Playful puppy rushed to vet after snatching sock from foot and swallowing it whole

Pickle lived up to her name when she grabbed the sock then ate it in one piece, causing a blockage in her stomach

Elaine Blackburne Network Content Editor

03:00, 26 Mar 2026

A playful puppy ended up almost needing surgery after snatching a sock off a foot and swallowing it whole. Cairn Terrier, Pickle, was rushed to the vet after her unplanned snack caused a dangerous blockage in her stomach.

The four-month-old pup was taken to to EC Straiton Vets in Staffordshire, which is part of VetPartners, a vet-led group with veterinary practices and animal healthcare businesses across the UK and Europe, after pulling the sock off her owners mums foot and wolfing it straight down.

Thanks to the skills of the veterinary team, they were able to remove the sock without performing surgery. The cheeky pup was then able to return home a few hours later, none the worse for her experience.

Pickle was being cared for by owner Rachel Bennetts mum, Gail, who was sitting down when the dog grabbed the toe of her sock, pulled it off and dashed under the sofa. Despite Gail immediately trying to reach Pickle in her hiding place and remove the sock, the garment had disappeared.

[Pickle with (left to right) vet Craig McCreath of EC Straiton Vets, owner Rachel Bennett, and veterinary nurse Nicki Wilson]

View 2 Images

Pickle with (left to right) vet Craig McCreath of EC Straiton Vets, owner Rachel Bennett, and veterinary nurse Nicki Wilson(Image: VetPartners)

Rachels husband, Luke, was called and, as it was a Sunday evening, he rushed his pet straight to EC Straitons Penkridge veterinary hospital, which runs a 24-hour emergency service. Pickle was given medication to make her sick, but when she was unable to bring the sock back up, the veterinary team used a gastroscope, which is a long tube with a camera on the end that can be fitted with grabbing tools, to reach it.

Pickle was anaesthetised, then the scope was gently fed down her throat and into her stomach with vet Craig McCreath, one of the practices clinical directors, guiding it and veterinary nurse Nicki Wilson operating the grabbing mechanism. Once Nicki had grasped the sock, she gently brought it back up Pickles throat and out through her mouth.

Craig said using the gastroscope meant Pickle didnt need to undergo invasive surgery and she recovered quickly. The expert said: "Pickle is very lucky that she was brought to us straight away, which meant we could remove the sock before she became unwell.

"Even though it was an ankle sock it was quite large in comparison to her stomach, and it had blocked the entrance to her digestive system so food material couldnt progress into the intestines. If it hadnt been removed it could have led to a ruptured stomach and septic peritonitis, which can be fatal.

"If owners know their pet has swallowed something they shouldnt, it is best to get them to a vet as quickly as possible. If the object is still in the stomach, it may be possible to reach it with a gastroscope, but once it has progressed further into the digestive system it will need to be removed surgically. Weve removed lots of interesting items from pets stomachs using the gastroscope, including toys, tennis balls and even a camouflage net, which we carefully took out in 1,000 separate pieces.

[Vet Craig and veterinary nurse Nicki worked together to retrieve the sock from Pickles stomach.]

View 2 Images

Vet Craig and veterinary nurse Nicki worked together to retrieve the sock from Pickles stomach.(Image: VetPartners)

Pickle is now back at home in Rugeley, and owner Rachel says she hopes her pet has grown out of her phase of picking up non-edible items. She said: "Pickle has had a habit of picking up items and chewing them, and weve tried to be as vigilant as possible but the last thing we expected her to do was steal a sock off someones foot! She did it so quickly my mum didnt have a chance of stopping her.

"Luckily, though, she does seem to be showing less interest in things, but were still making sure the floor is always completely clear of things so she cant be tempted. After the sock was removed, we returned it to my mum, but unsurprisingly she didnt want to wear it again!"

She added: "Pickle is such an adorable dog and we are so grateful to the team at Straiton Vets for saving her. They gave her the very best care and its amazing they could remove the sock without performing surgery, which was so much better for Pickle.

EC Straiton Vets has been delivering care to pets, horses and farm animals in Staffordshire for 84 years, and has a dedicated team of vets and nurses at its veterinary hospital in Penkridge and branch surgery in Rugeley. For pets, it delivers a range of services to help keep pets happy and healthy, from routine preventive care to complex surgeries.

[Stoke-on-Trent Live Icon]

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Choose The Sentinel as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.

[Google Preferred Source Badge]

At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Terms and Conditions.