The Case of The Missing Sock

Meet Bear, a 6-year-old Sprocker, who came to us in February after he started vomiting, had a reduced appetite and a general lack of energy – something very unusual for this normally bouncy dog. Bear’s owner mentioned that he would not be surprised if he has scavenged something.

Upon clinical examination, Bear was quieter than usual but had normal vitals. However, Bear seemed uncomfortable when we palpated his abdomen, raising concerns about a foreign body in his digestive tract. After discussing his options, Bear was given an injection to help control nausea and reduce his abdominal pain, with plans to reassess him the following day.

The next day, Bear was no longer vomiting, but he remained lethargic and had no interest in food. Given his ongoing symptoms, we decided to perform an abdominal ultrasound. The results were concerning with multiple abnormalities throughout his gastrointestinal tract and the vet was mostly worried about a foreign body obstruction. Based on the ultrasound findings and Bear’s clinical signs, the decision was made to move forward with surgery.

Surgical exploration revealed a surprising culprit—a long thermal sock that had become lodged in Bear’s stomach and extended into his small intestine. Unfortunately, the sock had caused significant inflammation in Bear’s intestines, and there was a small tear where the foreign body had traumatized the area.

We were able to remove the sock safely in multiple pieces using a series of carefully placed incisions. The tear in Bear’s small intestine was repaired, and the abdomen was thoroughly flushed to remove any contaminants. There was a risk of wound breakdown post operatively due to the extent of inflammation and Bear could develop peritonitis (inflammation of the abdominal lining)

After surgery, Bear received close monitoring and continued pain relief, fluids, anti-nausea medication and gut motility stimulants. Within just 24 hours, Bear started wagging his tail and even started eating small amounts of food. This was a remarkable turnaround, especially considering his condition before surgery.

However, around 46 hours post-op, Bear developed a high fever. Given the risk of peritonitis, we performed another abdominal scan. Thankfully, no significant increase in fluid was found, so we started Bear on antibiotics as a precaution. The owners received the happy news that Bear could be discharged and monitored closely at home with us on hand, if needed.

Bear was happily loving the TLC from his owner; however, he was not out of the woods yet as six days post-surgery, Bear developed some inflammatory fluid leakage from the surgical wound. This was managed by regularly washing and drying the area, allowing the fluid to drain safely. Fortunately, no signs of infection were observed, and the wound healed without complication.

Bear is now back to his cheerful, energetic self, and the mystery of the missing sock has been solved! We are thrilled with Bear’s recovery and grateful that his owner trusted us with his care.