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Fish Hook Foreign Body Removal in a Dog | VETgirl Veterinary Continuing Education Videos

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In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education video, we demonstrate how to remove a fish hook in a dog. Unfortunately, dogs (and cats!) can be quite curious and find their way into the tackle box. This may result in a fish hook stuck to their paw, skin, or even their face, mouth, or tongue. It is important to address these cases quickly, prior to true ingestion, as fish hooks have the lowest success rate for endoscopic removal due to the nature of the bar(s). In order to avoid surgery, we must act quickly to intervene.

In this video, the patient was assessed and determined to be cardiovascularly stable and healthy, aside from a fish hook that had penetrated the lower lip. The patient was sedated with a combination of dexmedetomidine and butorphanol and monitored carefully by the veterinary team. Unfortunately, once the barb pierces its desired target, in this case our canine patient, it can not simply be pulled out. If the barb has not completely penetrated and is not visible, it must be pushed through and visualized. Once the barb is visible, the barb must be cut with heavy duty wire cutters. It is recommended to shield the area to prevent the sharp end from becoming a projectile once cut. Once the barb is removed, the remainder of the hook can be pulled out from the skin it was previously attached to.

This patient actually had 2 fish hooks stuck – the other being in the webbing of one of the paws. The barb was pushed through the tissue so we could visualize the exit. Once the fish hooks have been removed, the areas affected are evaluated for damage and cleaned appropriately (In this dog, a povidone iodine betadine solution was in the mouth and a chlorhexidine scrub was used on the foot). The patient’s sedation was reversed with Atisedan, and an e-collar was placed on the patient to prevent self trauma to the areas. The patient was discharged with anti-inflammatory pain medication and antibiotic therapy and did well!

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