Tilly was referred to our 24-hour Frankston emergency vet hospital with a history of being quiet, not eating and vomiting for two days. As a young Labrador, the referring veterinarian knew that this was a big cause for concern – after all, there must be a significant problem to put a Labrador off their food! Tilly was a known chewer and she had passed a sock in her stools on the day that she became sick.

What had Tilly eaten?

Blood tests and x-rays showed that Tilly had a foreign body of cloth in her intestine. Maybe it was the other half of the pair of socks? She was started on fluid therapy and prepared for surgery. During this time, her condition progressively worsened and she started to vomit a nasty, brown fluid.

During surgery at the AEC, an examination of her intestines revealed the missing sock scrunched up in a ball and very firmly wedged in a passageway. This blockage was stopping anything from moving down the intestinal tract, causing fluid and gas to back up behind it. This was causing a lot of pain and stress to the lining of the gut. An incision was made into the intestine to recover the sock. This was sutured closed, as was the incision in her belly. Following on, Tilly had some ongoing vomiting after the surgery and was placed on a continued therapy of fluids, pain relief and drugs to reduce nausea.

Tilly’s incredible recovery…

Amazingly, Tilly was keen to start eating some warm, cooked chicken only 24 hours after surgery and continued to progress well. She went home after two days at the Frankston AEC hospital and was greeted with great joy by her family who were able to identify the sock!

Tilly’s case is also similar to Cuddles’ story where we found a lodged Christmas ornament in her digestive system. Both cases highlight the dangers of common household items to pets. It is important for pet owners to be aware of what their dogs may be chewing on to prevent an emergency rush to the animal hospital.