Fishing hook snares pet dog
North Harbour News
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Fishers should be held accountable for their often dangerous rubbish, says Linda Poole of Orewa.
A close call while walking her father’s dog Honey on the beach last Sunday has her asking those out fishing to be more responsible.
"I turned around to see Honey had a trace from a fishing line hanging out of her mouth," the regular Orewa Beach walker says.
"Fortunately I was able to get the hook out of her mouth without any damage, but if she had swallowed it we would have been looking at a very large vet bill.
"I often see discarded fishing line on our walks tangled in seaweed and will pick it up and put it in the rubbish.
"We also see the heads and backbones of filleted fish that have either been left on the beach or washed up."
Injuries to dogs from hooks and fish bones are common, says veterinary nurse Jessica Ashley of the Orewa Veterinary Clinic.
During summer the clinic sees one dog a week with those types of injury, usually to the gums, lips or tongue, but hooks and bones can perforate the throat and stomach.
An operation to remove a hook from the stomach can cost about $750 to $1000.
In one specialist operation, to remove a hook from a dog’s windpipe, the chest had to be opened, costing about $5000.
