These past few months we’ve talked about the dangers of dogs in hot cars, summertime increases in ticks and fleas and nasty weeds which literally get under our pet’s skin, older dogs being dragged on leash by oblivious humans out to enjoy the nice weather, and more. If I didn’t have a whole bunch of holiday season pet dangers ready to write about, I’d accuse myself of being an anti-summerite! And just when the nice season is about to come to an end, both the longer lovely days and the added concerns they bring for our pets, a reader brings me an issue I’ve never confronted before.
From Cheryl: “Ken, I wonder if you would spread knowledge of a potential danger for dogs that I encountered some months back. For those of us who walk our dogs in areas where people fish, we need to be aware that some careless fishers “cut their bait” and leave the hooks behind with small amounts of fish meat still attached. This of course attracts dogs who can get the hook stuck in their lips, tongue, roof of their mouth and even ingest it. I found out the hard way after an emergency visit to my vet and a $300 bill. I was told by a local coastside veterinarian that during fishing season it is not uncommon for them to see three or four dogs a week to have hooks removed. Worth passing on the word, I think.”
I agree. Bottom line, we invite dogs and cats to share our homes, our communities, our lives with us. Just as with young children, we really cannot expect them to be alert and aware of all that is around them. That is our responsibility. It’s obvious that no one should let their toddler, their tabby or their terrier play in traffic. That’s an easy one. But the same sense of caution, of oversight, needs to be with us at all times!
Ken White is the president of the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA.