On a lighter note....this week Rudy and the neighborhood kids were playing with a 1.5" diameter bouncy ball. Rudy got it and started running from the kids and then looked at me and swallowed. Yep, a solid, rubber, Sponge Bob Square Pants ball. Then he continued to play.
I quickly called the Emergency Vet Clinic because I have heard tell of dogs that had foreign objects lodged in their gut and it was a horrible death. The Emergency Vet Clinic said, "oh yes, bring him in immediately, he could die, we need to do emergency surgery, blah, blah, blah." So before I hang up and load Rudy into the car...I ask..."what is an estimated cost for something like this?" The lady, politely (I'm sure with a smile on her face) said "about $3,000."
I hung up the phone, looked at Rudy and said "you're gonna die".
After calling several (normal) vets the next day, the consensus was that he DID need surgery and that it would be about $800. I had just about decided to fork up the money and figure out what I was going to have to cut out of the cruise to pay for his tummy surgery when a very smart and practical vet said, "Why don't we try something before you bring him in? Give him about 1 tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide. It will immediately make him throw-up and maybe the ball will come out." I called my neighbor who was watching Rudy during the day and she gave him the peroxide. One minute later he threw-up the ball! After it had sat in his tummy for over 16 hours, up it came. $.25 of hydrogen peroxide saved me $800!
So, if your dog ever does something stupid like that, a little hydrogen peroxide might do the trick.
Here is a new picture of the boy. He's getting to be a big boy. And he has always been a big pest. But that seems to run in our family anyway!
