# Seriously enjoying a stick



## tim_s_adams (Aug 9, 2017)

Nyx was really enjoying her branch, I just had to get a picture....


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Dogs have been injured, even killed by playing with branches.


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## tim_s_adams (Aug 9, 2017)

Not sure where to go with this comment Wolfy, I know you have the dog's best interest in mind. And I respect your opinion. But honestly, the dogs most likely to get hurt or killed with a branch are the ones who were never allowed to play with them as puppies. 

I grew up in Oregon timber country, and I don't think I've ever even heard of a dog that didn't play with branches!


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## KaiserAus (Dec 16, 2016)

Looks like she is having a great time!

Dogs can get hurt or killed doing all sorts of things, doesn't mean we wrap them up and stop them from doing it.


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

My big boy used to play with branches like this when he was a young pup. I always took them away if they started to splinter or if the bark got too flaky. 

At three years old he almost got killed by a branch but not because he was playing with and chewing it. He was running through the yard at top speed and ran into an upended branch and it impaled his back. Six inches of dirt, bark, fur and stick just to the side of his spine. I was watching the yard and I saw that he was in pain as he came out from under the trees. We got him to the emergency vet and took very good care of him. Luckily the stick glanced along between the skin and ribs and didn't enter his chest. 

I had thought I had removed all the old branches from my yard. I guess I missed that one. It was one of those "freak accidents". Now I am not hyper about branches but I do keep my eyes open, make sure they don't have bits sticking up and I break up smaller ones. I have a lot of trees and even some woods in my yard. I try to be careful but I can't bubble wrap my dogs. 

So be careful with sticks. And that photo is charming.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Years ago my dog got a branch she was carrying into her throat. It hurt her but she wasn't injured. A dog that I knew firsthand was killed instantly when carrying a stick by the top, stumbled and pierced its brain. That's why I threw this out there. Of course the picture is cute, and the dog looks happy, but that's a given.
I also live in timber country but my dog(s) ever since don't associate stick with toys.


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

Nice pics Tim! i use sticks that are about a foot or so long to play fetch in the river. Even if they retrieve them like they're holding a cigar there's not much chance of injury.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

Your dog running with a large ... long stick in her mouth, it "could jam into the ground and impale your dog ... they are just trying to say ... "Crap happens."


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

Chip18 said:


> Your dog running with a large ... long stick in her mouth, it "could jam into the ground and impale your dog ... they are just trying to say ... "Crap happens."


That happened to my dog. It was horrible and I would not wish that on anybody or their dog to ever go through that. 

A friend threw a stick and had his dog catch it wrong and it impaled his throat, that was a big expensive mess for him and the dog.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

Young Pups lying down chewing on a stick is different but with supervision and as mentioned if it started to splinter and break apart- take it away. German shepherds to me meant long hikes in trails, swimming at the beach and sticks were always a part of that. Now I will not even pick up a nice piece of light drift wood at the beach for a fetch game. Max is always teaching me something -always -which I was not a clueless pet owner but we are forever learning. I had remember reading something on this forum about a dog getting impaled with a stick it happened at night and the owner did not see what happened the dog was really sick and was at the vet it took awhile to figure out what had happened. It struck a cord but in the back of my mind I said we played with sticks for years and years never a problem. I had tried to avoid sticks after that. When we were st the park I figure i would do some training and had no ball with me so I decided it would be okay to get a nice safe stick and throw as a reward. Max was all pumped up as i threw the stick he jumped up and must of caught at Bad angle and much force- he yelped as he caught it. At first I thought he stepped on something. I saw blood coming out of his mouth and on his gums I looked did not see any scratches anywhere in his mouth. The little bleeding quickly stopped. His entire body looked like it was riddled with pain- I have gave him water and he cried in pain as he swallowed. I did remember the story on the forum and did assume he was punctured with the stick somewhere. I took him to the vet the vet did not see anything I told her what I thought happened and the vet did a endoscopy to look deeper. It showed that when max caught the stick he ripped a hole right through his tonsil. I have the photo somewhere -a big gaping hole. There was pieces of the stick still in his tonsil that they had to remove. The vet said if I did not bring him in right away it would have absessed and blocked his airway. The vet checked his stomach for any pieces of large splintering stick which there was none. He had to only eat soft foods for a few weeks. To see Max in that much pain and $1,500 later, I sure don't look at sticks the same way again after that. I would not want any dog and owner to go through that.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Jenny720 said:


