Four months after his first annual visit, Lemmy shows up on the morning appointment schedule.

The complaint is vague: lack of appetite and retching. This could mean just about anything, so his owners have done the right thing and scheduled an exam to help discern the problem.

After his customary paw-sandwich handshake, I exam Lemmy. The lack of appetite is about 48 hours old, and the retching is about the same time frame.

Before the appetite disappeared, Lemmy threw up his dinner after eating normally. Otherwise, no known problems are present.

During the examination, I notice Lemmy is less cooperative than usual with me as I look into his mouth. This could mean pain or just a general attitude change.

With some determination, accompanied by the trust we’ve built, I finally notice a thick, brown, gooey mass bridging the top of Lemmy’s mouth, between the upper molars. It smells awful and seems to make his mouth feel the same as it smells. With a little more cooperation, I determine it’s a stick.

A careful extraction is accomplished, and no significant trauma to the mouth is revealed. The stick goes in the garbage.

But the worry isn’t over. A stick stuck in this area could easily cause a reluctance to eat. It hurts to eat dog food with a stick caught in your mouth. But it probably isn’t a good explanation for the retching. The stick wasn’t in the back of the mouth where a gag reflex might be elicited. I’m worried the stick has other wooden friends further along the gastrointestinal tract.

Lemmy may have a blockage. And if it’s causing a lack of appetite following vomiting, it may be the kind that necessitates surgery. Left inside, it may perforate the bowel and lead to a life-threatening infection.

Radiographs are taken, and they reveal merit to my worry. Lemmy appears to have at least one blockage in his small intestine, just past his stomach. Sadly, he’s fitting the pattern of a young dog who eats something that gets stuck.

To save his life, we’re going to surgery.

Matthew Sisk is a practicing veterinarian from Habersham County. Have questions about your pet? He can be reached at mattsisk2003@yahoo.com.