Autumn brings anglers to Nanaimo shorelines and rivers, and it leaves behind hooks, line and lures where dogs walk and swim. A swallowed hook is an emergency. Never pull on a hook or on visible line, because a barbed hook tears tissue coming out and line can be anchored deep inside.
Why September changes the shoreline
Nanaimo’s autumn fishing season concentrates a great deal of activity into a short stretch of the calendar and into a small number of accessible spots. River mouths, estuary edges, piers, breakwaters and the popular shoreline stretches get considerably busier from September.
Most anglers are careful. It only takes a few who are not, plus the ordinary attrition of snagged line and lost tackle, to leave a scattering of hazards along the exact stretches dog owners walk. Line snaps and stays in the rocks. A lure snags and is cut free. Bait is left behind at the end of the day.
What makes this different from other beach hazards is that bait is designed to smell interesting to an animal, and a dog is exactly the animal that will find it. Discarded bait with a hook still in it is the classic scenario we see.
The tide and autumn storms then redistribute everything, so a stretch that was clear last weekend is not necessarily clear this weekend.
The rule that matters most
If your dog has a hook in it, or you can see fishing line coming from the mouth or the back end, do not pull. This is the single most important sentence in this article.
Fish hooks are barbed. They are designed to go in easily and not come out, and pulling on one tears through tissue on the way out, turning a clean puncture into a much larger wound. In a lip that is bad enough. In a tongue, a throat or a gut wall it is far worse.
Line is worse still, and this catches people out. A length of visible line often has a hook on the other end, lodged somewhere further along. Pulling on the line drags that hook through the digestive tract. Line alone can also act as what we call a linear foreign body, where one end anchors and the intestine gathers along it like fabric on a thread. That can saw through the gut wall and it is life threatening.
So: no pulling, no cutting it short and hoping, no waiting to see if it passes. Leave it exactly as it is and phone us.
What to do right now
- Stop your dog from moving around and from pawing at its face. Calm and still is what you want.
- Do not attempt to remove anything, and do not open the mouth to have a good look if your dog is distressed.
- If a hook is in the skin or lip and clearly visible, you can pad around it to stop it catching, but leave the hook where it is.
- If line is visible anywhere, including under the tongue or at the back end, leave it and phone. Tell us where you can see it.
- Do not give food or water, because sedation or an anaesthetic may be needed shortly.
- Photograph any identical tackle you find nearby, since knowing the hook size and type helps.
- Phone our urgent care team and head in.
Muzzle a dog in pain if you can do so safely and calmly, including a gentle dog, because a dog with a hook in its mouth may snap when its face is touched. If muzzling causes a struggle, do not force it.
Signs your dog may have swallowed something you did not see
Not every case is obvious. Dogs swallow bait on a beach walk while you are looking the other way, and the first you know is a change in behaviour.
- Pawing repeatedly at the mouth or face
- Drooling, sometimes with blood
- Gagging, retching, or repeated swallowing
- Refusing food, or picking food up and dropping it
- Holding the head oddly, or reluctance to let you near the face
- Vomiting, or vomiting attempts that produce nothing
- Lethargy and a hunched posture
- Straining, or line visible at the back end
- A tender abdomen
Signs of a gut obstruction may take a day or two to develop. If your dog has been on a beach or riverbank and then goes off its food and starts vomiting, mention the walk when you phone, because it changes what we look for.
How we approach it
The first job is working out where the hook actually is, and that is rarely obvious from the outside. Imaging through our diagnostic service shows us the hook, its orientation and whether there is more than one, and metal shows up clearly.
A hook in the lip or the skin is often straightforward, usually with sedation. A hook in the tongue, the throat or the oesophagus is more involved, and hooks that have reached the stomach or intestine may need retrieval by endoscopy or through our surgery service. Line that has become a linear foreign body is the most serious of these situations.
This is why the no-pulling rule matters so much. A hook left where it is can usually be dealt with cleanly. A hook that has been dragged through tissue by a well-meaning owner creates a much larger problem.
Reducing the risk on autumn walks
- Lead your dog past active fishing spots rather than letting it work the tideline.
- Walk at low tide with your eyes on the ground, and be particularly careful around driftwood, rocks and pilings where line collects.
- Avoid the areas around piers, breakwaters and river mouths at peak season if your dog scavenges.
- Watch for anything that smells interesting. A dog nosing hard at one spot on a beach in autumn is worth interrupting.
- Teach and practise a solid leave command before you need it.
- Consider a basket muzzle for a committed scavenger. It lets a dog walk and pant freely and simply stops it swallowing things.
- Pick up discarded line if you safely can and bin it, which protects wildlife as well as dogs.
- Rinse and check paws after beach walks, since hooks lodge in pads as often as in mouths.
Autumn on the Island brings more than one hazard that outlasts the summer, and our guide to fall ticks and Lyme disease in Harewood and Nanaimo covers another that people assume is over by September.
Frequently asked questions
The hook is only just in the lip. Can I take it out myself?
Please do not. Even a shallow hook is barbed, and pulling tears the tissue rather than releasing it. It is also very difficult to tell how deep a hook has gone by looking at the entry point, and a dog in pain may bite. Phone us; it is usually a quick job when done properly.
My dog swallowed a hook but seems completely fine. Can I wait?
No. A swallowed hook may cause no signs at all initially and still be lodged somewhere that will cause serious damage. Imaging tells us where it is and whether it can be retrieved before it moves further along. This is one to act on the same hour.
There is line coming out of my dog’s bottom. Can I pull it gently?
Absolutely not, and this is the most dangerous version of the pulling mistake. The other end may be anchored much further up, and pulling can tear the intestine. Leave it completely alone, do not cut it, and come in straight away.
What if my dog just ate the bait and there was no hook?
Still worth a call. Old bait causes significant stomach upset, and it is very hard to be certain there was no hook. Tell us what you saw and we will advise. Watch for vomiting, refusing food or lethargy over the following couple of days.
Are lures as dangerous as bare hooks?
Often more so, because a lure carries multiple hooks, frequently treble hooks, and the body of the lure adds bulk that can obstruct. A dog that has taken a lure needs to be seen urgently, and please bring an identical one if you have it.
My dog swims at the beach constantly. Is autumn worth avoiding altogether?
No, but adjust where and how. Keep away from active fishing spots and structures where tackle collects, walk with your eyes on the ground at low tide, and use a lead where your dog would otherwise scavenge. The Island shoreline is one of the best things about walking a dog here and it is manageable with a bit of attention.
Speak to the team at Harewood Pet Hospital
If your dog has a hook in it or you can see fishing line, do not pull. Phone us on (250) 268-3133 and come straight in.
Published by the team at Harewood Pet Hospital.
This article is for general educational purposes only and is not a substitute for an in-person veterinary examination or advice about your individual pet. If you have an urgent concern about your pet, contact Harewood Pet Hospital or your nearest emergency veterinary hospital right away.
Harewood Pet Hospital
Unit 2, 508 Eighth Street, Nanaimo, BC V9R 1B2
Phone: (250) 268-3133
Hours: Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM; Saturday and Sunday closed