What happens to hooks left in fish?
A hook will rust away in a fish, but it may take a while, especially if the hook is plated or made of thick metal. But fish’s stomachs are pretty tough. They can stand up to the spines on little fish like bluegill or pinfish. … So cutting off a swallowed hook is not really a big deal.
The veterinarian will X-ray your dog and probably perform an emergency endoscopy or surgery to remove the hook while she is under anesthesia. Once the hook is removed, antibiotics are needed to prevent infections.
Removing a Fish Hook from Your Dog’s Lip: In instances where you have a muzzle on hand and you cannot get to a veterinarian, you can carefully remove a fish hook from your dog’s lip. Make sure she is restrained and muzzled and check to see if the hook’s barb is visible. If it is NOT visible, push the hook further through the lip until you can see the barb. Cut the barb off with cutters and then continue pushing it out the same way it came in. Get to your veterinarian as soon as possible in case further treatment is needed, and keep an eye on the puncture wound for signs of infection.
What to Do if Your Dog Swallows Fishing Line: Swallowing fishing line (tippet, leader, or mono), even with no hook attached, is a medical emergency for your dog. Take her to the veterinarian or an animal hospital immediately.
What to Do If Your Dog Ate a Fish Hook: An ingested fish hook is a medical emergency. If your dog swallows a fish hook, do your best to keep her calm and take her to the veterinarian or an animal hospital immediately. It is never safe to let your dog pass the fish hook; the chances are too great it will cause internal injuries as it moves, or become lodged along the way.
Most veterinarians near bodies of water have treated their share of dogs who’ve swallowed fish hooks whole, or who have fish hooks imbedded in their skin. It only takes an instant. Your dog sniffs out and snacks on bait or a fish attached to a hook and the hook ends up stuck in her mouth, esophagus, or stomach. Or she investigates a colorful fly or shiny lure only to have a hook pierce her lip or paw.
Surely this dog didnt actually eat the fish-hook and swallow it all the day down. He doesnt seem to feel bad. Hes eaten since then and kept it down okay. Wouldnt you be having a cramp? Or something? Of course, if he did, we need to know how far it traveled. Hence, the whole-body X-ray here. And, of course, he did eat it and swallow it down. There it sits in his little stomach.
Actually, dogs will eat practically anything (some dogs, anyway). I remember giving post-op instructions for a pup after having removed plastic flowers, buttons, pieces of cloth and some other un-identifiable junk from his stomach. “Hell need to eat a bland diet for a few days after his stomach surgery.” “Gee, I dont know about that, Doc. Hes kind of a finicky eater.” Ummm…yeah.
As luck would have it, though, I found the hook almost immediately and was able to remove it through a very small incision in the stomach wall. I thought at first that the red stuff tangled in the line was some sort of elaborate lure. Closer examination reveals that it is simply what we, in these parts, refer to as a baloney string. Personally, if I were going to eat bologna (Im not), I think Id remove the plastic casing first. But then, Im not going to eat a fish-hook either.
What you cant see in the X-ray (besides the fact that the hook is turned sideways so it looks funny), is that the owner was pretty sure there was quite a bit of line attached. “How much?” His four-years-old grandson replied, “Enough to reach down to the water and catch fish.” That much, huh? That makes it more complicated, as the line can do damage all by itself, and make removal complicated. Not to mention that finding these things, as plain as they look on the radiograph, can be like looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack.
This guy looks a bit forlorn because hes still in post-op recovery mode. His owners were pretty sure he ate a fish-hook last night. You know, usually the hook gets caught on their lip. I couldnt tell you how many of those Ive removed. You dont want to pull the barb backwards and rip things. Theoretically you just cut off the eye from the hook and shove it on through. That shoving it thing is the weak point in the plan. Unless you and the dog are both pretty stoic, one of you (maybe both) is going to flinch or scream or bite. A lot of dogs are going to need some heavy sedation, particularly since youre working in their mouth. I recall a dog who had grabbed a lure with treble hooks on each end. His left foot, upper lip, lower lip and tongue were all impaled…and there were two more hooks open, just waiting for a stray finger.