ENDOSCOPIC AND SURGICAL RETRIEVAL OF FISHHOOKS FROM THE STOMACH AND ESOPHAGUS IN DOGS AND CATS - 75 CASES (1977-1993)

Medical records of 3 cats and 72 dogs that had a fishhook endoscopical ly or surgically retrieved from the stomach or esophagus were reviewed . Endoscopic retrieval was successful in 41 of 62 (66%) animals, and r etrieval time and hospitalization time for endoscopic retrieval were s ignificantly shorter than times for surgical retrieval, Rate of failur e of endoscopic retrieval was higher for animals with treble-barb, rat her than single-barb, fishhooks. Whether a fishhook could be successfu lly retrieved endoscopically was independent of body weight, amount of time the fishhook had been present, location of the hook, and orienta tion within the esophagus.