his dog Bosa’s inner thigh, blood on his dog Maya’s nose, and inflammation on his dog Agent’s groin.
“My dogs were covered in urine, feces, had injuries,” he said. “There was blood.”
Gene Brzozowski claims his three dogs appeared injured after a four-day stay at a boarding facility in Cape Coral. He said he believes his dog, Agent, appeared to have the worst injuries of the three.
Brzozowski says he believes Agent’s injuries appear to be the worst.
Brzozowski claims Dr. Emily Huetten, the owner of East West Veterinary Care Center, attributed Agent’s injuries to dermatitis.
Unconvinced, Brzozowski sought a second opinion from Dr. Ivan Ivanov at Bayshore Animal Hospital in Bradenton on Sept. 24.
“As soon as the vet walked in, ‘That’s chemical burns,'” Brzozowski said.
Vet records from the appointment show Dr. Ivanov documented the injuries as consistent with “suspected chemical burn of the scrotum.”
Brzozowski said that weeks later, the skin on his dog’s groin was flaked and “is still burned.”
Gene Brzozowski claims his dog, Agent, appeared injured after a four-day stay at a boarding facility in Cape Coral. Weeks later, he said the skin on Agent’s groin was flaked and “is still burned.”
“This presentation is consistent with a chemical burn, which can occur in kennel environments if dogs are exposed to concentrated cleaning chemicals on surfaces like concrete floors,” vet records from Bayshore Animal Hospital show.
WINK Investigates emailed Bayshore Animal Hospital for an interview with Dr. Ivanov.
A hospital manager declined on his behalf.
“Dr. Ivanov is not available for an interview,” a hospital manager said in an email. “At Bayshore Animal Hospital, we care deeply about the health and wellbeing of every patient entrusted to us, as well as the community we serve. Agent was seen in our practice on 9/24. Out of respect for our patients, their families, and in keeping with hospital policy, we are unable to share additional details around his diagnosis and treatment.”
East West Veterinary Care Center’s Owner, Dr. Huetten, also declined an interview.
“At this time, we must respectfully decline your request for an interview, as the claims being circulated are false and do not warrant further propagation,” Dr. Huetten said in-part in an email. “We fully cooperated with a thorough police investigation that found absolutely no wrongdoing on our part, and no evidence of neglect or abuse. Additionally, this man has made multiple threats of bodily harm to a number of our employees.”
Cape Coral Police tell us they’re still investigating.
We showed Dr. Huetten’s email to Brzozowski, where she later claims he threatened employees.
“I’d like to see the documentation,” he said.
WINK Investigates emailed East West Veterinary Care Center, asking them to elaborate on the alleged threats that were made against staff.
“These threats were made on the phone and online,” a manager said in an email. “All information was filed with the police.”
When asked if the manager could share screenshots of the alleged threats, she said she was “not authorized to comment any further on this.”
Staff at East West Veterinary Care Center gave WINK News Anchor Claire Galt a tour of the boarding facility last month.
Photos we captured during the tour show what appear to be clean pens, and no injured animals were observed.
Records show East West Veterinary Care Center issued a refund to Brzozowski for more than $397 on Sept. 17.
“Our clinic follows strict standards of veterinary medicine and ethical care, and we stand firm by the professionalism and dedication of our team,” Dr. Huetten said in-part in an email. “The allegations in question are not accurate, and our priority is to focus on providing care to our patients and supporting our clients.”
Brzozowski says there’s more to this than money.
“It’s not about the money,” he said. “It’s about who did wrong, and they need to be held accountable.”