> I had remember reading something on this forum about a dog getting impaled with a stick it happened at night and the owner did not see what happened the dog was really sick and was at the vet it took awhile to figure out what had happened. It struck a cord but in the back of my mind I said we played with sticks for years and years never a problem. I had tried to avoid sticks after that. When we were st the park I figure i would do some training and had no ball with me so I decided it would be okay to get a nice safe stick and throw as a reward. Max was all pumped up as i threw the stick he jumped up and must of caught at Bad angle and much force- he yelped as he caught it. At first I thought he stepped on something. I saw blood coming out of his mouth and on his gums I looked did not see any scratches anywhere in his mouth. The little bleeding quickly stopped. His entire body looked like it was riddled with pain- I have gave him water and he cried in pain as he swallowed. I did remember the story on the forum and did assume he was punctured with the stick somewhere. I took him to the vet the vet did not see anything I told her what I thought happened and the vet did a endoscopy to look deeper. It showed that when max caught the stick he ripped a hole right through his tonsil. I have the photo somewhere -a big gaping hole. There was pieces of the stick still in his tonsil that they had to remove. The vet said if I did not bring him in right away it would have absessed and blocked his airway. The vet checked his stomach for any pieces of large splintering stick which there was none. He had to only eat soft foods for a few weeks. To see Max in that much pain and $1,500 later, I sure don't look at sticks the same way again after that. I would not want any dog and owner to go through that.


You and he dodged a bullet. This accident is not that uncommon and that's why I consider the stick-taboo not being overprotective; more like using common sense.


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## Apex1 (May 19, 2017)

We never played with sticks :/


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

wolfy dog said:


> Jenny720 said:
> 
> 
> > I had remember reading something on this forum about a dog getting impaled with a stick it happened at night and the owner did not see what happened the dog was really sick and was at the vet it took awhile to figure out what had happened. It struck a cord but in the back of my mind I said we played with sticks for years and years never a problem. I had tried to avoid sticks after that. When we were st the park I figure i would do some training and had no ball with me so I decided it would be okay to get a nice safe stick and throw as a reward. Max was all pumped up as i threw the stick he jumped up and must of caught at Bad angle and much force- he yelped as he caught it. At first I thought he stepped on something. I saw blood coming out of his mouth and on his gums I looked did not see any scratches anywhere in his mouth. The little bleeding quickly stopped. His entire body looked like it was riddled with pain- I have gave him water and he cried in pain as he swallowed. I did remember the story on the forum and did assume he was punctured with the stick somewhere. I took him to the vet the vet did not see anything I told her what I thought happened and the vet did a endoscopy to look deeper. It showed that when max caught the stick he ripped a hole right through his tonsil. I have the photo somewhere -a big gaping hole. There was pieces of the stick still in his tonsil that they had to remove. The vet said if I did not bring him in right away it would have absessed and blocked his airway. The vet checked his stomach for any pieces of large splintering stick which there was none. He had to only eat soft foods for a few weeks. To see Max in that much pain and $1,500 later, I sure don't look at sticks the same way again after that. I would not want any dog and owner to go through that.
> ...


Yes I have posted this a few times whenever sticks have been mentioned. If a stick is on the ground max will pick it up and drop it right away on his own -even though this happened awhile ago I'm sure he still remembers. 
Found the photo of his tonsil- the vet gave me the splinters pieces of wood from the stick in a little jar that was pulled out of his tonsil. I remember I brought the stick in as I saw pieces of tissue on the end of the stick. 
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35361664


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

MineAreWorkingline said:


> That happened to my dog. It was horrible and I would not wish that on anybody or their dog to ever go through that.
> 
> A friend threw a stick and had his dog catch it wrong and it impaled his throat, that was a big expensive mess for him and the dog.


OH ... I'm so sorry that happened, hope he recovered well?? 

The flying stick "potential danger" is a new one to me??? I'll stick with "official dog toys" thanks for the heads up.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

@;


Apex1 said:


> We never played with sticks :/


Well ... that's good stick protocol, nice size, proper positioning in the jaws and a safe carry.


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## Apex1 (May 19, 2017)

He has always just had a thing for sticks many times looking like Tim's pup, I just never engaged or discouraged. He has now progressed to logs which is making good help for firewood gathering. It is funny to watch him figure out how to carry the different sizes and weights. Not so funny when he finds a 15' branch and runs up from behind you WHACK! 

