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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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>>We called the vet emergency number 20 seconds after it happened (it was late at night) and have been following his advice. We've called three times since then and he's assuring us that we're doing the right thing by waiting for it to pass. I've sifted through the dog crap at least 10 times since then with my bare hands. This isn't a case of "I don't want to spend money on my dog". I treat my dog like I would treat a child. I would happily pay $3000 now and I would happily pay more but the point of my post was the the obligation I have to my dog vs. my child. This is all new stuff to me.
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>See my other post.
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>I think that the consideration over the obligation between a pet and child is a valid one. Hopefully you never have to make that choice. Look into pet medical insurance from your vet. If you have to make a choice one day financially, then there is no choice. I say that from my perspective of both being a parent and having lived and worked on many farms. Try not to let it get to that point though. If necessary, search for a good home for your pet as soon as you are over this hurdle. This may have been a warning for you to consider all eventualities now before you are placed in that position where you are forced to make a decision. When you are a parent, it is my personal opinion that children come first, no matter what. That doesn't relieve you of the responsibility for humane treatment of your pets though. Not easy decisions to make, I know. There are too many people out there who have pets and don't take good care of them and I have a short fuse over pet treatment, so I apologize for jumping to the wrong conclusions.

I remember telling Mike when he and his wife were first thinking of getting a dog that it was good practice for having a kid. Not the same exactly but not completely different, either. It is a long term commitment and they are dependent on you. I hate it when people get a dog on a whim.