The 98%
Per Zorbiumlawsuit.com 98.2% of pet owners were never told their cat would receive Zorbium®
112 out of 114 cases
The Systematic Pattern
When one or two veterinarians fail to obtain informed consent, that’s malpractice. When 98.2% of cases involve no advance disclosure, that’s not malpractice – that’s standard practice.
Out of 114 case submissions analyzed, only 2 pet owners reported being told before the procedure that their cat would receive Zorbium®. The remaining 112 pet owners – 98.2% – had no idea this drug would be administered to their cat.
What This Means
This isn’t about individual bad actors. This is about an industry-wide pattern of administering a drug with known severe adverse reactions without informing pet owners or obtaining meaningful consent.
Visual representation of 98.2% no consent vs. 1.8% informed in advance
What Is Informed Consent?
Informed consent in veterinary medicine means pet owners should be told:
- What drugs will be administered to their pet
- Why those specific drugs are being used
- What alternatives exist
- What risks and side effects are associated with the drug
- What to watch for after the procedure
Legal Requirements
While informed consent for veterinary procedures is only legally required in a few states (including New York under Buoy’s Law and California), it remains an ethical standard across the veterinary profession.
Even without legal requirements, veterinarians have an ethical obligation to inform pet owners about what will be administered to their animals.
Why This Matters
1. Pet Owners Can’t Recognize Warning Signs
When you don’t know what drug your cat received, you can’t:
- Watch for known side effects
- Recognize when symptoms are drug-related vs. medical emergency
- Provide accurate information to emergency vets
- Make informed decisions about follow-up care
Case Example: “I Thought It Was Normal”
“He was drooling excessively for days. I thought it was from the dental work. I had no idea it was a drug reaction. By the time I realized something was seriously wrong, he was in kidney failure.”
– Owner whose cat received Zorbium® without disclosure
2. Healthcare Avoidance and Delayed Diagnosis
When cats experience severe adverse reactions, pet owners become traumatized and reluctant to return to veterinary care – even when their cat needs treatment for unrelated conditions.
Case Example: The Pancreatitis Case
“It was such a bad experience, I was reluctant to go back for a re-check… A year later it got worse, and when I brought him in, I ended up putting him down because of pancreatitis. That was the issue all along, and I could have found out sooner if the Zorbium® didn’t scare me off taking him to the vet.”
– Owner whose cat died from delayed diagnosis due to Zorbium® trauma, December 2025
3. No Opportunity to Refuse
Pet owners cannot exercise their right to refuse a drug they don’t know is being administered. Many owners report they would have:
- Asked for alternatives if they’d known
- Researched the drug before consenting
- Postponed the procedure to consider options
- Chosen a different veterinarian
- Declined the procedure entirely
The Medical Record Problem
In some cases, medical records contain false documentation suggesting informed consent occurred when it didn’t. Or worse, it is on the bill, which you don’t receive until after the procedure.
How many other veterinary records contain similar fabrications designed to protect veterinarians from informed consent liability?
Common Owner Experiences
“I Signed a General Consent Form”
Many owners report signing consent forms that mentioned “sedation” or “anesthesia” without any specific drug names or discussion of what would actually be used.
“I signed the form they gave me. It said something about sedation. I trusted my vet. I had no idea Zorbium® was even a thing until my cat started having seizures.”
“They Told Me After”
Some owners only learned about Zorbium® when picking up their cat or when calling about adverse reactions.
“When I called about the drooling, that’s when they mentioned Zorbium®. AFTER. When I asked why I wasn’t told before, they said it was ‘standard protocol.’”
“It Wasn’t Even on the Invoice”
Multiple owners report Zorbium® not appearing on their itemized bills – only generic terms like “sedation” or “injectable anesthesia.”
“I got my invoice. It said ‘sedation – $45.’ No drug name. No way to know what they actually gave her.”
Why Aren’t Veterinarians Disclosing?
The Uncomfortable Truth
If Zorbium® were as safe and effective as claimed, there would be no reason to conceal its use from pet owners. The 98.2% non-disclosure rate suggests veterinarians know something pet owners don’t.
Possible explanations for systematic non-disclosure:
Theory 1: Convenience
Zorbium® is convenient for veterinarians – long-acting, reversible, doesn’t require constant monitoring. Informing owners might lead to questions, research, or refusals that slow down practice workflow.
Theory 2: Known Risk
Veterinarians are aware of adverse reaction risks and avoid disclosure to prevent owner refusal. If owners knew the risks, many would choose alternatives.
Theory 3: Standard Practice
Non-disclosure has become so normalized that many veterinarians don’t even consider it necessary to inform owners about specific sedation drugs.
Theory 4: Liability Protection
What owners don’t know, they can’t refuse. What they can’t refuse, they can’t later claim should have been disclosed. Non-disclosure protects veterinarians from informed consent liability.
What Pet Owners Can Do
Before Any Procedure
- Ask specifically: “What drugs will be used for sedation/anesthesia?”
- Request drug names: Don’t accept vague terms like “standard sedation”
- Ask about alternatives: “What other options are available?”
- Request disclosure of risks: “What are the known side effects?”
- Get it in writing: Ask for specific drug names on your consent form
- Take time to decide: Don’t feel pressured to consent immediately
After a Procedure
- Request itemized invoice: Specific drug names, not generic “sedation”
- Get medical records: Document exactly what was administered
- Report adverse reactions: Both to your vet and the FDA
- Document everything: Photos, videos, timeline of symptoms
If Zorbium® Was Administered Without Your Knowledge
- Request complete medical records immediately
- Document that you were not informed in advance (email to vet requesting confirmation)
- File FDA adverse event report if your cat experienced reactions
- Consider filing complaint with state veterinary board
- In states with informed consent laws (NY, CA), consult with attorney about legal options
- Submit your case to this database to help document the pattern
The Bottom Line
When 98.2% of cases involve no advance disclosure, this isn’t about individual veterinary practices – it’s about systematic concealment of a drug with known severe adverse reactions.
Pet owners deserve:
- To know what drugs will be administered to their animals
- To understand the risks and alternatives
- To make informed decisions about their pet’s care
- To refuse drugs they’re not comfortable with
- To hold veterinarians accountable for undisclosed administration
This Pattern Must Change
Informed consent isn’t just a legal requirement in some states – it’s an ethical obligation across the entire veterinary profession. The 98.2% non-disclosure rate reveals a systematic failure to uphold this fundamental principle of veterinary medicine.
Pet owners have a right to know. Period.