Fishing Line and Pets: Entanglement and Ingestion Safety

Updated September 19, 2026 4 min read By a dude and his dog

Fishing line is easy to overlook because it weighs almost nothing.

For pets, it can be one of the most dangerous pieces of fishing gear.

Risks include:

Entanglement
Cuts
Constriction
Swallowing
Intestinal injury

Monofilament, Fluorocarbon and Braid

All common fishing lines can cause problems.

Braid is especially thin and strong.

It can cut deeply into:

Skin
Paws
Tongue

when pulled tight.

If Line Wraps Around a Limb

Remove tension as quickly and gently as possible.

Check for:

Swelling
Bleeding
Deep groove
Cold paw
Discoloration
Pain

If the line has cut into tissue or circulation seems affected, seek veterinary care.

If Line Is Around the Neck

Treat this as an emergency.

Release tension immediately.

If the dog has:

Trouble breathing
Collapse
Blue or pale gums

go to emergency veterinary care.

If the Dog Swallows Fishing Line

Do not pull line from the mouth or rectum.

Fishing line can act as a linear foreign body.

It may become anchored while the intestines continue moving, creating serious internal injury.

Contact a veterinarian promptly.

Do Not Play Tug-of-War With Line

If line is visible in the mouth:

Keep dog calm
Prevent chewing
Do not yank

Line Attached to a Hook

If you suspect a hook is attached:

Do not pull the line.

See our Fish Hooks and Dogs: Emergency Guide.

Symptoms of Foreign-Body Trouble

VCA lists possible signs including:

Vomiting
Diarrhea
Abdominal pain
Reduced appetite
Straining
Lethargy

These require veterinary evaluation.

Beach Hazards

Discarded line can be hidden in:

Seaweed
Sand
Around piers
Fish-cleaning areas

Keep dogs from nosing through fishing debris.

Pier Hazards

Piers concentrate:

Cut line
Rigs
Hooks
Bait

Use a short leash and keep dog beside you.

Boat Decks

Do not leave loose line on deck.

A dog can become tangled during:

Fish landing
Rod change
Wind gust
Sudden movement

Dispose of Line Properly

Use:

Monofilament recycling bin
Closed trash container
Dedicated line container

Never throw line into:

Water
Beach
Grass

Wildlife Benefit

Proper disposal protects not only pets but also:

Pelicans
Herons
Shorebirds
Sea turtles
Marine mammals

Florida’s Line Recycling Bins

Florida runs a statewide program for this: FWC’s Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program. The PVC tubes you see at boat ramps, fishing piers and marinas are its outdoor bins, and many tackle shops keep a cardboard collection box inside. There is a bin map at MRRP.MyFWC.com.

What goes in, and what does not:

Yes: monofilament and fluorocarbon line – single-strand nylon only – with hooks, lures, weights and leaders removed.
No: braided line or anything with wire. It cannot be recycled. FWC asks that you cut it into pieces shorter than 12 inches and put it in a covered trash can, so no animal – or dog – can pull out a long strand.
No tackle at all in the tubes. A hook left in a recycling bin is a hook waiting for the next hand, or the next curious nose.

The reason it matters: FWC notes that monofilament is not biodegradable and can last hundreds of years. The strand a dog steps through on a pier this year can still be in the dune grass years from now.

Braid Is the One That Cuts

Braided line is thinner than monofilament for the same strength and has almost no stretch. Wrapped around a leg or tail and pulled tight – by a running dog or a hooked fish – it can slice skin the way thread cuts cheese. If braid is tangled on your dog, cut it, do not unwind it under tension: slide the blade of a line cutter or small scissors under a loop on the outside of the leg, away from the skin, and snip. Then free the pieces one at a time.

After any wrap, look closely at the fur. Thin line can bury itself out of sight in a coat, and a strand left around a toe or a dewclaw keeps tightening as the tissue swells.

If Your Dog Finds Tangled Wildlife

Discarded line catches pelicans, herons, sea turtles and manatees – FWC cites a sea turtle that swallowed 590 feet of it. If your dog leads you to a tangled or hooked animal, pull the dog well back first; a frightened pelican or heron will strike at a face. Then call the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922 (or *FWC from a cell phone). For a bird you have hooked yourself, FWC’s step-by-step guide is at MyFWC.com/Unhook.