I brought my 11 year old lab to VRCC to get an MRI...

I brought my 11 year old lab to VRCC to get an MRI to rule out back problems related to weak hind legs. The neurologist, Dr. Clark, wanted to do additional tests while he was sedated such as a spinal tap. During the test, my dog regurgitated into his esophagus(he had not eaten since the night before so must have been gastric juices). Dr. Clark stopped the tests and tried to drain my dog's esophagus. My dog's esophagus became enlarged and dysfunctional making it impossible for him to swallow and force food to his stomach- a condition called megaesophagus. He got strong enough for us to take him home but after 2 weeks of feeding him gruel in an upright position he stopped eating and became steadily weaker. We ended up taking him back to VRCC where we had him put to sleep.
Dr. Clark's desire to perform tests in excess of what we asked for required that he use more anesthesia for a longer period of time on an old dog. It is fairly well known that old sick dogs do not tolerate anesthesia very well.In my opinion, Dr. Clark did not consider that he was putting my dog at significant risk. I would advise anyone to think twice before allowing this vet to touch or test their dog.