>>So my dog of almost 2 years swallowed a toy the other day. It hasn't passed and we are worried that it won't. She's starting to have blood in her movements so we're afraid that it won't pass without surgery. At that point we need to decide how much our dog is worth to us, especially with a baby coming. Has anybody had to go through this? How did you handle it? Am I morally obligated to spend what it takes to get my dog healthy again, even if I could more responsibly spend that money on my child's future? FYI: my dog is more like a friend to me than a pet, so I'm not taking this decision lightly. If it's a question of hundreds of dollars, then it's a no brainer to me. If it's thousands then I will have to put more thought into it.
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>Take your dog to the vet and get an xray. The xray is not very expensive. The vet will be able to tell you whether or not the dog will pass the toy without surgery. If you don't, it could right now be lodged in the dog's intestines and they could burst. Animals require the same level of responsibility as children. If you have a pet, be responsible and take care of it. If you can't do that, then don't own a pet. It's inhumane otherwise.
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>I have spent more money on vet bills than doctor bills for my daughter. One boxer I owned cost me 3000.00 in vet bills. Mostly because there was no affordable insurance for pets available til recently. Now there is actually medical insurance available for pets that is not cost prohibitive. If you are going to own a pet, then I recommend you look into it. Keep in mind that the longer you wait to take your pet to the vet, the more likely it will require more treatment and costs.
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I would be scared to even add up the money I have spent on Sydne. She has had 9 or 10 surgeries (I have lost count). She is 13 now and just keeps going, other than being old and cranky ;-)