Comments on: Are Sticks Safe for Dogs?

By: Tony

Tony — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 21:25:04 +0000

My boarder collie / lab mix loved to play with sticks in the woods behind our house. Earlier this morning while she was fetching on a ‘dead retrieve’ she slid into the stick. She was stabbed in the tissue below her tongue and a small piece of the stick was lodged in a deep wound and had to be removed by a vet under sedation. A painful lesson for her and me. I wish I had read this post sooner.

By: Grisha

Grisha — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 15:59:39 +0000

Thanks for sharing this, Carole. That must’ve been very scary for all involved.

By: Carole

Carole — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:52:54 +0000

I used to let my dogs play with ‘dead’ sticks till one day about 15yrs ago. I was on a walk in the bush with my dog. I had my dog on a ‘sit’ ‘wait’. I threw the stick, it landed on the ground about 30ft away. Since I was in the bush the ground wasnt very level. I sent my dog after it. My fast border collie raced to the stick to fetch it but as he approached the stick his paw landed on the very end of the stick and the stick ended up rising off the ground and the top end punctured the roof of my dogs mouth. It took a couple months for the large puncture wound to heal. It was large enough that kibble kept getting into it and it kept getting infected. So to this day I will toss bumpers, balls , soft frisbees, anything but a stick!

By: Connie O'Hara

Connie O'Hara — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 18:31:06 +0000

Great information, Grisha! This would apply at the dog park, too. Monitor your dog’s play time while she’s running around with her pals. Multiple dogs, multiple sizes running after the same ball or stick can mean disaster for your dog, or someone else’s. Of course, your dog will have to live with the stigma of “my mom won’t let me do anything fun.” Oh well.