A family were left with the devastating decision of paying upwards of £7,000 for their dog's life saving surgery, or having to put him to sleep. Milo the weimaraner was vomiting and producing blood when his family became concerned.
After rushing him to hospital on October 23, Shannon Stone, from Porth in the Rhondda, said the vet asked if it was possible the four-year-old dog could have eaten something he wasn't supposed to. Shannon said Milo, who still acts like an energetic puppy, sometimes chewed socks around the house but she hadn't seen him eat anything directly.
The vet could see Milo's tummy was upset and a scan discovered a rock in his lower intestine. Shannon said: "They gave us the options of taking him home with pain medication and seeing if it would pass or leaving him there under observation. Obviously we left him there to be sure. We had a phone call later that night that he needed life saving surgery to remove the rock." You can get more local news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
READ MORE: Inside Wales' first dog adventure park and party venue with its own trampoline and swimming pond
Milo, who lives at home with Shannon, her mum and dad, went under the knife to remove the rock at a veterinary hospital that same night and was home by October 26. But it was only a short visit home as he had already started to deteriorate.
"That first surgery cost £3,500," said 21-year-old Shannon, adding: "But he had the surgery and he wasn't doing well, he came home and he started deteriorating so we took him back in and he had to have another surgery to remove a larger section of his lower intestine as he was battling sepsis. This cost upward of £4,000 and daily after care was around £500.
"When they said about the second surgery, we got told you either need to come up here and put him to sleep or pay £4,000 for the second surgery. In that moment you just can't think. He is only four, his life has only just started."
The second surgery went much better and Milo came home three days later on October 29. Shannon added: "He is such a character, we all love him so much, my dad is his favourite and he treats him like a child. He wasn't eating in the vets, they wanted him to come home and as soon as he did he started to eat, he just wanted to be home.
"He acts like a puppy, he is so energetic. He is doing so much better now but he doesn't understand he needs to rest, he wants to run and play. And he hates his cone."
Milo is set to see the vet again on Monday afternoon when they will assess if his recovery is going well, but Shannon said she was hopeful as he was back to himself and feeling happy to be home. They haven't seen the size of the rock that has caused all this damage but expect to see it then.
The family dog was covered by pet insurance but only up to £2,000, so they are desperately trying to find the remainder of the money to pay the vet bills that saved his life. If you would like to make a donation, please click here.
READ NEXT:
