Vets Say Playing Fetch With a Stick is Dangerous
Veterinarians Say Dogs Should Avoid Fetching Sticks Due to Injuries
When most dog owners think of a game of fetch, most think of a frisbee, a stick or a tennis ball. But veterinarians say that fetching sticks is dangerous for dogs and a game of fetch with a stick can cause serious and life-threatening injuries to dogs.
According to the U.K.'s Daily Telegraph, a leading veterinarian in England, Dr. Dan Brockman, a professor of small animal surgery at the Royal Veterinary College at the University of London, recently brought the dangers of stick fetching to light. And other veterinarians agree - sticks pose serious dangers during a game of fetch.
Why Is Fetching Sticks Dangerous?
The act of fetching a stick is dangerous for several reasons, according to Dr. Michael Levine, DVM, a veterinarian in the Boston area. Dr. Levine outlined stick fetching dangers to dogs.
- Sticks have dangerous splinters. Small splinters can enter the dog's mouth as the dog fetches the stick. Many dogs also chew the stick as they're retrieving it for their owner, causing the wood splinters to enter the cheeks, gums and between the teeth. This can lead to painful infections that are difficult to detect and even more difficult to heal since they're located inside the dog's mouth.
- Sticks can stab the dog. A dog can impale his chest on a stick as he eagerly runs to retrieve it, causing serious internal injuries and even death. If the dog is running with the stick in his mouth, a mishap could cause the stick to stab the back of the dog's throat.
- Sticks can injure the dog's nose. Many sticks have smaller twigs attached. As the dog fetches the stick, these twigs and even smaller wood splinters can get lodged inside the dog's nose. A stick piece or splinter that's stuck inside a dog's nose will be difficult to detect in many cases, and by the time an owner realizes that something is wrong, an infection will be established, along with possible breathing problems.
- Sticks can injure the dog's eyes. Parents always warn children that they'll "poke an eye out" with a stick or other similar object. Well, for dogs who fetch sticks, eye injuries are a very real possibility. If the dog tries to catch a stick in the air, a mishap could send the stick or a splinter directly into his eye. An excited dog may eagerly try to pick up a stick off the ground, getting poked in the eye by a twig in the process.
- Stick and bark fragments may be inhaled. As the dog fetches a stick, additional dangers arise since the act of biting and chewing the stick creates fragments of wood and bark. These fragments can be inhaled as the dog runs with the stick in his mouth to return it to his owner for another round of fetch.
- Stick splinters and bark may be swallowed. Piece of the stick are apt to come off in the dog's mouth during a game of fetch and these pieces can easily be swallowed, causing serious problems like internal bleeding, intestinal blockages and other serious injuries.
- Sticks are laden with large amounts of bacteria. If this bacteria enters an existing cut or lesion inside the mouth, it can cause serious infections. This means that injuries caused by sticks face serious contamination, making stick-related injuries in dogs very susceptible to infection.
- Stick injuries to dogs often involve the mouth, nose and throat. These are all areas where it's difficult to detect an injury or infection in the early stages, which means the infection will have progressed to a serious stage before visible outward symptoms are exhibited. This means a more serious diagnosis, more costly bills for veterinary treatment, more pain for the injured dog and a longer healing time.
So It's Dangerous to Play Fetch With Sticks. Is there Something Else We Can Use for Fetch?
Dr. Michael Levine recommends two safe alternatives that can be used instead of a stick for playing fetch with a dog.
Large rubber balls and similar rubber toys are great for a game of fetch and they're often more amusing than sticks because they bounce around as they land. When using a ball to play fetch with a dog, it's important to find a ball that's much larger than the dog's throat to prevent accidental swallowing of the ball.
Dog owners can also use a soft fabric frisbee. Normal plastic frisbees should be avoided since they cause tooth injuries, especially as the dog tries to catch the frisbee in the air. A dog can also suffer intestinal blockages if the pet chews a plastic frisbee and swallows the plastic shards.
Dog owners should also avoid tennis balls, since some vets believe that the tennis ball surface damages the dog's tooth enamel. But Dr. Levine notes that this is a more serious risk for dogs who play catch frequently, particularly on a daily basis.
"There's some thought that frequent use of tennis balls can damage the dog's teeth, but an occasional game of fetch with your dog using a tennis ball isn't likely to do any real damage," Dr. Levine concluded.
Related Reading for Dog Owners
Every dog owner should have the proper supplies on-hand, just in case a dog or cat is injured while playing or during other activities. Check out How to Make a Pet First Aid Kit for tips on how to assemble the proper supplies.
Dog owners may also enjoy Eye Injuries in Dogs, Cats and Other Pets for information on how to spot an eye injury that may occur during a game of fetch. Signs of an Infection will also give dog owners the information they need to spot and treat an infection that could arise from an injury during play with the dog.
Fetching Sticks is Dangerous for Dogs!
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