What if you’re not sure if your dog ate a sock?
Not sure if your dog ate a sock, or swallowed something else? Because some types of items are difficult to see on an x-ray, and because dogs sometimes swallow things without their owners realizing it, your veterinarian might elect to take a look at the stomach with an endoscope. “Sometimes, I go down there with a scope because I think they have bowel disease or chronic inflammation, and I say, ‘Oh! Look, there’s a ball down here!’” Dr. Diehl says.
One outcome you really hope to avoid is an intestinal obstruction, where the sock lodges somewhere in the intestines, causing a blockage. An obstruction is serious and it requires surgery to remove the item. The tricky thing about intestinal obstructions is you might not realize your dog has one if you didn’t actually witness him swallowing a sock or something he shouldn’t.
If your dog ate a sock, here’s what happens to that sock
Whether your dog ate a sock or some other item he has no business swallowing, several things might happen. If the dog is big and the item is small like a sock, the dog might simply vomit it back up — either right away or a day or two later. If that doesn’t happen, it’s possible that the dog might pass the sock and eventually poop it out. This could take several days, and you will want to take a close look every time your dog poops to check for the sock.
In some cases, if your dog ate a sock, the item might even become stuck in the stomach. “When the stomach empties, food will go first and indigestible objects go last,” Dr. Diehl explains. “Items can stay in a dog’s stomach and cause periodic problems. They got them down but they can’t throw them up, and they’re too big to go into the intestine, so they bounce around and cause some discomfort. These dogs usually become chronic vomiters.”
Follow your veterinarian’s advice.
This may be to come down to the clinic for an assessment and treatment, or your veterinarian may be happy to monitor the situation at home under close supervision. It’s very important that you don’t try to manage the situation yourself, as this can lead to a worse outcome for your dog.
Dog Eats a Sock: Obstruction Signs and 3 Remedies
In this article we take a look at why dogs eat socks and what to do when it happens, including the warning signs to watch out for. We will let you know when to call the veterinarian for assistance, and help you to reduce the chances of it happening again in future.
We’ve all been there. We all know the feeling. The dread that moment when your dog eats something so unusual that you have no idea what to do. When our dogs eat a food that they shouldn’t, or something poisonous, information is usually easy to find. But there are some things so inedible that we can be left completely lost for ideas.
Socks, if you are anything like me, can periodically be found all over your house. Whether they’re hanging up to dry or kicked off after a long day, they can be pretty accessible.
It’s no surprise, then, that a large proportion of people who are concerned about what their dogs have eaten are talking about socks. So, what happens if a dog eats a sock? And why do dogs eat socks in the first place?
The word vets use for when a dog eats something like a sock is ‘foreign body ingestion’. This is the blanket term for a dog eating something that isn’t food, but isn’t technically toxic either. This type of incident is so common that it can even appear innocuous or funny. Sadly sometimes the results are far from comedic.
Any unusual, indigestible item that makes it’s way into your dogs digestive system has the risk of becoming stuck. A huge amount of vets’ time is used up dealing with dogs that have done just this.
But at least this means that when you run in shouting ‘my dog ate a sock!’ they know just what to do. And sometimes, the situation resolves itself on its own.