Dog Ate a Fish Hook !

[sww914]

She seems completely normal (normal for this family) at this time. She's as happy and energetic and as bad a decision maker as she ever was. No poop treasure yet, maybe today.
We're off to San Francisco to see a boat! 400 mile day.

[SaucySailoress]

Safe driving / flying....

[stillbuilding]

This is actually a set-piece in problem solving for young vet students (and your vets have done a reasonable thing). Has nothing to do with dogs having a strong stomach - just what gets "hooked up" along the way. It is surprising the hardware that will pass through unattended. Open safety pins, razor blades, glass etc all seem to make it through on occasion. Not unreasonable to wait and see but monitor carefully - Pain, vomiting, not eating. At least the vets will know what they are chasing. Long pieces of fishing line (linear foreign bodies) are possible worse than the fish hook.

By the bye, there is a technique for removing a fish hook - basically using a loop of line over the hook to pull away from the shank. Difficult in the mouth though and even more difficult in an active dog. You might get away with it using a pair of long-nosed pliers.

Possibly best option initially would have been to give it a pull to thoroughly imbed it in the tongue - at least you would know where it was and cheaper than the stomach!

Hope it turns out OK.

[Therapy]

How much is an x-ray to monitor the "passage"?

[Chief Engineer]

Three days??????

Any "scoop"?

What's the latest poop?

Seriously....some of us here care about the "outcome"

Hope all is well...prayers are with you

[sww914]

Sorry, I suck. I got all excited about a boat and left you all hanging.
We haven't found the fish hook. We retrieved some cotton we think but no hook. Our dog is acting completely normal and feels fine by all appearances.
After the fact I decided that given the chance again I would set the hook in her tongue and pull it out with needle nosed pliers rather than let her swallow it. It happened really fast. I didn't ask the vet about that, I think that they would criticize that idea but I can see a good outcome after the initial discomfort.

Umm, SLO to Alameda to Santa Cruz to SLO is a looot of driving for one day.
I'm glad we took the crew cab truck rather than the Subaru in spite of the gas mileage. The truck is all big & comfy with a serious stereo, the Subaru is just fast.

[sww914]

Oh yeah, an X-ray is about 80 bucks, plus the visit, so about $125.00 to stop in and get a picture. That's a lot of boat credits. I think I can squeeze and poke until she squeals and figure out where it is for less.

[sww914]

Nala is still feeling well enough to beg for tacos (are tacos for dogs still called dog tacos?) and chase squirrels. I am shocked that eating a large fish hook doesn't seem to harm a mutt like this one. I love this dog. 2 years ago she was bitten by a rattlesnake. My son was standing next to the snake that was hidden under a bush. The dog saw it as it began to coil up and she went after it. She got tagged on the nose. I got to practice my high performance driving skills and write a big check to the vet and eventually all was well. I've had really good cars that cost me less.

[stillbuilding]

At the risk of introducing some thread drift, I have to tell you of an acquaintance who had a nasty vomiting/pain issue when he was 16 years old. Medics could not find a problem. Recovered OK and just occasionally had bouts of stomach issue - never resolved and put down to having a "sensitive stomach". At the age of 65 had abdominal surgery for another problem and found a chicken bone had penetrated thru the gut and imbedded in the liver - removed and OK since. Maybe Nala will offer you the chance to entertain dinner guests yet!

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by stillbuilding

... At the age of 65 had abdominal surgery for another problem and found a chicken bone had penetrated thru the gut and imbedded in the liver ...

Interesting.
See also ➥ World J Gastroenterol

[Astrid]

Any chance the pooch might have passed the hook without your finding it?

[senormechanico]

Slightly off topic, but while sailing, one of our cats threw up the other day.
Even though his food bowl was full of fresh meal, he had eaten some of his corn based cat litter!

[Chief Engineer]

Due to recurrent head problems (Joker (choker) valves.....we allow no corn on the boat.

Maiz Prohibido

[Sunspot Baby]

It seems possible that by now, the hook has rusted and deteriorated. That's what is supposed to happen if a fish breaks our line. Still having the prospect of damage to a loved pet has got to be worrying.

In our fist aid kit, we have a long hemostat which is what I probably would have grabbed for first to get the hook out early.

Scary!

[Astrid]

I personally would recommend a second set of x-rays to determine if the hook is still present and where it might be if it is. Then one goes from there.