Blockage suspected, then ‘no blockage’ on repeat imaging… surgery still happened. Trying to understand
Our dog just went through a really intense 72 hours and we’re trying to understand if this was a normal gray-area vet situation or something closer to a breakdown in communication/decision-making.
A couple nights ago he suddenly became extremely panicked and inconsolable — wide-eyed, pacing, clearly in distress all night. We got him into the vet first thing in the morning.
X-rays showed a suspected blockage in or near his stomach, but they couldn’t identify what it was. We were sent for an ultrasound, which also suggested a blockage but again no clear object. At that point we were told emergency surgery was recommended (~$9,600).
We honestly thought we might have to put him down because we couldn’t afford that kind of cost. It was a really heavy moment.
We were then referred to a lower-cost clinic (~$1,500), which we agreed to.
That night before surgery at home, he was actually very calm and normal. At 2am he suddenly passed two large, very solid stools that were almost entirely grass/leaves. And slept the entire night (pre and post poop).
We called the ER vet at 2am asking if it was possible he had passed the obstruction. They told us no — that material from earlier in the day wouldn’t move through his system that quickly and it was likely unrelated.
Morning comes, and he goes in for surgery.
We tell them about the large stools and the improvements. They note it but say they typically don’t re-image unless something unusual happens.
Later that morning, we get a text asking if they can do an X-ray. We agree and they also ask if his stool was solid. We confirm it was.
Then we don’t hear anything for a few hours.
Around 3pm (we dropped him off at 8am), we’re told:
The repeat X-ray showed no visible blockage (only stool and intestinal inflammation). But they proceeded with exploratory surgery anyway.
We were not informed of the updated imaging findings before surgery.
Afterwards, when we questioned it, staff actually acknowledged they should have communicated the new imaging results before proceeding, since it would have affected our decision-making.
Now he’s home recovering from abdominal surgery. He’s doing okay, but clearly in pain and we’re left trying to understand what just happened.
We’re not trying to burn down a clinic — it’s a small, local place that is doing good things for the community — but we’re struggling with:
If imaging no longer clearly showed a blockage, is exploratory surgery still a common/appropriate next step? Or would monitoring / fluids / repeat imaging typically be considered first given his improvement?
And is it normal for updated imaging results not to be communicated before proceeding with surgery?
Just trying to sanity check this with people who have maybe seen similar cases (especially vets/vet techs), because right now it feels like we failed our dog and that in itself is painful.