The vet sighed, turned around and left the room. He returned a few minutes later with

a old dog. As the duck's owner looked on in amazement, the dog stood on his hind legs,

put  his front paws on the examination table and sniffed the duck from top to bottom. He then looked up at the vet with sad eyes and shook his head.

The vet patted the dog on the head and took it out  of the room. A few minutes later he

returned with  a cat. The cat jumped on the table and also delicately sniffed the bird

from head to foot. The cat sat back on its haunches, shook its head, meowed softly and

strolled out of the room.

The vet looked at the woman and said, "I'm sorry,  but as I said, this is most definitely,

100% certifiably, a dead duck."

He turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys and produced a bill, which he handed

to the woman. The duck's owner, still in shock, took the bill. "$150!" she cried, "$150 just to tell me my duck is dead?!?"

The vet shrugged. "I'm sorry. If you had just taken my word for it, the bill would

have been $20, but with the Lab Report and the Cat Scan, it's now $150."