Speaking from experience, having a family dog put down is one of the hardest experiences a person can go through. You always wish they'd just pass away peacefully in their sleep and let nature take its course, but sometimes you just have to step in and make the painful - albeit necessary - decision for them.

However, one family in Utah had this decision taken away from them, after a veterinarian accidentally euthanized their pet dachshund after mixing him up with another dog who had the same name.

Andrea Martinez says that she had brought her family's dog, named Ziggy, to the animal hospital in Davis County after the pup had been finding it difficult to breathe and eat properly.

A veterinarian recommended that Ziggy undergo surgery, and the Martinez family agreed to leave their beloved pooch at the vet overnight for the procedure.

Despite the high cost of the procedure, the family was determined to do anything they could to help little Ziggy survive. Speaking to KUTV, Andrea said: "He was our baby, it was my daughter’s best friend, my dog’s best friend, it was ours. Money wasn’t an issue."

After returning home from the animal hospital, the Martinez family was told that they would receive a call following the procedure to let them know how the surgery went. The call came at 2:30AM - and they were informed that Ziggy did not survive.

But Andrea said that during the call, the vet kept "beating around the bush". She recalled: "He was saying it like we should have known."

After being briefly put on hold, the vet returned to the call where Andrea was told the wrong dog had been put down. Per Andrea, the vet allegedly told her: "I’m so sorry that this happened, we got confused and ended up calling another dog’s mom."

Andrea was told that the dog the veterinarian had confused for Andrea's dog was also called Ziggy.

When it turned out Andrea's Ziggy would need a more expensive and complicated surgery, they called the wrong family to ask what they would like to do. They chose to have him put down.

Martinez said: "They were still in the middle of surgery when they called the other person asking, 'It’s going to be more expensive, it’s going to be a more extended surgery, do you want to continue it or do you want to let him go?' They chose to let him go."

Per the Metro, it is still unclear whether or not the Martinez's family dog would have survived if the vet had been given the approval to continue with the surgery, as Ziggy was in a critical condition when he died.

It is unclear what Ziggy’s life would have been like if the vet had been given approval to continue the surgery, he was reportedly in bad condition before he died.

Andrea has revealed that the vet has been very apologetic - waving their medical bill and giving them a nice urn, a plaque, and a Christmas ornament with Ziggy's paw print.

Regardless, Andrea says: "I just wish we would’ve had the say, I wish we would’ve been able to say we tried everything that we could have."

Speaking from experience, having a family dog put down is one of the hardest experiences a person can go through. You always wish they'd just pass away peacefully in their sleep and let nature take its course, but sometimes you just have to step in and make the painful - albeit necessary - decision for them.

However, one family in Utah had this decision taken away from them, after a veterinarian accidentally euthanized their pet dachshund after mixing him up with another dog who had the same name.

Andrea Martinez says that she had brought her family's dog, named Ziggy, to the animal hospital in Davis County after the pup had been finding it difficult to breathe and eat properly.

A veterinarian recommended that Ziggy undergo surgery, and the Martinez family agreed to leave their beloved pooch at the vet overnight for the procedure.

Despite the high cost of the procedure, the family was determined to do anything they could to help little Ziggy survive. Speaking to KUTV, Andrea said: "He was our baby, it was my daughter’s best friend, my dog’s best friend, it was ours. Money wasn’t an issue."

After returning home from the animal hospital, the Martinez family was told that they would receive a call following the procedure to let them know how the surgery went. The call came at 2:30AM - and they were informed that Ziggy did not survive.

But Andrea said that during the call, the vet kept "beating around the bush". She recalled: "He was saying it like we should have known."

After being briefly put on hold, the vet returned to the call where Andrea was told the wrong dog had been put down. Per Andrea, the vet allegedly told her: "I’m so sorry that this happened, we got confused and ended up calling another dog’s mom."

Andrea was told that the dog the veterinarian had confused for Andrea's dog was also called Ziggy.

When it turned out Andrea's Ziggy would need a more expensive and complicated surgery, they called the wrong family to ask what they would like to do. They chose to have him put down.

Martinez said: "They were still in the middle of surgery when they called the other person asking, 'It’s going to be more expensive, it’s going to be a more extended surgery, do you want to continue it or do you want to let him go?' They chose to let him go."

Per the Metro, it is still unclear whether or not the Martinez's family dog would have survived if the vet had been given the approval to continue with the surgery, as Ziggy was in a critical condition when he died.

It is unclear what Ziggy’s life would have been like if the vet had been given approval to continue the surgery, he was reportedly in bad condition before he died.

Andrea has revealed that the vet has been very apologetic - waving their medical bill and giving them a nice urn, a plaque, and a Christmas ornament with Ziggy's paw print.

Regardless, Andrea says: "I just wish we would’ve had the say, I wish we would’ve been able to say we tried everything that we could have."