Anyone who’s ever had a dog knows how much we want them to enjoy a long and healthy life by our side.
Of course, it’s not always easy—especially when they’re already facing medical challenges that are costly to treat.
That was exactly the case with Zippy. He was already a senior when he was adopted, and his health wasn’t perfect.
So when his owner noticed something unusual, she knew she had to find out what was going on—and headed straight to the vet.
An Unexpected Issue
Most would assume Zippy had pet insurance, especially given his condition, but that wasn’t the case.
Michelle, his owner, never got coverage for him. Because Zippy had a heart condition, insurance wouldn’t cover the care he needed anyway.
And since vet bills in California were already high, she figured it wasn’t worth paying extra for something that wouldn’t help much.
But then Zippy began coughing constantly and Michelle didn’t understand why.
She had no choice but to take him to a California clinic for answers.
There, the vets discovered something surprising: Zippy had a foreign object inside him.
They initially thought he would pass it naturally within a few days, but Michelle wasn’t comfortable with waiting.
Worried about his heart condition, she and her partner opted to take immediate action.
The vets first tried to induce vomiting, but that didn’t work. So they performed an endoscopy and it was a success.
It turned out Zippy had swallowed a tiny rock. That little stone had caused all of the coughing.
The procedure ended up costing $6,000. Michelle later shared the whole ordeal on TikTok.
The Internet Reacts
As expected, the clip drew a lot of attention. It racked up 948,000 views, nearly 150,000 likes, and plenty of comments.
One person commented: “That is the face of someone who has not learned his lesson and will absolutely do it again.”
It’s true: dogs do tend to repeat behaviors, even when we try to stop them.
Another person said: “My pups rock cost 3200 bucks thank God for pet insurance. I got reimbursed 80%.”
While insurance may be helpful in many cases, it’s always wise to look at the details before committing.
And lastly, somebody commented: “I’m shocked that it required a vet visit, it looks small and smooth enough to pass through. Guess I need to watch my dogs closer haha.”
And they’re right. Watching what our dogs pick up is important; you never know what could lead to a medical scare.
In Zippy’s case, everything turned out fine, and his story ended up brightening a lot of people’s days. Many found it all too relatable.