Dog Ate a Sock, Underwear or Towel: What to Do Now

What to do when a dog swallows a sock, underwear, pantyhose or a towel, why acting normal isn't proof, and when to go now.

Quick answer: A dog that swallowed a sock, underwear or a cloth towel needs to be seen in person now, even if it acts normal: your own vet if available right away, otherwise an emergency vet. A sock still in the stomach may come out with an endoscope instead of surgery. Any vomiting, not eating, belly pain or straining means the ER now. Don't make your dog vomit at home.

This article is general information, not a diagnosis. If you think your pet is in danger, go to the nearest emergency animal hospital.

What should I do right now if my dog ate a sock?

If a dog ate a sock, pick up the rest of the laundry, find the matching sock to see what is missing, and get the dog seen in person now, even if it acts normal: your own vet if they can see your dog right away, otherwise an emergency vet.

1. Count the pairs and bring the match or a photo: a missing sock, a chewed-out hole or any cloth you can't account for counts as swallowed.
2. Never pull or cut cloth or a strand at the mouth or rear; the Merck Veterinary Manual says a string-type object in the mouth must never be pulled, because pulling can cause a perforation.
3. Don't reach down the throat or make your dog vomit at home.

Go to an emergency vet now for:

• Any vomiting or retching (even if a sock came up), not eating, water that won't stay down, a swollen or painful belly (a hunched back, the prayer position, or biting or growling when the belly is touched), or straining with little or no stool.
• Lethargy, weakness, collapse, fast or labored breathing, fever or a body that feels cold, choking, pawing at the mouth, drooling, gagging, repeated swallowing, bringing food back up, bloody or coffee-ground vomit, black tarry stool, or pale, white, gray or blue gums.
• Any strand at the mouth or rear, or missing pantyhose, tights, thread, yarn, a bra underwire or a bra's metal hook.

Will a dog pass a sock on its own?

A dog may pass a swallowed sock, but no one can predict which socks will stick, so don't wait at home: get the dog seen in person now, because the Merck Veterinary Manual recommends removing most swallowed objects found on X-ray.

Merck says only some objects, especially small, smooth ones, may pass, and even those are watched with repeat X-rays in the hospital only while the dog is stable; a sock is not small and smooth. The American Kennel Club says a sock still in the stomach may be removed with an endoscope, and quotes Dr. Elizabeth Maxwell saying surgery is usually needed once it moves into the small intestine and blocks it.

My dog ate a sock but is acting normal. Is that OK?

Acting normal does not rule out a stuck sock in a dog, because the Merck Veterinary Manual says a dog with a blockage may have a normal physical exam, so get the dog seen in person now.

Today's Veterinary Practice says a sock in the intestine can be easy to overlook on an X-ray, so the vet may repeat X-rays or add ultrasound or a CT scan.

My dog threw up the sock. Is it over?

A dog that vomited up a sock still needs an emergency vet now, because vomiting after a swallow is a warning sign, and the sock's match, a missing piece or another item may still be inside.

Lay what came up next to its match and bring both, or a photo. Merck says an obstruction may involve one or more foreign bodies, so your dog may have swallowed more than you know.

Should I make my dog throw up a sock?

Never make a dog vomit at home after it swallows a sock: Pet Poison Helpline warns that bringing up something large can get it stuck or damage the esophagus, so only a vet should decide, in the clinic.

Give no hydrogen peroxide or salt. If your dog swallowed the sock very recently, a vet may decide to make your dog vomit in the clinic, or to use an endoscope. The guide on when making a dog throw up helps or harms lists a sock as an ER or vet case.

Underwear, pantyhose, bras and towels: which items are riskiest?

A dog that swallowed underwear, a dish towel or other cloth needs an in-person vet now, but pantyhose, loose thread or yarn, a missing bra underwire or any strand at the mouth or rear means an emergency vet now.

A May 2024 Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine story says dogs typically swallow socks, underwear, toys, pacifiers and corn cobs. In a 72-dog case series from Naples, Italy (Di Palma and colleagues, Animals, 2022), cloth made up 13% and socks 8% of swallowed objects.

After a dog chews laundry or towels:

Item	Risk	Do this
Sock	Can block	In person now
Underwear	Can block	In person now
Dish towel	Can block	In person now
Pantyhose	Can bunch	ER now
Bra wire	Metal, sharp	ER now
Thread, yarn	Can cut gut	ER now
Paper scraps	May pass	Call a vet
Paper towel wad	Can block	In-person vet today
Greasy paper	Fat, block	In-person vet today

Any vomiting, not eating, belly pain or straining with any of these means the ER now.

