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Note: Names have been changed to protect the innocent!
Sally is a senior, small mixed breed pup and, to be honest, she has not had the best luck in life. Sally first came to our attention after she was adopted from a rural humane society. Her previous history was pretty much unknown other than the fact that she was possibly abandoned on a lonely county road in the middle of the summer. Sally's new owner was eager to give this old lady a new lease on life!
Over the course of the next 5 months, our hospitals would see Sally on several occasions. Upon initial presentation, Sally had a few minor issues and her new adoptive family went right to work on making her more comfortable. Her on-going ear infection was treated, she had a little bit of a cough, and she had significant dental disease. But, her family was determined to give her the very best life and over the next 5 months, Sally had a mammary mass removed, an eyelid mass removed, and her teeth were professionally cleaned, even though she lost a few due to dental disease.
But, as the winter holidays approached this year, Sally's pet parents noted that she had vomited up a few small rocks one night. Evidently, while dinner was being prepared on the outdoor grill, Sally had found the spot where the family's grill would occasionally drop tasty drippings! Concerned for her well-being, the family rushed Sally to a local animal emergency hospital where it was confirmed that Sally had ingested a fair number of small decorative stones, similar to river pebbles. The decision was made to proceed with surgery. Once you note the picture of the x-ray here, I am sure you all will agree that Sally needed those rocks out and they needed to come out soon! For reference, Sally is lying on her right side in this x-ray with her head to the left. The large bright area in the middle of the picture is her stomach, which is completely filled with rocks! There are even some rocks that have started passing into her colon and these few will get defecated out in the next day or two.
Long story short, Sally's surgery was a success and she is recuperating back home with her family. The surgeon removed 118 stones from her stomach and another 15 stones were "pooped out" by this pup after she went home. In total, the rocks weighed 0.52 kg or just over 1.1 lbs. To put this in perspective, Sally weighs a whopping 10 lbs!
Kudos to Sally's family for their prompt action in seeking care for their senior pup! Their commitment to Sally's well-being did more than just save Sally's lifeit kept their whole family together!
I want to give a special "shout-out" to Sally's family for allowing me to share their story here.
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