Stick injuries

How often does our best friend come bounding over to us in the park with a stick dangling from the side of his or her mouth with eyes pleading for us to throw it just one more time?! It seems harmless enough – everyone seems to do it, you say to yourself – and throw the stick one more time. What most dog owners don’t realise is how dangerous actually throwing a stick can be. At Sydney Animal Hospitals we can safely say that we see enough stick injuries every year that no vet or nurse would throw a stick for their dog or any dog in the park.

The stick gets stuck in the ground or bounces unpredictably, the dog charges for the stick, mouth wide open, lunges his/her head forward and tries to grab the stick in its mouth and whammo!

Sometimes the injuries are minimal. A broken tooth, cut tongue, splinters. But sometimes the injuries can be very severe. This little one-eyed dog Hudson came into our Erskineville clinic after a stick injury in the park and was suffering severe nerve damage to his forelimb, tissue damage to his throat and neck and lacerations to his mouth and throat.

After having an operation to remove the stick and debris, a long course of antibiotics, and pain relief, Hudson recovered well.

Alternatives to sticks for dogs are:

• Rubber Kong’s that are strong and durable and come in lots of sizes.
• Doggie Frisbees with special grip top to make it easy for Rover to pick up.
• Balls that are not too small but strong and unable to be chewed up.
• Rope toys that can be retrieved and will clean teeth at the same time.

All of these products are available at the clinic or on our website to make playtimes at the park both safe and fun for your best friend.