[3doghome]

8 year old dog swallowed a foreign object. X-ray shows 2 pieces of metal in small intestine. He hasn't vomited since changed his diet to high fiber (ground puppy food with canned pumpkin) and cimetidine from the vet. Is there an alternative to the possible $3,000 vet bill for surgery to remove the object(s)?

[Dogsareme]

That is something you will have to talk to your vet about. Because the object he swallowed is metal there is a good chance he can not pass it safely. Please talk to your vet, this could be something serious for your dog. Ask him if he offers payment plans to help better accommodate you.

[labman]

Some vets have tools to extract miscellaneous objects without surgery. Despite having raised 16 lab puppies, I haven't needed such service for any of them. I did carefully follow a presentation on it at the dog guide school a couple of years ago. With thousands of Labs and Goldens in their care, such procedures are routine. I forget the name of the thing they use. No matter, any vet knows the name of everything they have available. Since you already are working with a vet, you may have been given the best option. You might check with a larger practice in the area. They may have invested in the latest equipment. It still won't be cheap. Most vets are conservative and wouldn't operate if they had a good alternative. You must do something.

The dog guide school has 2 full time veterinarians, some techs, and an extremely well equipped clinic. They will provide any service any of their puppies or working dogs need, for free. The only catch is that you have to take the dog there in regular hours.