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Dog Intestinal Blockage - Information on Dog Intestinal Blockage Symptoms, Treatment and Surgery Cost

Dog intestinal blockage is one of the most common reasons for intestinal surgery in dogs.

The obstruction in the intestines can cause a partial or complete obstruction in the flow of food as well as nutrients. This could also cause disruption in the digestion processes. Dog intestinal blockage is a very common condition. Since dogs hardly care about what they are eating, they often ingest substances that are not food and cannot be broken down in the stomach.

Since younger dogs tend to be a little more curious, they are more prone to developing blockages in their intestines.

Dog Intestinal Blockage Symptoms

The outflow of gastric juice or the inflow of ingested solids can both occur due to a dog intestinal blockage. This usually leads to indigestion, vomiting of undigested foods, loss of fluids, and pain in the abdomen. The dog may experience substantial weight loss and sluggishness.

Depending on the severity of the condition, the dog may have many other dog intestinal blockage symptoms as well. For a dog intestinal blockage, it may be necessary to perform surgery as part of the treatment. There may be electrolyte imbalance as well as significant fluid loss due to the obstruction. Depending on the exact location of the dog intestinal blockage, the requisite treatment may have to be undertaken.

Dog Intestinal Blockage Treatment and Surgery Cost

Dog intestinal blockage treatment can be performed surgically as well as non-surgically, depending on the symptoms and the severity of the condition. If the protective lining of the intestines is damaged due to the dog intestinal blockage, the condition may worsen and present with further complications. Dog intestinal blockage surgery may depend on the doctor’s diagnosis. Since there are various things like foreign objects and tumors that can cause intestinal obstruction in dogs, it becomes important to first take X-rays and conduct other tests to determine the exact extent of the blockage. Depending on the kind of surgery that is being performed, the cost of it may be determined.

Dog intestinal blockage surgery cost depends on the nature of the surgery being performed, as mentioned earlier. Apart from the surgery, there may be additional treatment involved as well, which may add to the overall cost. The secondary effects of the intestinal blockage as well as the surgery itself may need to be properly addressed. Once the surgery has been performed, you may need to attend to your pet for a long time, giving careful home care to prevent infection of the surgical wounds. Monitoring of the dog’s condition will also be required.

Submitted on January 12, 2012