Warning to owners as dog gets fish hook stuck in mouth on Eastbourne beach

Sovereign Harbour resident Nancy Dickson-Fisher took to Facebook this week to share a photo of her friends’ dog with a hook lodged in its mouth ‘for the second time in ‘a couple of months’.

She said: “The dog has now had to go to the vet twice. The first time, a couple of months ago, he had two hooks stuck and he had to have a general anaesthetic to remove them, costing the owner £800.

“We tried to pull this one out as it looked like there were no barns but it was stuck fast and was too painful to either pull out or push though.”

The dog was eventually taken to the vets where it was placed under anaesthesia again, leaving its owners with yet another ‘hefty bill’.

A spokesperson for the Sovereign Harbour Residents Association said: “It's terrible that something so small can cause so much injury and trauma.

“This kind of incident could easily happen to children or adults, or those who swim in the sea – not to mention wildlife.

“A warning to all who use the beach, to look out for discarded fishing hooks and those who use our beach for fishing, we urge you to please take your discarded fishing items back with you and dispose them properly. This also includes litter and bottles which has also been noticed left on the beach.”

Nancy added that the presence of fish hooks on the beach is a ‘common problem’.

She said: “Last year my four-year-old grandson picked up a shiny ‘fish’ from the beach. It was a lure with five hooks attached.

“Amazingly none went in his hand, but it’s only a matter of time before a child gets hurt.”

A spokesperson for Eastbourne Borough Council added: “Anyone who takes part in beach fishing must ensure all their equipment, including hooks, old fishing line and weights, is removed from the beach and disposed of carefully so they do not pose a risk to people or animals.”