These Families Saved Hundreds After Their Dogs Ate Some Surprising Things

Whether they’re greeting you with a toy the moment you walk in the door, gnawing on their favorite bone or chomping on some tasty treats, dogs love to grab onto things with their mouths.

And while we try to monitor our pets as best as we can, sometimes they get away with swallowing something they shouldn’t — which means that $10 squeaker toy can cost hundreds of dollars in emergency vet visit fees.

Of course, giving your pet the best care is worth every sacrifice, but what if you didn’t have to worry about the costs of your dog’s unexpected accidents and injuries?

Take notes from these pet parents — when their pets swallowed things they shouldn’t have, these families avoided paying full price on care while still getting their dogs the help they needed.

When Wally, a happy-go-lucky pit bull mix, wasn't being his normal, outgoing self, his parents, Elizabeth and Andrew, knew they needed to take a trip to the vet.

"He was acting kind of weird, not really wanting his food and just being dumpy," Elizabeth told The Dodo.

The couple soon discovered that Wally had eaten part of his bed. So, they took a trip to the vet, where Wally was scoped, meaning the technician used a claw-like machine to pull out the stuffing.

Before agreeing to the operation, the couple had already signed Wally up for much-needed knee surgeries — and with the last-minute scoping, the medical bills started to add up.

Elizabeth and Andrew paid around $7,500 in vet fees for all the surgeries and post-surgery therapies. Luckily, Fetch by The Dodo pet insurance was there to pay them back around $6,000 of those bills.

"Being students, you know, we weren't working, we were in school. So, we didn't really have any disposable income," Elizabeth said. "We wouldn't have been able to treat Wally as easily and as calmly without insurance."

Greyson, a sweet, friendly pit bull, loves to spend time at her parents’ doggy day care — in fact, she’s known for her role as the dog meet-and-greeter.

Sometimes, Greyson’s passion for helping out at day care gets the best of her. She got so overly excited one day that she picked up some rocks in the outdoor area and ended up swallowing one.

After refusing to eat her favorite treat, chicken, and getting sick, Greyson’s parent, Gert, knew it was time to bring her to the vet. Greyson’s scoping vet bill cost about $4,000, but Fetch covered almost $3,000 of it.

“Any animal that we get, I immediately get them pet insurance," Gert told The Dodo. "I mean, it's such a peace of mind knowing that if anything were to happen to them, you know, small or very large, that you have that backup there."

It's safe to say Sydney, the pit bull mix, has gotten into his fair share of innocent trouble. His adventurous nature sometimes leads to unexpected vet visits.

"Life with Syd around means there's never a dull moment," Scott, Sydney’s parent, told The Dodo. Like when Sydney sniffed around his mom Mally’s purse and grabbed a piece of gum.

Nervous that Sydney ingested xylitol, a sweetener in gum that’s toxic to dogs, Mally and Scott rushed him to the vet. After clearing Sydney’s stomach, the vet discovered that, luckily, he never ate the gum, but he did enjoy the wrapper.

That wasn’t the only time Sydney swallowed something he shouldn’t have. After what seemed to be a typical play session with his toys, Sydney couldn’t keep water down and started throwing up.

X-rays soon proved that Sydney had eaten a toy squeaker, which he passed while doing his business. Thankfully, he was back to his playful self in just a short time — and although the vet bills piled up, Fetch was there to help.

"Our pets are our kids, and so it's been helpful just to have some peace of mind in paying for all of these unexpected vet visits," Mally told The Dodo.‍ "Fetch pet insurance was key in helping us pay for everything."

Wally, Greyson and Sydney are proof that dogs can swallow some questionable things, which is why pet insurance is so important. Being prepared for surprise accidents and injuries allows you to always give your pet the best care.