Kylie’s primary care veterinarian referred this sweet Pix mix to VREC after her family caught her eating socks. She had been vomiting up the socks for several days, was lethargic, and unable to keep food or water down.
Kylie was first seen by our Emergency department who performed radiographs. These radiographs revealed obstructive material in the small bowel, one of the signs of a foreign body. Obstructive foreign bodies occur when a pet eats some kind of foreign (non-food) object that either cannot be passed or gets stuck in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The most common clinical signs of a foreign body include vomiting, diarrhea, pain when touching the abdomen, lethargy, and loss of appetite.
Once qualified for the Angel Fund, Kylie was hospitalized and the Emergency, Internal Medicine, and Surgery teams monitored her closely while formulating a plan. While hospitalized, Kylie had a bowl movement…and socks came out the other end! She successfully passed the foreign body objects, thus eliminating the need for surgery. After repeat radiographs to ensure no foreign material was remaining in her body, she was reunited with her family.