>>>>>>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.
>>>>>
>>>>>I don't have a pet. I'm allergic to cats and dogs.
>>>>>
>>>>>I don't like pets around babies. Main reason. They carry tons of bacterias. They lick themselves (and yes even there) and eventually your baby will be licked too.
>>>>>
>>>>>Enough said? ;-)
>>>>
>>>>http://www.google.ca/search?q=pets+children+immune+system
>>>
>>>Well... perhaps. Still I prefer that my child won't be licked by a dog after it licked it's A$$
>>
>>I read somewhere that K-9's saliva is much more antiseptic than human's.
>
>I'm sure that whatever I say a pet owner somewhere will find an URL to prove me wrong.
>
>Call me old fashion I'm sure that I'll find alternatives to boost my child's immune system. A dog that just licked itself is not one of those ways.

I thought it MIGHT be true since dogs pick up almost anything to eat... so they must have super saliva.