Dog needs emergency surgery after swallowing abandoned fish hook in Sunderland

Abi James and Holly Rose James (R) with dog Roo who swallowed a fishing hook left by anglers

Labrador Roo had to be operated on after swallowing the hook on Sunday.

Holly Rose James and wife Abi were walking towards Sunderland Marina from the National Glass Centre when Roo stumbled across the hook.

Holly Rose James with the fishing hook dog Roo swallowed

“We just saw him go down to sniff something,” said Holly, 24.

“He was crying and scratching at his face.”

It was immediately obvious what had happened but it was too late for the pair to stop Roo swallowing the hook.

“At the back of his throat, you could just see some red fishing line so we knew what it was,” said Holly.

“We tried to keep his mouth open but in a few seconds it was gone.”

The couple’s usual vet was closed because it was Sunday, so they rushed Roo through to the emergency pet hospital in Gateshead.

“The vets were quite concerned when we took him in,” said Holly.

“They have had things like that happen before and it has not ended well.

“They x-rayed him and found the hook.

“It was too big to bring back up, so they had to open him up.

“He was in quite a bit of distress.”

Holly believes the outcome could have been far more serious if a smaller dog than Roo had happened upon the hook.

“Fortunately, he is a big dog,” she said.

“We had a smaller dog with us as well, so it could have been a lot worse.

Now Roo is recovering at home, but still faces a number of visits to the vet.

“We had a bit of a scare this morning because he was vomiting, which is one of the signs of leakage, but luckily, they think it is just irritation from the stitches in his stomach,” said Holly.

“But we have still got to go back to the vet tomorrow and then again on Saturday.

“Luckily, we are insured.”

Now Holly and 25-year-old Abi are appealing to anglers to be more careful with how they dispose of hook they no longer need.]

“We put something out on social media and we have had a really good response from a lot of anglers who have been very positive,” said Holly.

“It is just a case of trying to get the message out to the minority who leave stuff lying around.”