Are your dogs allowed to play with sticks?

[saffie]

I was wondering.
My dogs are not allowed to play with sticks, but I seem to be the only dog owner worried about it where I live.

Boy used to play with sticks everyday, but one day he got one in his throat and it almost killed him. He was really wounded inside and needed a very heavy operation. After the operation it took a long time for him to heal, and he needed another operation to clean the wound again. This didn't help and he developed a fistula, which the vet tried to remove through operation three times. But it kept coming back and he still has it. A little tube in his throat that comes out of his body at a lower point then his throat, it's a natural drain and blood comes out once in a while.
This all happened with his previous owners. When I got Boy I took him to my vet to discuss this, but she said the same thing as the vet of the previous owners. It's a risky operation, because a throat is a delicate place, and was tried before but it's not possible to really clean it perfectly because what is left there is too tiny, and the fistula just came back. Since he doesn't seem to have any pain from it, she advised not to operate it again for now. Maybe later if it starts to bother him, but it's not sure the fistula will stay away. There is a great chance he will just have a fistula for the rest of his life.

Oh well, just wanted to tell this story. Since I have Boy I get really freaky about dogs playing with sticks. My dogs aren't allowed to pick them up and I carry around a ball for them to play with on our walks if I don't forget it.

Are your dogs allowed to play with sticks?

 

[puppylover2007]

wow, that would be scary to have happen.. makes ya think twice about letting dogs play with sticks... i let my pups play with them, but, only to carry around, once they start chewing on them i "trade" them with a regular play toy.

i hope all works out for your little guy, i wish you the best.

 

[Fran27]

Well, I usually remove them, but they absolutely love them, and as there are a lot of them in my back yard, we can't do much about it.

Sorry about Boy, that must not be fun.

 

[Dekka]

WOw that sucks. But I have heard horror stories for every toy you can imagine for a dog. So I just take my dogs play and chewing style into account. So yes Dekka plays with sticks. Actually 'stick' is one of her biggest motivators. lol I don't know why. I can pick up a piece of straw and ask her if she 'want the stick?" and she will do anything to get it. She will jump into any water for a 'stick' But she isn't big on chewing them.

 

[noludoru]

Yes, we play fetch with sticks all the time and there are some old, perfectly weathered ones we find occasionally that I let him lightly chew on.

 

[aivzdog]

I let my dog play with sticks.
But if they seem like they are chewing and swallowing then I take it away.

Anna

 

[saffie]

Saffie only carries them around and that's no harm, but Boy is just an obsessed dog if it comes to playing and he can't play careful and will run around with it. Once a friend forgot about it and threw a stick for Boy, and he just jumped on it. It's mostly the throwing of sticks that I find scary.
Since we have Boy, the fun of carrying a stick around is over for Saffie too because I can't allow her and deny Boy.

 

[ihartgonzo]

I don't let my dogs play with sticks... a similar horror story happened to a friend's dog, when I was a kid, and ever since I have never played fetch or allowed my pups to chew on sticks. It just isn't worth it, to me.

Fozzie does, however, love carrying huge logs around. Cx

 

[Dekka]

AH but all you who say it isn't worth it. I know of dogs who have died/been very injured playing with balls, squeeker toys, from eating kibble, swallowing a rock etc. I think you just have to know your dogs play style.

 

[ihartgonzo]

AH but all you who say it isn't worth it. I know of dogs who have died/been very injured playing with balls, squeeker toys, from eating kibble, swallowing a rock etc. I think you just have to know your dogs play style.

I suppose that's true...

I never play with balls that my dogs could even possibly swallow, though. And neither of them show any interest in rocks.

With sticks, I know that my BC gets very excited about playing fetch, and does it as quickly as possible. He could easily be flying toward a stick, and get it lodged in his throat. So, I guess I should say, it isn't worth it for ME.

 

[Purdue#1]

i let sly chew on sticks. i just never throw them. know a dog that went to go get the stick. master threw and it poked a hole in her throat. there is also an episode on emergency vets that a stick magically disappeared down the dog's trachea. the had to go in and pull it out. like cut it out. it was not a pretty sight.

 

[Julie]

My dogs chew on sticks alot. I know there is a small chance of injury, but that is also the case in just about everything you do. I have also heard horror stories about rope toys, balls, leashes, collars, swimming, riding in the car, and so on...

Sorry about Boy though, it sounds like he went thru a worst case senerio from playing with sticks. If I would have been thru all that, maybe it would change my mind also.

 

[elegy]

yes, though it makes me nervous. luce LOVES to chase a stick. it's the only thing she'll reliably retrieve, so when i take her to the lake to swim, i throw a stick for her. i actually have a short, thick stick in my training bag, too. we call it "stick of power".

my bosses' (now passed) dog lost his eye when a stick when through the top of his mouth and up behind his eye.

 

[RD]

Just this week I saw a dog come into the vet's office with the entre back of his throat torn out. He went chasing after a stick and slipped, and it rammed straight back into his throat. No way do I want to risk that when I can buy a ball for .99 cents that can't cut them open.

Since they like it so much, I do let them pick up and carry "approved" smooth sticks, and I let Eve shred driftwood since she never ingests it, but I've taught them not to pick up random ones.

 

[milos_mommy]

not many sticks in my yard...i don't think about it really. if it's splintery it's a no-no, but usually if it's a big tough looking stick i let him chomp it.

 

[Paige]

I've had to shove my hand down the throats of too many dogs choking on sticks. My boys aren't interested in sticks at all.

 

[BostonBanker]

My dog isn't the type to pick up anything on her own to play. If I pick up a stick, I can get her psyched up about fetching it. She'll generally get it, frolic happily for a minute, then sit down and break it into tiny pieces. Take a bite, turn to the side and spit it out. Repeat.

Just about anything can cause damage or kill a dog. Meg is extremely careful with every toy she's had, and isn't the type to swallow anything without thoroughly investigating to make sure it is food and tasty. I'd be far more careful about all toys if she wasn't so cautious herself.

 

[bnwalker2]

My dogs don't play with sticks, the ones I have now don't even try, but if they did I wouldn't let them.

When I met John he had a Pit Bull/Lab mix (he passed away in January from other causes) who loved to play with sticks. One day, he swallowed a piece and just about the same thing happened to him that happened to Boy. Shadow had to have surgery to remove a fistula. After that, we didn't let him or any other dog play with sticks.

 

[ACooper]

We don't have many sticks available in our yard, so it isn't an everyday type issue.

If we go walking in the woods, or happen to pass an interesting stick I let them have it if they want it. Orson loves to chew up that kind of stuff and luckily he doesn't get to very often.

As someone already said, there are horror stories from just about anything you can think of........a friend of mine even lost her dog because he swallowed a sock, A SOCK.......how can you possibly guard against every "evil" ??

 

[Sadie'smama]

Yikes, that is scary! We have woods that are behind our house and so we get lots and lots of sticks in the yard. Sadie does chew on them every now and again, however I try to get them away from her. It's kinda a loosing battle though, I take one away and she just gets another one.