It was a balmy summers evening, and Jasper was enjoying an evening stroll during his summer holiday. On exploring his surroundings, a tasty titbit was spied. As Jasper closed his chops around the tempting snack, a nasty surprise awaited him- the snack came with a fish hook attached! Jasper unfortunately ended up with a fish hook stuck in his mouth. Luckily, when Jasper slunk through the door at home, his owner spied him and spotted the problem immediately. His owner then brought him down to us at South Moor Vets for some help.

Unfortunately, getting a fish hook stuck in the mouth can be a common occurrence for our furry friends during the summer months. With warmer weather, there can be an increase in people fishing resulting in fish hooks or tackle sometimes being left behind or washed up on the beach- occasionally with a tempting bit of fish still attached. For a curious cat like Jasper, this was an irresistible snack with an unfortunate consequence!

On examining Jasper, the fish hook was caught in the right-hand side of his mouth, embedded within his cheek. Thankfully, the rest of his examination was all normal. On discussion with his owner, we decided that sedating him would be the quickest and most comfortable way to remove the hook. This included Methadone, an opioid, which provides pain relief, helping keep Jasper comfortable throughout the procedure.

The thing to note with fish hooks is that they contain a barb. This can make them particularly difficult to remove as you are unable to pull them back through the way they came. Once Jasper was sedated, we applied some local anaesthetic to provide additional pain relief. We then carefully pushed the head of the fish hook through the cheek, with the help of a small incision using a scalpel allowing the hook to be safely removed. On successful removal of the fish hook, there was no sign of any further damage to Jasper's mouth.

Once Jasper had recovered from his sedation, he received a meloxicam injection, providing pain relief and anti-inflammatory effects. This was to be continued orally after 24 hours for a few days to allow Jaspers mouth to remain pain-free whilst it healed. He was also sent home with a course of antibiotics to help prevent any infection developing at the site of the hook.

Jasper's owner was able to continue monitoring him closely at home, looking out for any signs of discomfort. The update the next day was good news. Jasper was bright in himself and proving that his adventurous spirit wasn’t dampened by the experience: he had already been spotted hunting in the garden!