An Ulverston dog owner has spoken of her horror at seeing her pet accidentally swallow baited fishing hooks while out on a walk that almost killed her beloved companion.
It was only thanks to high-risk and complex chest surgery here at Kentdale Referrals that seven-month-old Kyte survived.
The challenging three-hour operation was Kyte’s only real chance of survival, as one hook was just above his heart and another was in the top of his stomach.
The fishing hooks were three-pronged and linked by a tangle of line which was coming out of Kyte’s mouth.
The shocked owner said: “We heard Kyte cough, yelp, and saw fishing wire hanging out of his mouth. Kyte had swallowed a bait fish that had two treble hooks wrapped around it and one of the hooks got lodged in his oesophagus.
“We were incredibly worried. Kyte was only seven months old at the time and there was a high chance that he might not make it through the procedure due to the location of the fishing hooks. Also, if Kyte made it through the procedure, we were unsure of the kind of aftercare that he might need. If he came home, we didn’t know if the procedure would affect Kyte’s quality of life going forward.”
Graham Hayes, Specialist in Small Animal Surgery here at Kentdale Referrals, carried out the intricate surgery to remove the hooks.
Toby Gemmill, Managing Director at Kentdale and an RCVS and European Specialist in Small Animal Surgery said: “The procedure carried out by Graham to remove these hooks was difficult, requiring concurrent opening of his abdomen and chest cavity.
“Kyte’s sternum, or breastbone, was opened to the level of his heart and the diaphragm was cut open. The oesophagus was opened adjacent to his heart and the tissue carefully lifted off each prong. After this, the oesophagus was wrapped in tissue from the abdomen to support healing, and then, finally, the hook was released from Kyte’s stomach and removed with a tangle of line.
“Oesophageal surgery carries a relatively high risk of healing problems, leakage and stricture formation (narrowing by scar tissue) and following the surgery, a feeding tube was placed in Kyte’s stomach to bypass and rest the oesophagus in order to minimise the risk of complications.”
Kyte’s grateful owner, who is warning other dog owners to be on the look-out for discarded fishing hooks and is asking anglers to discard them carefully, added: “Kyte had a 12-day stay at Kentdale and they looked after him like he was one of their own pets. The whole team were amazing.
“Kyte is now back to normal and it really does feel like a miracle. The only evidence that anything happened is the scar he has running down his chest and stomach, but thanks to Graham’s incredible surgical skills, even that is barely noticeable.
“We’re so grateful for everything Kentdale have done. Kentdale saved our gorgeous boy and we can’t thank them enough.”
Kyte accidentally swallowed fish hooks and required lifesaving surgery at Kentdale Referrals in Milnthorpe.
