Zac is a beautiful five and a half year old male desexed Samoyed.  His owner bought him into the clinic because he had been vomiting a lot.  He wasn’t eating (which was very unlike him!) and although he was drinking water he would vomit that straight back up.  He seemed in pain and he was very quiet for him.

On 5 previous occasions, Zac had eaten one of his owner’s socks and every time in the past he had vomited them back up.  His owner was worried he had done it again.

Zac was found to be depressed, had very dry gums and vomited when his abdomen was palpated.  He was admitted to take blood tests and radiographs and was placed on an intravenous drip.  He was given pain relief .There was a high suspicion that he had eaten another sock.

Blood tests confirmed dehydration.  The radiograph showed an enlarged stomach with excess gas.  There was not a sock seen definitively on the radiograph.

LATERAL ABDOMINAL RADIOGRAPH WITH ARROWS POINTING TOWARDS STOMACH.

It was decided to go ahead with exploratory surgery based on his clinical signs and his previous history of eating socks.  The stomach was found to have a long football sock in it.  Part of the sock had started to exit through the stomach into the small intestine and was well and truly wedged.  The sock was removed and the stomach and abdominal incisions closed.

Zac made a very speedy recovery.  By that night he was eating small amounts of food and was discharged the next day.  His owners certainly hope Zac will get over his sock fetish!!