Why not to let dogs play with sticks **warning**

Just wanted to share this as I think its important for all dog owners to know how dangerous it can be for dogs to play with sticks.
A chap I knows American Bulldog, think he is on the board now.

"I took Cage out earlier and was walking through our local park and the coast was clear so I let him off leash to do a quick pee before we carried on our walk. I heard a dog barking and saw a GSD chasing and trying to bite a Spaniel so I called Cage back to put him on the lead when the GSD starts to run towards him, I picked up a stick and threw it to distract Cage and get him closer to me as I knew he'd come twice as quick if there was a stick invloved.

He caught it head on as it landed and I just watched my dog impale himself on a stick!!

It was lucky we was only 10 mins away from home at the start of our 2 hour walk as he was bleeding heavily and freaking out as you can imagine, we ran home and straight in the car of to the vets who operated immediately. The stick had somehow missed any vital blood supplies and his windpipe and was lodged along side his spine!!..He's lucky to be alive!!
My car looks as if someone has been murdered in the back, I'm also covered in blood as was he. I was allowed to bring him home tonight as the surgery went well and was quite simple, he's still well out of it and sleeping the drugs off but even though he was out of his face the moment I was allowed to see him he tried to stand up and was waggling his tail. Can you imagine running home for 10 mins with a foot long stick inside your neck, if there was ever proof needed that these dogs have a insanely high pain tolerance that was it.

It was 10" inside his neck with 1" left out, I have pictures that the vet took of the operation and the stick that I'll post pictures of tommorow.

A very close call and hopefully a lesson we can all learn from, I 'll never throw another stick again...I feel so guilty."




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I know most people have allowed their dogs to play with sticks or hang off trees and they dont understand the risks.
I know I have in the past wont be happening again though.

Get well soon Cage!

Thanks for posting Lisa, the more folk that know the risks the better!!

Thanks for letting me share the story Jamie.

Your right the more people who are aware the better, and most people wouldnt be. Sure its the norm to thro a stick for a dog isnt it...

well not in my house anymore. Ive heard a couple of horror storys where sticks are concerned but this has to be the worst.

Oh god that's horrific, I always throw sticks for Molly, never even imagined the possiblilty of something like this happening..... I'll defo be sticking with the ripped up football for now lol

Get well soon Cage !!

I dont think alot of people realise the dangers stacey.
Ive heard of dogs getting sticks ledged down their throat of caught up in their mouths and splintering damage but never being impaled.
Cage is one lucky dog!

Good Jesus the poor dog how easy this can happen, i don't use sticks at all with my dogs they are too dangerous, even splinters as small as a speck can get suck in the abdomen, dogs and particularly the breeds we own crunch down so hard they go into peaces, its the same as letting a dog swing from a tree by the branches, it is so easy to cause an injury.

How is this dog doing now lias?

Thanks for the well wishes!!

Hi CelticPitbulls, he's doing ok so far!! On heavy antibiotics that turn him into a dribbling zombie dog but I'd rather that than a dead one!! 5mill either way and he would be dead, a very very lucky dog.

omg poor cage..... wish him a speedy recovery

defo opened my eyes never throwing a stick for the dogs again.... thanks so much for sharing

aw poor cage hope he's alright and doing well

Tera wrote:Thanks for the well wishes!!

Hi CelticPitbulls, he's doing ok so far!! On heavy antibiotics that turn him into a dribbling zombie dog but I'd rather that than a dead one!! 5mill either way and he would be dead, a very very lucky dog.

Tera that's great news god i felt sick when i seen the pics you must have got a terrible fright. The poor guy please keep us posted about him and fingers crossed for a speedy recovery..

Tera would you mind if we cross posed this tread? i think its very educational and people need to be aware of these simple accidents that are very easily preventable.

Omg the poor thing hopes hes ok soon...

I never let shadow play with sticks after she got loads of splinters in her mouth one time, wasnt pretty!

Never thought that something like that could happen thanks for sharing it

Thanks everyone!! Had him at the vets for his 1st check up since surgery and the vet was amazed at how quick he's bouncing back, Cage was bouncing off the walls in there as he knew he was going to get cuddles fom people lol

This can be cross posted where ever by everyone as the more that know the better, but I would like a link so I can see what's said.

hope he is ok..
i wont be using a stick from now on..

so happy to hear that that's great news

hope he gws ,

the poor dog hope he is on the road to recovery and is doing better now

we know all about this as the same thing happened to our staffy, we were throwing sticks and it stuck in the ground he ran right into it and got impaled. like lisa we were only 10 mins from home so this is one of the reasons he is lucky to be alive today. we never throw sticks for him anymore but we made "sticks" for him out of cut up garden hose with small stones wrapped in gaffer tape for weight on one end. that way you can still have "sticks" but they are not as dangerous as they will bend and not to any damage to your dog. recently we got hard rubber "sticks" in Aldi that are bendy and heavy. i hope this advice helps in the future as it is a horrible thing like lisa knows to see your dog impaled and go through all that pain and suffering over throwing sticks. i just wish someone had told us of this before we had to go through this ourselves.

really hope cage is doing better coz we know what you are going through

That's a very good idea, cut hose into 16" sections and pop a few stones into it, tape up the bottom, put in some 'expanding foam' and tape off the other end so it stays solid but would crack under a small amount of pressure so it would be still bandy

Tera wrote:Thanks for posting Lisa, the more folk that know the risks the better!!

Wow thanks for this. I really hope Cage gets better fast

Harry wrote:That's a very good idea, cut hose into 16" sections and pop a few stones into it, tape up the bottom, put in some 'expanding foam' and tape off the other end so it stays solid but would crack under a small amount of pressure so it would be still bandy

even some thing like that can get stuck in a dogs throat.