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AI Misdiagnoses Dog Cancer, Leads to Death
31 Jul
Summary
- AI diagnostic tool misidentified aggressive cancer as inflammatory lesion.
- Dog died from complications after requiring a second surgery.
- Veterinary hospital seeks $50,000 in damages from AI company.
A New Jersey-based animal health technology company, Zoetis Inc., is being sued for fraud and deceptive business practices. Columbia Veterinary Hospital filed a complaint in Wasco County Court, seeking a minimum of $50,000 in damages following the death of an 11-year-old dog.
In October 2025, the hospital used Zoetis's Vetscan Imagyst system to analyze tissue samples from a dog with a neck mass. While the AI detected cancerous features, it wrongly classified the growth as inflammatory. Relying on this assessment, surgical removal was performed, but a subsequent examination confirmed aggressive cancer.
The misdiagnosis meant the initial surgery did not remove all malignant tissue, leading to a second surgery and the dog's subsequent death from post-operative complications. The lawsuit asserts that the AI tool failed to deliver expert-level diagnostics as advertised, and Zoetis allegedly modified reports after the error was reported.
