Lola’s owner told us that she had eaten a red sock a few days previously. She was still eating normal amounts of food but was occasionally being sick. Her owner had not seen her pass the sock in her faeces or vomit. The owner told us she had been her usual bright self up until the evening before when she had become quieter.
The vet recommended Lola stay with us for the day and that we took some x-rays. Although we would not be able to see if there was a sock on the x-ray, we would be able to see if there was any gas which might indicate an obstruction.
The first x-rays taken showed a build up of gas in the intestines. We waited a couple of hours before taking more x-rays to see if the gas would move indicating the foreign body may be moving through. The second x-rays did show the gas moving however there was still a concern that the sock would not pass through all of the intestines. One of the Vets used the ultrasound machine to look at the stomach and intestines. He found a shadow in the stomach which was consistent with a foreign body in the stomach. It was decided that Lola would require an endoscopy to remove the sock.
The endoscope allowed us to pass a camera into Lola’s oesophagus whilst she was under a general anaesthetic. Once in the stomach the vet could clearly see a red sock! The vet was able to pass some very small pincers down the endoscope in order to grab the sock and pull it out through Lola’s mouth. Once this sock was removed the vet again looked into the stomach to make sure everything was well…….and found a second sock! This sock was removed in the same way and Lola’s stomach thoroughly examined to ensure there were no others.
Lola recovered really well from the general anaesthetic and was able to go home the same day. She came back to see a vet for a post op check one week after the procedure. Her owner reported she was doing very well and had eaten no more socks for the time being!
