The dog
Max was my Doberman, the best dog I ever had, and he lived to 17. This story happened when he was two, back when he thought every locked door was a personal insult.
The mistake
I came home to a torn trash bag and a dog with a guilty face. Chicken bones from dinner, and Max had gotten to them first. I fished out what I could find and watched him like a hawk.
For a few hours it looked like we got away with it. Then he started drooling and gagging, and he couldn’t get comfortable. That’s when I stopped watching and started driving.
The night
The emergency vet took an X-ray, and there they were: bone fragments where bone fragments have no business being. The advice was surgery, that night. He stayed at the hospital four days. The bill came to about $4,800, which at the time was bigger than a lot of car payments I’ve made.
He recovered completely. Lived to 17, gray-faced and opinionated to the end. I’d pay it again a thousand times. But I’ve never left a trash bag where a dog could reach it since.
If it happens at your house tonight
Call your vet or the emergency animal hospital first and tell them what he ate and when. Do not make the dog vomit unless a vet tells you to: cooked chicken bones splinter, and bringing them back up can do more damage than swallowing them did.
Watch for drooling, gagging, pawing at the mouth, vomiting, or a belly that hurts to touch. Any of those, go now, don’t wait for morning.
The money part
I didn’t have pet insurance then. The bill was $4,800 in one night, and an overnight at the emergency vet today can start around $3,000 on its own. Insurance would have covered most of that bill. It’s a big reason we’re building our pet insurance comparison: seven companies with the honest pros and cons of each.
The gear
A pet first aid kit and a treat-dispensing dog toy are the two things I keep around now, because a busy dog doesn’t raid trash cans.