Vets warned dog owners not to play fetch using a stick with their dogs as this simple past time can possibly cause injuries to these animals. Hence, they are encouraging pet lovers to use an alternative toy instead.
British Veterinary Association said pet owners should avoid playing sticks with dogs as it can pose threats to them. Instead of playing sticks with dogs, they urged the owners to use balls, plastic sticks or any alternative toys from the pet shop.
"Throwing sticks for your dog can be dangerous and lead to horrific injuries that can be very distressing for both you and your dog, such as causing cuts to their mouths and tongues or, as in this case, getting the stick lodged in their throat," Grace Webster, president of the association explained to the Times. "Even when the initial wound is treated, splinters have often got stuck and require subsequent operations," the expert added.
Webster's warning came after she heard about Maya's case. Maya is a collie breed that underwent to an emergency after playing fetch with her owner.
Maya was owned by Catherine Pryde from Scotland. The owner said to Kirkintilloch Herald that they took Maya to a vet after she lost her appetite and started limping -- following their usual catching stick game.
Catherine said she didn't have any idea what was going on with Maya until they took her to a vet. "We took her to the vet and they sedated her and then pulled out this long stick from her throat," she explained the procedure.
Runa Hanaghan, deputy veterinary director of the Dog's Trust, said to the Guardian that this was actually not the first time she heard about such case. She said she already encountered a lot of "nasty injuries" after owners played sticks with their dogs.
Hanaghan also said there are a lot of cases where owners failed to spot stick-related injuries. "I've seen injuries where it has been there for a long time because the dog has got used to it and nobody has noticed," she said.
