Beau may be a small dog, but that hasn’t stopped him from overcoming big health challenges even before his first birthday. Beau is a two and a half pound Yorkie owned by Debbie Lindemulder from Ottumwa. He will be a year old in August, 2014.

“Beau has such a great personality – he loves everyone and is very laid back,” said Debbie. “It is hard to believe that we’ve had two times where we took him to the vet clinic and weren’t sure if he would be able to come home again.”

In October 2013, Debbie brought Beau to Pipestone Veterinary Services because he was vomiting. He was diagnosed with Parvovirus, which is a highly contagious infection that dogs are typically vaccinated for. However, Beau contracted it even before his scheduled vaccination. He was dehydrated and required a hospital stay to ensure he received fluids and medicine needed for recovery.

“He stayed in the hospital for a few days and recovered well,” said Debbie. “We found out later that he was so small that the normal IVs wouldn’t work, so the doctors had to give him special treatment. We were very impressed with the care he received.”


In May 2014, Beau was brought back to the vet clinic with vomiting. The Lindemulder family was concerned because they thought he had chewed on an animal carcass when he had gone out with their outdoor dogs.

Dr. Meredith Johns took X-rays and found a bone about the size of a quarter lodged in his esophagus. She reviewed options with the Lindemulders. The owners opted to give it a few days to see if it would dislodge.

After a few days, the bone was still lodged and Beau still wasn’t eating, so they chose to have Dr. Johns from Pipestone Veterinary Services perform surgery on Beau to remove the bone, despite the potential complications.

“It was a risky surgery given the small size of the dog and all of the blood vessels surrounding the esophagus,” said Dr. Johns.

The surgery went well. Dr. Johns removed the bone and stitched up the perforated esophagus. Beau stayed at the clinic for a few days, before returning home. His recovery was slow until his esophagus healed, but he has made a nearly full recovery and is back to his fun and playful self.

“He still coughs occasionally, but he is back to his loveable personality” said Debbie.

By bringing Beau in, the Lindemulders were able to get him treatment in time. Vomiting could be explained by something as simple as an upset stomach, but you never want to wait until it is too late. If you notice something unusual in your pet, give your vet a call. Debbie and Beau would both say you’d rather be safe than sorry!