diff --git a/vm-migration/src/protocol.rs b/vm-migration/src/protocol.rs
index ae6836d98..fac7c5cc5 100644
--- a/vm-migration/src/protocol.rs
+++ b/vm-migration/src/protocol.rs
@@ -362,17 +362,9 @@ impl Response {
         })
     }
 
-    pub fn ok_or_abandon<T>(
-        self,
-        fd: &mut T,
-        error: MigratableError,
-    ) -> Result<Response, MigratableError>
-    where
-        T: Read + Write,
-    {
+    /// Return the response if its status is `Ok`; return the caller-provided error for any other status.
+    pub fn ok_or_error(self, error: MigratableError) -> Result<Response, MigratableError> {
         if self.status != Status::Ok {
-            Request::abandon().write_to(fd)?;
-            Response::read_from(fd)?;
             return Err(error);
         }
         Ok(self)
diff --git a/vmm/src/migration/transport.rs b/vmm/src/migration/transport.rs
index f5f490b29..cadec0a46 100644
--- a/vmm/src/migration/transport.rs
+++ b/vmm/src/migration/transport.rs
@@ -1115,9 +1115,7 @@ pub(crate) fn expect_ok_response(
     socket: &mut SocketStream,
     error: MigratableError,
 ) -> Result<(), MigratableError> {
-    Response::read_from(socket)?
-        .ok_or_abandon(socket, error)
-        .map(|_| ())
+    Response::read_from(socket)?.ok_or_error(error).map(|_| ())
 }
 
 /// Send a request and validate that the peer responds with OK.
diff --git a/vmm/src/vm.rs b/vmm/src/vm.rs
index 71b9363cf..ba60357fe 100644
--- a/vmm/src/vm.rs
+++ b/vmm/src/vm.rs
@@ -3026,10 +3026,9 @@ impl Vm {
                 .context("Error sending memory fd")
                 .map_err(MigratableError::MigrateSend)?;
 
-            Response::read_from(socket)?.ok_or_abandon(
-                socket,
-                MigratableError::MigrateSend(anyhow!("Error during memory fd migration")),
-            )?;
+            Response::read_from(socket)?.ok_or_error(MigratableError::MigrateSend(anyhow!(
+                "Error during memory fd migration"
+            )))?;
         }
 
         Ok(())