In all seriousness other then the splintering I hadn't really considered the other risks. I appreciate the warnings.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

Apex1 said:


> He has always just had a thing for sticks many times looking like Tim's pup, I just never engaged or discouraged. He has now progressed to logs which is making good help for firewood gathering. It is funny to watch him figure out how to carry the different sizes and weights. Not so funny when he finds a 15' branch and runs up from behind you WHACK!
> 
> Adorable pup! German shepherds and sticks or logs to me always went well together. Our first gsd I remember him finding small dead trees and dragging it with us on the trails that was 20 years ago and still remember his look of pride. I was happy he was so happy. I have never heard of the danger and then thought it would happen to us until it happened. It's always good to know and pass along. We now just stick with chuck it's and balls lol!
> 
> ...


Adorable pup! German shepherds and sticks or logs to me always went well together. Our first gsd I remember him finding small dead trees and dragging it with us on the trails that was 20 years ago and still remember his look of pride. I was happy he was so happy. I have never heard of the danger and then thought it would not happen to us -until it happened. It's always good to know and pass along. We now just stick with chuck it's and balls until they make a faux light stick or something.


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## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

Jenny720 said:


> Adorable pup! German shepherds and sticks or logs to me always went well together. Our first gsd I remember him finding small dead trees and dragging it with us on the trails that was 20 years ago and still remember his look of pride. I was happy he was so happy. I have never heard of the danger and then thought it would not happen to us -until it happened. It's always good to know and pass along. We now just stick with chuck it's and balls until they make a faux light stick or something.


Doc's favorite:

Stick / Twig | RuffDawg


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

Steve Strom said:


> Jenny720 said:
> 
> 
> > Adorable pup! German shepherds and sticks or logs to me always went well together. Our first gsd I remember him finding small dead trees and dragging it with us on the trails that was 20 years ago and still remember his look of pride. I was happy he was so happy. I have never heard of the danger and then thought it would not happen to us -until it happened. It's always good to know and pass along. We now just stick with chuck it's and balls until they make a faux light stick or something.
> ...


Oh wow they did make something
And is soft!!!! This will be Great to bring to the park! Thanks Steve for the link!!!


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

Steve Strom said:


> Doc's favorite:
> 
> Stick / Twig | RuffDawg


What cool toys!Love the cat a pult


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Jenny720 said:


> Yes I have posted this a few times whenever sticks have been mentioned. If a stick is on the ground max will pick it up and drop it right away on his own -even though this happened awhile ago I'm sure he still remembers.
> Found the photo of his tonsil- the vet gave me the splinters pieces of wood from the stick in a little jar that was pulled out of his tonsil. I remember I brought the stick in as I saw pieces of tissue on the end of the stick.
> Who, What, Why: Is it dangerous for dogs to fetch sticks? - BBC News


Ugly wound but thanks for posting as a warning.


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## tim_s_adams (Aug 9, 2017)

I had no idea that sticks and branches could be so dangerous! So sorry to hear that so many of you have had personal experiences like these, but thank you all for sharing your stories. Nyx stole that branch out of my wheelbarrow earlier this summer when I was removing a couple of trees from the property. It's sort of been her back up toy ever since. It's of much higher value if she can steal it, so she also raids my firewood pile frequently. But based on the stories I've heard here, I think I'll burn that branch and buy one of those Ruff-Dawg Sticks - thanks for the link Steve!


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

Yes this is good. It sure is the safest kind of branch!! Lot of cool toys in that link! 

Wolfy dog- yeah it sure was not pretty- a good day turned bad real fast.


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

my girl loves those rubber sticks. I tried outlawing sticks thinking she was swallowing wood and that's what was upsetting her stomach. She would shred, and I do mean shred, one of those into 1/2 chunks...the entire thing...in one walk. suffice it to say I can't afford enough for her to destroy 1 per day so that was the end of that (I did still outlaw real sticks in case it had any effect on her stomach and it didnt)


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## Aly (May 26, 2011)

Once again, I've learned something important by reading posts on this site. @Wolfydog that sounds to have been awful, but thanks for sharing your story and warnings. Steve, thanks for posting the link. The, uh, stick replacement will be here next week. 

Aly


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

I did order the ruff dawg crunchy stick through amazon. I will have to watch them with it. Can't wait to see how they like it!


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