Jack Emergency: Blocked Intestines

So 3 days ago we went to this great Natural Pet Food Store called Whole Pets in Broomfield, CO because we got a free dog wash coupon in the mail.  While we were there I was discussing Charlie's horrible teeth and the plaque buildup and they recommended a bone for him to chew on as it helps get rid of plaque.  We figured since we were buying Charlie a bone we had to buy Jack a bone.  We left the store with a small bone for Charlie and a big knuckle bone for Jack.  The bone really helped to get Charlie's teeth clean.

Fast forward to the next day.  Jack is acting lethargic, vomiting up bile, and is stretching a lot.  We were worried that maybe he ate some of the bone we had given him.  We found the bone and about half of the thing was missing.  We took him to an Animal Hospital around the corner from us called Arrowhead Animal Hospital. Since we have just moved to the Denver/Boulder area, we didn't have a vet and were a bit tentative to go just anywhere.  We couldn't have been happier with Arrowhead Vets.  It turned out Jack had a major blockage in his intestines and need emergency surgery to remove it.  The vet was going to have to open him up, cut into his intestines, remove the blockage, sew up the intestines, and the recovery was going to be intense not to mention the procedure quite expensive (about $2600).  But what do you do when you love your dog like a child and it is either this or risk his intestines exploding and him dying.

So we gave the ok for surgery and I was sobbing as we left the vet.  Turns out when they started the surgery and opened up Jack's stomach, the lodged substance had enough room to move through the intestines and into his colon so the vet didn't have to do surgery on his intestines.  The vet tech slept the night with Jack and I guess Jack whined the whole night so the tech ended up sleeping on the floor cuddled up next to Jack.  When we went back yesterday to pick him up, the whole vet hospital was in love with Jack and said they had to take turns petting him because he was lonely and demanding attention.  If Jack only knew he was a dog and not a human I think he would be crushed.  Turns out the final bill was much lower due to the less extensive surgery ($1450 instead of $2600).  It turns out that 3 pieces of bone were lodged in his intestines and he pooped them out later.  One was about the size of a silver dollar. That was one expensive bone.  I guess we have learned our lesson, no bones for our dogs.

Thanks Arrowhead Animal Hospital for taking such good care of our Jack and for the vet Kristin Hrenchir, DVM for being so sweet, kind and great at her job.  Dr. Hrenchir even came in on her day off to update us on Jack. What great service. Jack's very own snuggle buddy at night and a loving and caring staff and vet.

If you live in the Denver/Boulder area, I highly recommend you bring your pet here. They truly love animals and take the extra special step to ensure the animal is healthy and the owners are happy.

Jack is doing well. He has 28 staples in his stomach and about a 6 to 7 inch cut in his abdomen. Poor Jack. He can't do stairs and we live in a 3 floor townhouse so we created a patio potty for him. I will post that next.