Austin Police are warning pet owners to be alert after a dog was found eating meat with fish hooks in it.

A post on the department’s Facebook page says officers took a report on Friday afternoon “that someone had thrown chunks of meat with fish hooks in them into a yard of a residence in the SW. The homeowner found their dog eating the meat but it appears the dog hadn’t consumed the fish hook. Please pay close attention to your dog when it is outside.”

The post was accompanied by photos showing two chucks of a white processed meat. One has a three-pronged fish hook in it. A second hook is to the side of the meat.

According to the website PetMD.com: “If a fishhook should become embedded in the dog’s paw, mouth, esophagus or stomach it requires special care (including sedation, minor surgery, endoscopy and pain medications) to remove it. We typically don’t recommend attempting to remove this by yourself, as you can cause severe damage (to both you and your dog)!”

The website recommends getting immediate veterinary help.

“Excessive damage can also be caused if you pull on the fishing line and hook, which can be fatal if mouth tissue, esophagus, or stomach is torn,” it says.

.