I have known for many years throwing sticks for dogs is a no no but just in case anyone is in doubt I received this today about one of my rescue labs I rehomes.

"Since I last wrote, I have been a very poorly girl. A little while ago, Mum threw a stick for me, and when I ran for it, I flicked it up with nose and it got stuck upright in the mud.  I couldn't stop running and the stick went into my mouth and made some horrid big holes.  Mum took me to the vet straightaway and Dad arrived a few minutes later because everyone was so worried about me.  I had to have a big operation, and apparently I had done so much damage with this stick, that the vet had to ring an expert in Newmarket to make sure that he was doing everything right (I had a hole in my palate and another one into my naso-pharynx apparently).  Anyway, I was poorly for a few weeks, but everyone looked after me, and I got lots of scrambled egg, and liquidised chicken for ages, so that was great.  Mum was wondering whether you might like to put a warning on your site about sticks, the vet (Andrew, he's lovely) said its very common for dogs to hurt themselves with sticks, apparently my injury was really unusual as it went up towards my brain (aargh), but lots of dogs do get quite badly hurt by sticks.  Mum was going to put something on the messageboard herself, but didn't in case my old Mum and Dad read it, and realised it was about me, then they might be sad."

I remember having a similar experience over 20 years ago, I have never thrown a stick since.

I have to say you don't see many people doing it nowdays, perhaps it is because there are so many good dog toys around.

I am glad she is OK, nice of them to let you know.

Sandra

I must admit I throw stick for Fagan but only when we go to the lake or the sea - I dont like throwing toys in because he only retrieves 50% of the time.  Im very careful of what I throw though I usually go for ones resembling small logs :D :D

Even letting a dog carry a stick has it's problems :( Tara picked up a stick when she was a pup and ran off with it. It was quite long and touched the ground - as she ran, the end caught on something and the stick broke in her mouth cutting it (not badly fortunately)

Daisy

One of my 'keeper's working Springer, whilst beating in the wood, ran onto a stick. This one ran into her under the base of her rib cage into her belly. It was touch and go for a while but she did survive. Another friend's Golden, working in a gundog working test, dropped a foot into a rabbit hole whilst running at speed and broke her leg!

Please take care, accidents happen so easily. How many people have a first aid kit with them? It really can save your dog's life!

Best wishes, John

I never throw sticks for my dogs after hearing all these sorts of horror stories about them but that doesn't stop my working cocker taking himself off to find appropriate sticks for him to carry around when we're on our walks-I don't mind so much when they're big half branches but the smaller ones are harder for him to forget about and we are building up a small pile at my front door.. :(

spaniel-lover ~ My lab is like your dog, she feels she just HAS to carry a stick in her mouth on her walk. (She's like a baby with a dummy in it's mouth. :D ) As soon as I let her of the lead she is searching for one, in fact she's already looking as we approach the path. :rolleyes: Also the bigger the stick the better and it's getting very annoying. The last couple of weeks I have been going to a wide open field with a ball on a rope and getting her really excited about retrieving it. I only take it out on walks, she doesn't have it at home and for the last couple of days I have been taking it out on our regular walks and letting her carry that instead. Seems to be working, when she has dropped the ball for a stick I have grabbed the ball and run off with it and she drops the stick to try and get her precious ball back. Today she dropped the ball for a stick and I told her to pick up yer ball and she did.

My main problem with taking toys to the park is having to watch them float down the river when one of the dogs has decided to go for a swim with it still in their mouth before getting bored of holding it.. :rolleyes: :)  It's been really windy up here and there are quite a few branches that have come off the trees-so if anyone wonders, I'm the one looking embarrassed with the mad cocker trying to drag a six foot half tree along the path... ;) :)

But it's when they try to take it out of the gate that it gets really funny :D :D

Daisy

I bought a floating ball-on-rope for her to retrieve out of the lake, lost that. Yes, I too have had her trying to drag big branches out of the undergrowth, does yours make a lot of noise about it too? :rolleyes: She's a nightmare for sticks, that's why I've got her fixated on a toy instead.

I have a fund for balls-on-ropes .... Lots in the trees round here. :rolleyes: When that happens I have one very confused dog. I haven't got it, it's not on the ground.. where the heck is it?  My aim is getting better. :p Good job the pound shop sells them!

One of my collies is obsessive about carrying something and usually she will try to carry a stick. I do not let her(bad mean mummy me) I have now started giving her small empty plastic bottle that she will quiet happily carry all the way on our walks and back again with me throwing it for her in between times. So we have a bag of them hanging in our hall.Its supprising she never leaves any behind as she had been known to do with the rubber bones that I had tried before and if for one reason or another we forget to take one with us we do our bit in tidying up by finding one and fetching it back :D . Gillian
A web site that details the problems with sticks can be found here

We nearly lost our boy due to a stick.

My lab had to have two operations because of a piece of stick stuck in the tissue behind his throat. He was very very very ill for quite a while as our Vet here could not find the "foreign body" when they operated.

Eventually we had to bring him over to St. Helens in Liverpool for a specialist Ear/Nose/Throat Vet surgeon to operate.  We don't quite know how the piece of stick got there, or how long it had been there, but one can only assume he ran into it. He is obsessed with retrieving, and is fearless so if you throw something and tell him to find   - he is out of the trap like a bullet - totally focused on finding the object.

So be careful out there!!

Many years ago, one of my previous dogs got a stick injury in his mouth (entirely my fault, I didn't know any better in those days). Luckily it wasn't bad, a vet check and soft food for a couple of days and he was OK.

I e-mailed Countryfile many months ago to beg them to stop showing their video clip of a Collie chasing after a stick and told them of the dangers but got no reply and they were still showing it. :(  I e-mailed again a month ago and included a link to the site you posted Gillian..... but still no reply yet. :(   Not seen them showing it recently but if I do another angry e-mail will be sent! Grrrrr!

Kath.

My grandparents boxer boy insists on carrying the biggest branch he can find, thn knocks you with it!  Their aussie girl loves blastic bottles and finds one everytime she is off lead and takes it home!  Our setters don't think retriving is fun...if we throw it we get it!  they will hohwever chase after food... :D

Thanks Gillian for details of that website I've printed it out for my OH, he just thinks I nag all the time and see fear at every turn,hope it will make him think about throwing sticks!
Ange