Sadie drank water but showed no interest in her food and had dropped two pounds according to our scales. The results of a few more quick blood tests would give you the impression that Sadie was in perfect health. After a conference with the owner, we finally recommended exploratory abdominal surgery. Our reasoning was that there had to be something wrong and Sadie was still in excellent shape and could easily tolerate a quick surgical procedure. The physician agreed and Sadie was prepared for surgery.
Exploratory surgeries are nothing more than a diagnostic procedure, just like a blood test or x-ray.
They can be done on any area of the body. Abdominal ones are probably the most common and can easily be done in less than thirty minutes from first cut to last skin suture. This one, as they commonly do, may have saved Sadie s life. X-rays are great diagnostic tools. They actually permit us to take a picture of the inside of an animal.