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West Kelowna veterinarian saves turtle with fish hook stuck in throat

Click to play video: 'Turtle treated by West Kelowna veterinarian released back into wild'
Turtle treated by West Kelowna veterinarian released back into wild
Dr. Moshe Oz released a turtle he and his son called Sunny back into the wild after removing a large fishing hook from its throat – Jul 15, 2019

WATCH BELOW: Turtle recovering from having a hook in its throat released in the Okanagan

Click to play video: 'Turtle recovering from having a hook in its throat released in the Okanagan'
Turtle recovering from having a hook in its throat released in the Okanagan

A West Kelowna veterinarian successfully performed surgery to remove a large fishing hook that was lodged in a turtle’s throat on Saturday.

Dr. Moshe Oz of the Rose Valley Veterinary Hospital said that since the large hook had a barb on the end of it, the surgery was difficult.

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The turtle needed anesthetic before the operation. Dr. Moshe Oz.

The turtle was brought to Oz by a good Samaritan.

“If there wasn’t a barb,” he said “then the turtle could even deal with it by itself.”

The hook, which is typically used for catching salmon, according to Dr. Oz. Dr. Moshe Oz

Oz decided to go forward with surgery, opening the turtle’s throat, which he says was necessary to save the small reptile’s life.

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“[The hook] was lodged all the way in the neck so I needed to basically cut the neck, release the barb and then suture it all together.”
Sunny the turtle. Dr. Moshe Oz

Oz said the hook’s design made its presence in the turtle’s throat life-threatening, painful and very difficult to deal with.

After the surgery and a brief recovery, the turtle, which Oz’s son named “Sunny”, was released back into the wild.

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WATCH: (March 4, 2019) 1,529 turtles discovered inside alleged smuggler’s luggage

Click to play video: '1,529 turtles discovered inside alleged smuggler’s luggage'
1,529 turtles discovered inside alleged smuggler’s luggage

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