Hooks found in meat chunks at Florida dog park

ORMOND-BY-THE-SEA, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35 - Authorities say someone put nearly a dozen meatballs, filled with fish hooks, at a Florida dog park.   Rita Michelini's dog, "Buddy," found some of the meatballs on Tuesday while they were at the Bicentennial Dog Park in Ormond-By-The-Sea.

"I called for him to drop it. He dropped it immediately, and I went to check what it was. I was concerned. If 'Buddy' had ingested any of that, he would have gotten hooked somewhere inside of him," Michelini said.  

She rushed "Buddy" to the Tomoka Farms Veterinarian Hospital.  There, Dr. Nick Avis said the dog did not swallow any of the half-inch hooks, and he'll be just fine.

"A small hook like that could get caught anywhere along the digestive tract -- the esophagus, above the heart, in the chest -- which would require specialized surgery," Dr. Avis added. 

Deputies said two years ago, deputies were called to the same park after dog owners found similar meatballs with ibuprofen inside.  

The Sheriff's Office is investigating.  Anyone with information is asked to called 1-888-277-TIPS (8477).