A dog has undergone life-saving surgery after swallowing a discarded fishing hook while on a popular walking route.
Owners Angela Reed-Fox and her husband took their eight-year-old greyhound Sean for his evening stroll along Portishead Marina in the evening on September 18 when he started choking.
Angela said: “My husband and I were chatting, Sean was wandering around like he normally does, and, when he returned to us, he was making a strange gulping noise.
“As he got closer, we noticed a long orange wire sticking out of his mouth. My husband jumped up to take a closer look, then we drove to Vale Vets immediately.”
Arriving at the practice, where Sean has been in the vets’ care since he was two years old, staff discovered the wire coming from the greyhound’s mouth had shortened.
After an x-ray, staff confirmed he had swallowed a crabbing hook, and the greyhound was taken into theatre to have life-changing surgery immediately.
Angela praised the ‘brilliant’ staff at Vale Vets Animal Hospital Portishead for performing the operation which saved Sean’s life, and the practice is now urging dog owners to be mindful of litter when out walking with their pets.
Vale Vets, part of national veterinary practice My Family Vets, says the operation was a ‘tremendous success’, allowing Sean to go home the following morning.
Angela added: “I’m so relieved everything aligned and it all went well. The hook could have caused fatal internal bleeding. Not only that – had we not known what had happened at the time, the hook could have caused sepsis, which could have killed Sean.
“He is a super-chilled, quirky, trusting and very special dog who just trusts people. Despite being nervous and in shock throughout the ordeal, he seemed to know what the humans were doing was for his own good.
“The staff at Vale Vets were just brilliant and it’s nice to have that reassurance. If we couldn’t have got Sean seen to immediately, things would have been much more complex.”
Sean has a special place in staffs’ hearts, as he was on the blood donors list from the age of four. He donated blood to a dog in need before retiring due to age.
Sean was subdued for the first few days after his operation, but has begun a gradual return to his usual self. He has been enjoying small walks and his favourite dog tapas, rice and scrambled eggs.
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