04/07/2026
Toaster has an important public service announcement for everyone: no matter how yummy and delicious that hotdog-or even fishing bait-looks at the end of a fishing pole… do NOT eat it!
Toaster’s owners ended up with a much bigger catch than expected while fishing on Easter. Being the curious 1½-year-old Golden Retriever that he is, Toaster couldn’t resist the smell of the hotdogs being used as bait. Before one even hit the ground, he gobbled it up-hook and all.
His owners reacted immediately. They held onto the fishing line and tried to open his mouth to retrieve the hook, but quickly realized it was already gone. Knowing the danger, they detached the line from the pole but kept tension on it to prevent the hook from traveling further inside Toaster. They called the on-call veterinarian and rushed him to the clinic as instructed.
At the clinic, Dr. Jessica Hodes and RVN Brooke were ready to assess Toaster’s condition and begin their treatment plan. They began with radiographs, which showed the hook was near-or possibly in-Toaster’s stomach, making it an emergency situation.
Toaster was placed under general anesthesia so the team could attempt a non-surgical removal using an endoscope, a small flexible camera. Dr. Jessica carefully located the hook and, with patience and precision, successfully removed it-avoiding the need for invasive abdominal surgery.
Throughout the procedure, Toaster was closely monitored and proved to be an excellent anesthesia patient for Nurse Brooke. After a few hours, he was able to go home-fishhook free-with little to no restrictions, since there was no internal damage.
Toaster is one lucky pup. His owners’ quick thinking and determination-holding that fishing line for over 20 minutes on the way to the clinic-made all the difference.
Now he’s back to swimming and enjoying his pond… but his fishing days are officially over. From now on, he’ll be watching those adventures safely from the window!
