Portland animal hospital entered the dog's story, complete with X-rays, in a contest sponsored by a vet magazine

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

The three-year-old great Dane was miserable and retching when its owners took him to an emergency animal hospital in north-west Portland, Oregon. X-rays showed it was something he ate.

After nearly two hours of surgery, Dr Ashley Magee discovered the answer – the dog had consumed 43 and a half socks.

Shawna Harch, a spokeswoman for DoveLewis emergency animal hospital, said the incident was perhaps the strangest in its history, the Oregonian reported.

X-rays show a stomach full of 'foreign material'. Photograph: AP

The hospital entered the tale from February, complete with X-rays, in an annual contest sponsored by the magazine Veterinary Practice News, and won a prize.

DoveLewis says the dog was sent home a day after surgery, and is still alive. There was no word on his current eating habits.