This is a legendary true story about a real dog. Golden Retriever Duoduo is playful and loves to eat, naturally lively and adorable, and enjoys playing with its owner so much that it loses track of time. However, it has a common Golden Retriever problem: it loves to carry things in its mouth. While some dogs carry bottles or toys, this dog carries stones. In less than two months, its stomach was already packed with very large stones. How speechless you must be about it!

　　This is the preoperative X-ray examination, clearly showing four stones of different sizes lying in its stomach.

X-ray Examination

　　This photo was taken during surgery when one of the stones was removed. The stone has been corroded black by stomach acid. Looking closely at the stomach wall, the gastric mucosa has already been damaged and shows chronic gastritis caused by the stones. The swallowed pebbles have turned black. Upon detailed inquiry with the owner, it was revealed that one of the stones had been in the stomach for two full months. At this point, aren’t you extremely speechless with the owner?

Stone Removal Surgery

　　After removing the stones, the stomach wall was closed, flushed clean, and put back in place. The abdominal cavity was also rinsed and restored.

Stomach Wall Closure

　　Look at this comparison: the four large stones beside a regular syringe, showing how large they are. The stones that accompanied it for more than two months unwillingly left its stomach. Hopefully, next time, it won’t have stones as company in its stomach.

Removed Stones

　　The abdominal wall was closed post-operation, the incision was treated, locally sealed, and ointment was applied to keep the incision dry and medicated on time.

Postoperative Care

　　Since it was gastrointestinal surgery, postoperative food and water intake must be controlled, with 5-7 days of intravenous fluid therapy to control inflammation, replenish body fluids, nourish the gastric mucosa, and promote its functional recovery.

　　This seemingly funny Golden Retriever Duoduo makes us seriously reflect on why such situations occur.

　　Dogs and cats have pain responses more than ten times that of humans. Therefore, except for some acute abdominal symptoms, it is rare to see their mental state affected by pain. But this is a factor humans tend to ignore. We see the corrosion caused by the stones in the stomach and the damage they do to the stomach. This dog kept having intermittent vomiting due to this overlooked internal injury, ignoring the consequences.

　　This dog is just one case. How many other dogs and cats have accidentally swallowed things they shouldn’t? This one swallowed stones, which in severe cases can block the intestines causing intestinal obstruction, or mildly irritate the gastric mucosa causing damage. What if a pet swallows toxic plants or harmful foods? Regret might be all the owner can do. Life is constantly at risk, so we should choose better ways to reduce all possible harms to them.

　　Some owners may say, then we can just use toys in the future. But many dogs actually swallow toys as well. This requires us to carefully select quality toys that are suitable for the dog.

　　A simple example: a Golden Retriever naturally likes to carry things in its mouth. So these things definitely cannot be toys that it can swallow. Also, it likes to chew, so choose toys that cannot be shredded or destroyed easily. Therefore, for toy selection, bigger plastic toys are better, as there is no worry about the dog swallowing or chewing them into small pieces.

　　When playing, also pay attention to breed-specific common diseases. Large and medium breeds tend to develop hip dysplasia, while small breeds are prone to patellar and ligament injuries. Be mindful of these potential health issues during running and jumping.

　　We recommend that after getting a dog, owners find a professional veterinarian to provide more expert knowledge and technical services. Prevent problems before they happen, emphasizing disease prevention over treatment, using nutrition and scientific feeding as means for owner education and pet training. Only then can we do all we can to further promote pet health.

　　Dear lovely pets, keep it up! Loving pet lovers, keep going! Let’s do small things together for our common little goal.