YOU THOUGHT YOUR washing machine was swallowing up your socks, leaving you with a bag of odd ones. Well, think again. It could be your dog feasting on them.
A vet in DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital in Portland was shocked to discover no less than 43 socks lying in the stomach of a 3-year-old Great Dane after his family brought him in, concerned that he was vomiting and retching repeatedly.
Initial abdominal radiographs found a large quantity of foreign material in the dog’s stomach, which required exploratory surgery.
Doctor Ashley Magee at the animal hospital told KGW that the team “opened up his stomach and kept removing sock after sock of all different shapes and sizes”.
She said the compulsive eating may have been the result of an anxiety problem, as the smell of the person on the clothing attracts pets to them. The Great Dane is also said to have “had a history of preference for socks”.
Each sock was removed by the vet and the Dane was sent home after a day of rest.
His unusual haul was entered in Veterinary Practice News’ ninth annual radiograph contest, ‘They Ate WHAT?’ but he only came THIRD!
The sock lover was trumped by a frog that ate 30 ornamental rocks and a German shorthaired pointer who ate a shish kebab skewer.
You win some, you lose some.
