Learn why foreign body ingestion—like corn cobs, toys, and socks—is a serious emergency for dogs and cats. Discover symptoms, risks, treatment, and prevention tips from Mission Animal Hospital.

When little Bear Claw, a small dog with a big name, suddenly couldn’t pee for three days, his family feared the worst. At an emergency clinic, Sara was told he needed an urgent cystotomy to remove bladder stones, but the cost was far beyond what she could afford. She was even preparing for the possibility of saying goodbye.

Let’s talk about something that pops up every spring and summer: Leptospirosis (or “lepto”). It’s a bacterial disease that dogs can catch from puddles, standing water, or areas where wildlife like raccoons or rodents have been. And yes, people can get it too.