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CAPE CORAL, Florida (WBBH) — Fishing with their grandkids in Cape Coral turned into a traumatic experience when their dog, Rosie, swallowed a fishing hook baited with a hot dog.
“Winston yells, ‘I got a fish, I got fish.’ And so, Sutton ran and threw his fishing pole down,” Diane and Jim Haines said.
The couple explained that Rosie mistook the bait for a snack.
“I immediately was just terrified that our dog was going to get lacerated by the hook,” Diane Haines said.
They described the moment they realized Rosie had eaten the bait.
“Saw Rosie grab the hot dog and eat it. So then we knew immediately we were in trouble,” they said.
The Haines family rushed Rosie to the emergency vet, fearing for her life.
“It was really traumatic. It really was. We were very worried,” Diane Haines said.
At VEG ER, the staff acted quickly to treat Rosie.
“They established the IV, gave her a sedative. And then next thing we knew, I mean, really truthfully, they were scoping her and then asked if we wanted to watch it,” the couple said.
Dr. Jeannette Gonzalez, medical director for pets at VEG ER, said fishing hooks are a common injury they encounter.
“I would say between fish hooks, heat stroke, sand impaction. Those are probably our top three things that we see here,” Gonzalez said.
She explained the dangers of fishing hooks for pets.
“They can get stuck in their lips as well as stuck in their esophagus. That becomes a medical emergency, and they need to have veterinary care in order to get those fish hooks out,” Gonzalez said.
To prevent such incidents, Gonzalez advised pet owners to take precautions.
“Making sure you keep your fishing gear away and keeping those fishing hooks away from dogs,” she said.
The Haines family also shared the financial impact of the emergency.
“It cost us four grand,” they said.
Rosie survived the ordeal, but her days of eating hot dogs are over.
“We’re thrilled she’s here, and we want her to live a really long time. But we’ve banned hot dogs from our home,” Diane and Jim Haines said.
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