Warning to dog owners after two-inch fishing hook tears hole in puppy's throat

A four-month-old puppy suffered serious injuries after a rusty fishing hook tore through his throat as he ate a discarded fish at the beach.

The narrow escape has sparked a warning to dog lovers, after Otis' owner Donna Head had to fork out £1,100 to have the sharp hook safely removed.

Ms Head said she had taken Otis for a walk near their home in Deal, Kent, and had let him off the lead for the very first time.

"We weren't even on the beach because he's still only a puppy and I was wary of the water," she said.

"I noticed he was standing still for a bit too long so I called him but he wouldn't come. I ran over and I saw fishing wire hanging out of his mouth.

"My first thought was that he had eaten some seaweed and the wire was tangled in it.

"I pulled it, which I now know is the worst thing I should have done, and he let out a little yelp. I knew it was attached to something and I panicked."

The 48-year-old wrapped the wire around her puppy's collar to ensure he didn't step on it, and rushed him to the vet.

An X-ray found a two-inch fishing hook inside the young Labrador, which had torn his oesophagus. He needed a half-hour operation to safely remove it.

She is now urging anglers to take care to remove hooks from fish before throwing them away, and warning dog owners and parents of young children to take care.

"I don't know what someone would do if it happened to their dog and they didn't have the money," she said.

Otis is expected to make a full recovery, but has been prescribed antibiotics to fight off any infection he may contract from the rust on the hook.