Treat pantyhose, tights, thread and yarn like string, an emergency vet now, even with no signs; see what to do if a dog ate string, tinsel or ribbon.

A bra with every metal part still there follows the cloth rule. If a sock was knotted into a rope or plush toy, treat the stuffing, squeaker and rope strands as swallowed too; see what to do if a dog ate toy stuffing or a squeaker.

What are the signs a sock is stuck, and how soon do they start?

Vomiting, refusing food, belly pain, lethargy and straining with little or no stool are the main signs of a stuck sock in a dog, and they can start soon after swallowing or come and go for days; any of them means an emergency vet now.

Lorrie Gaschen of Louisiana State University wrote in 2018 World Small Animal Veterinary Association proceedings that partial blockages tend to cause a longer course of on-and-off vomiting and diarrhea.

After a possible sock or cloth swallow:

What you see	Means	Do this
Seems fine	Can still be stuck	In person now
Any vomiting	Often upper gut	ER now
On-and-off vomiting	Can be partial	ER now
Not eating	Can be blocked	ER now
Straining, no stool	Can be blocked	ER now
Gagging, drooling	Throat or gut	ER now
Dry retching, big belly	Bloat or block	ER now
Pale gums, weak	Possible shock	ER now

A piece of sock in the stool, normal-looking stool or a clear first X-ray does not prove everything passed; see intestinal blockage in dogs. Straining can also be a urinary blockage.

Does my dog's size or age change the plan?

A dog's size or age does not change the plan for a swallowed sock: every dog needs an in-person vet now, and small dogs are not exempt (22% of the Naples dogs weighed under 9 kg, about 20 pounds).

The Merck Veterinary Manual says young large-breed dogs are more likely to have a foreign-body obstruction, and the American Kennel Club says puppies chew socks and underwear while teething. A puppy with diarrhea that starts vomiting, has belly pain or turns dull needs a vet now (the ER if your own vet can't see it right away), because Merck says the gut can telescope into itself after a swallowed object.

What will the vet do?

A vet checks a dog that swallowed a sock with a belly exam and X-rays, often adding ultrasound, and the Merck Veterinary Manual says an object still in the stomach may be removed with an endoscope, while one past the stomach usually needs surgery.

Merck says an endoscope should not be used when a string-type object is suspected, so tell the vet if the cloth was unraveling.

In the Naples series, 68% of objects were still in the stomach, an endoscope removed 56% of all objects, and every dog whose object was removed from the stomach survived.

The American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS) says the outlook after surgery is usually quite good. After stomach or intestinal surgery, call the surgeon or go to an ER now for any vomiting, a worse appetite, lethargy, fever, a draining incision or a swelling belly in the first 5 days, because ACVS says a leak can happen in that window.

The cost to remove a sock from a dog depends on whether an endoscope or surgery is needed; ask the hospital for an estimate.

Why does my dog keep eating socks?

Dogs are often drawn to underwear because it carries their owner's scent, and to socks because they are soft, smelly and stretchy, the American Kennel Club says, and the Merck Veterinary Manual notes that many dogs with a history of eating objects keep doing it, so keep laundry out of reach after the first episode.

Merck lists pica among the risk factors, so a repeat sock-eater may need an in-person exam and bloodwork. Use a lidded hamper and teach solid "leave it" and "drop it" cues, which certified trainer Mary Jean Alsina, CPDT-KA, recommends to the American Kennel Club. For a repeat swallower, ACVS advises a crate or a room with no loose objects when unsupervised, and a basket muzzle, since repeat belly surgery gets riskier if adhesions form.

When a video visit helps and when it does not

A video visit cannot find or remove a swallowed sock, so a dog that may have swallowed a sock, underwear or a towel needs to be seen in person now, even if it seems fine.

RexVet, a nonprofit online vet service, is a 501(c)(3) that serves pets located in Florida, New York and Virginia by video visit; your pet must be in one of those states during the visit. A $64.99 live video visit with a licensed RexVet vet (a veterinarian licensed in your pet's state) fits only when nothing could have been swallowed, or after your dog has been seen in person:

• Chewed, nothing missing. Both socks are there with no hole or missing piece, no strip, thread or elastic is gone from a towel or underwear, and your dog is bright, eating, drinking, not vomiting and has a soft belly. The veterinarian can look at your dog and the item and say whether to go in, but video can't confirm that nothing was swallowed; if you can't tell how much is gone, go in person now.
• After treatment. Your dog was treated for a swallowed sock, you can't reach the treating hospital or its after-hours line, and your dog is alert, eating as expected, not vomiting and any incision is dry; the veterinarian goes over the discharge plan alongside the treating vet, not instead of them. Rechecks and medicine refills stay with the treating hospital. Later vomiting, not eating, belly pain or straining means the ER now.
• A repeat sock-eater. Nothing is missing now, and you want a prevention plan for boredom, stress or a pica habit; the veterinarian may recommend an in-person exam and bloodwork.

