Areas

Pets & Wildlife

Why you shouldn’t throw sticks for dogs

Author: Oliver Wilkinson, Posted: Wednesday, 25th May 2022, 09:00

Most vets cringe when they see someone throwing a stick for their dog. What is the harm, you might ask?

It seems like such a benign activity – the dogs certainly love the chase, it gives them a bit more of a run around than just trotting along, and many people will say they have thrown sticks for years with never a problem. Those pet owners have clearly never worked in a vet clinic!

Dogs can impale themselves on sticks that they chase

Every year we see a significant number of dogs who have impaled themselves on sticks they were chasing. The stick will have been thrown, but instead of landing flat on the ground, one end lands point down embedded in the earth, the other end pointed backwards towards the onrushing dog.

The most common unpleasant scenario is that the dog ends up with the stick end disappearing into its mouth and causing a nasty injury to its tongue or throat.

A few weeks ago we had a dog that very nearly died from one of these stick injuries. The stick had missed its mouth but instead had gone in at the base of its neck and into its chest. It was a truly horrific injury and it was lucky to survive.

The moral of the story is if you want to throw something for your dog, throw a ball or a frisbee, but never ever a stick!

Copyright © 2024 The Local Answer Limited.
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site's author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to The Local Answer Limited and thelocalanswer.co.uk with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Areas

Pets & Wildlife

Archive

Why you shouldn’t throw sticks for dogs

More articles you may be interested in...