Chemicals in Texas meth lab home cause family dog to have seizures

The following story is posted with permission from a woman who shared her meth lab home story with me this week. Her story shows just how dangerous the chemicals used in meth labs can be. By sharing her story on Meth Lab Homes, she hopes that others might learn from her family’s experience.

Comment: If meth testing was required by the state before the home was sold, this tragic story would never have occurred.

“My husband and I just bought a house in Texas and are devastated by what we just found out.  We were told by neighbors that the guy who lived here before us was a drug dealer.  We really had no idea what that meant until our little dog began to seizure around one week after we moved in.  Because of that I asked two neighbors if there could be anything is the house or yard that could have made him sick?  So I found out that there was a lot that could have made him sick.

I found out that the owner is in prison for 12 years for production/ delivery of meth.  We were told of the chemicals found in the house, you would not be able to tell by the look of the house.  So on October 16 we had to put our little boy (dog) to sleep.  We then had our house tested for meth and just received the results.  It is highly concentrated in the garage and attic but it is in the whole house.  I really do not know what to do,  what kind of lawyer to get?  I just feel sick to my stomach. I have three little kids.

I would appreciate any advice at all, I am just trying to wrap my brain around this I can’t believe that it was not told to us prior, it is not in the disclosure either.  Sorry for rambling I just am desperate for any direction.

Honestly at this point I do not know what we will do.  We spoke to a lawyer yesterday and we were even more discouraged.  We are really feeling like we are on our own.  Basically who are we going to sue?  The guy in prison?  We are still waiting to here back from two other lawyers today.

Meanwhile we need a place to live, we are going to try to rent somewhere. The problem with this among all others is then we can’t afford to make our house payment on our contaminated house.  The guy that I spoke to from a meth lab cleanup company said that if my dog died that quickly that usually means the toxins in the home will only get higher.  Estimated costs for the cleanup are between $10,000 and $17,000, just to make it safe to live in. I’m not even sure that we would after all we’ve been through.

I am so sorry for myself and your son and anyone who has been put in this circumstance it is so wrong and unfair.  My husband is a mess.  He tries so hard to provide for us and finally bought us this house. Now we have own a house that is unsafe to live in and we don’t have the money to decontaminate it.  I am grateful that we found out about it being a meth lab soon after we bought it, although I’m not sure where that leaves us at this point.”

Update: The family moved out of their new home this week, in order to protect their health and the health of their three children and their remaining family pet. They, like my son and thousands of other people across America, now must make mortgage payments for a home that is unsafe for them to live in. They are also responsible for the cost of decontaminating a meth lab home, that they were not responsible for contaminating.

Update: December 4, 2008 “We went home for the Thanksgiving holiday and it was good for us to be around our friends and family. We are not at this point in the house nor do we plan to live in it. I have never been this frustrated in all my life.”

If you have a meth lab home story that you’d like to share, please email me. By sharing your story, you can join me in helping others to protect themselves and their families.  You can also help others to protect themselves and their families by encouraging them to visit this site to learn about the meth lab home problem that is spread all across America.