On camera, the veterinarian can watch breathing, gum color, energy and belly shape, and point you to an emergency clinic nearby; X-rays, ultrasound, a hands-on belly exam, making a dog vomit, an endoscope and surgery need an in-person vet. No prescription is promised, and no medicine is suggested for a dog that may be blocked; the state limits are in the FAQ below. Live video slots run from about 8 AM to 11 PM ET; a same-day slot is not guaranteed, and holiday hours may differ. Outside those hours, if no slot is open, or if anything is getting worse, go to an emergency vet.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take a dog to pass a sock?

No one can predict whether a sock will pass, so there is no safe time to wait: have your dog seen in person now. A sock still in the stomach may come out with an endoscope, so going early gives the vet the best chance to avoid surgery.

My dog pooped out part of a sock. Does that mean the rest came out too?

No. A piece of sock in the stool doesn't prove the rest passed; get your dog seen in person now. A dog with a partial blockage can still pass stool: in the 72-dog Naples series, only 31% of dogs had stopped passing stool when they arrived. Any vomiting, not eating, belly pain or straining means an emergency vet now, and never pull cloth hanging from the rear.

My dog ate a sock 3 hours ago and seems fine. Do I need to go to the vet tonight?

Yes, go now: your own vet if they can see your dog right away, otherwise an emergency vet. In 495 dogs (Kirchofer and colleagues, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2019), vet-induced vomiting in the hospital worked more often when the object was fabric and less often the longer the gap after swallowing. Don't make your dog vomit at home.

Should I give my dog bread, pumpkin or oil to help a sock pass?

No. Don't give bread, pumpkin, oil, fiber, petroleum jelly, a laxative or an enema; get your dog seen in person now. Don't take water away, and don't give leftover anti-nausea tablets or any human stomach, antacid or anti-diarrhea medicine, because home treatment can hide a dog that is getting worse.

My puppy ate a baby sock. Is a small sock less dangerous?

No. A baby sock is still cloth that won't digest, and a puppy's gut is smaller, so get your puppy seen in person now. In the Naples series, 19% of the dogs were 12 months old or younger. Any vomiting, not eating, belly pain or straining means an emergency vet now.

My dog got into a Christmas stocking. What should I do?

Treat any missing part of the stocking like a sock and get your dog seen in person now, then check what was inside. Sugar-free candy, gum or mints, unknown candy (treat it as xylitol) or raisins mean an emergency vet now; for candy, call a poison line on the way, not instead. Chocolate or a possible iron oxygen absorber packet means a poison line or emergency vet now. A battery means the ER now, even with no signs (see what to do if a dog ate a battery), and so does ribbon; toy parts mean an in-person vet now. Poison lines: ASPCA Animal Poison Control, (888) 426-4435 (a consultation fee may apply); Pet Poison Helpline, (855) 764-7661 (a per-incident fee applies). See also what to do if a dog ate wrapping paper, tape or a bow. Don't make your dog vomit.

Can an online vet tell if my dog's swallowed sock is stuck?

No. A video visit can't see inside the gut, so it can't tell whether a sock is stuck or rule out a blockage. For a pet located in Florida, New York or Virginia, a licensed RexVet vet can check energy, breathing, gum color and belly shape on camera and point you to an emergency clinic, but a swallowed sock needs an in-person vet for X-rays, an endoscope or surgery. No prescription is promised. If medicine comes up for something else: in Florida (s.474.2021), a prescription after a video-only visit is limited to FDA-approved animal drugs used as labeled, for up to 14 days (1 month for products labeled only for fleas and ticks), with no renewal without an in-person exam; human-labeled drugs, controlled drugs and compounded antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral or antiparasitic drugs need an in-person exam. Federal rules require an in-person exam before any vet prescribes a human or off-label drug. In Virginia, the exam behind a prescription may be done electronically, but the veterinarian still decides whether video is enough. New York's rules for veterinary video care, including prescribing, are not settled, so a visit there may cover less. RexVet is not a pharmacy; a pharmacy transfer fee applies if a prescription is sent to an outside pharmacy.

Can a dog die from eating a sock?

Yes, a stuck sock can kill a dog, but dogs treated quickly usually do well, so get your dog seen in person now. The Merck Veterinary Manual says the outcome is good when a blockage is recognized and treated quickly. In the Naples series, vomiting for more than 24 hours before treatment was linked to a worse outcome, so go early.