04/21/2026
Shout out to .animal.doctor.llc and for taking excellent care of Wedge when he swallowed a small dog tennis ball whole. We were fortunate that it was removed with endoscopy in a fairly brief outpatient procedure. I’m so happy my baby is doing great.
X-ray and offending ball are the last two photos. Skip it if that’s not your thing!
Now for the serious stuff. Here’s your friendly reminder to trust your gut. I saw him find this ball at the dog park and I knew it was small enough for him to swallow. I considered taking it away from him but he doesn’t usually eat things and he was having such a good time. A few minutes later I decided to take it anyway but I couldn’t find it (foreshadowing). When he vomited most of his meals the last two days I knew exactly what happened and this time I did trust my gut. X-rays showed that ball right in his stomach. We were referred to a specialist to try an endoscopy and if that didn’t work, we were facing a foreign body surgery which was quoted between $6000-$8000. Fortunately, I have pet insurance on him. While it wouldn’t have been free, it would have cost me less than $2000. As is, the $1900 in care will likely cost me around $600. I cannot explain how much harder this day would have been if I was facing a nearly 5 figure bill.
I would do anything for Wedge, including but not limited to spending my entire day off at the vet, and while I would have paid that much for him, I’m so grateful I didn’t have to. I got my renewal notice from last week and the premium has increased a good bit. But I will cheerfully pay for it this year.
Hug your babies extra tight today. And get that insurance! Especially for big dogs. Ask me if you have questions!
