Who doesn’t love a game of fetch? Whether it be with a frisbee, ball or stick. Rhino our favourite Staffy is a huge fan of fetch but recently found himself at the vet after catching a stick which was then lodged in his throat!

Vet’s are working hard to educate pet owners about the dangers of sticks as it becomes an increasingly common case. In Summer when people are spending more time outdoors with their pet injuries can occur when a dog runs onto a stick in the ground, forcing it down their throat and cutting under the tongue or even tearing the gullet further back.

But this isn’t the only injury. Below are other injuries throwing sticks can have.

Eye: There is direct damage to the eye. If the force of the penetration is great enough, the stick can result in damage to your dog’s brain, too.

Mouth: Stick penetration in the mouth can damage a lot of important structures, including the tongue, laryngeal and pharyngeal tissues, palate (“roof”) of the mouth, teeth, esophagus, and trachea. These traumas can also damage the nerves or blood vessels within your dog’s neck, and, depending on the direction the stick takes, there can be significant damage to your dog’s sinuses or brain.

Chest: As you might imagine, with all of the important structures that are present within the chest cavity, the damage that a stick penetration in this area can be severe. Along with the heart and lungs, the chest also houses many large blood vessels and important nerves, as well as the diaphragm, trachea, and esophagus.

Abdomen: Stick penetration in this area can easily result in damage to multiple important organs. Commonly affected organs include the stomach, liver, spleen, and intestines.

To make matters worse, the initial damage caused by the penetration of the stick isn’t always indicative of the full extent of a dog’s injuries. Despite best efforts, it’s often possible for small fragments or splinters of wood to be missed during initial surgical exploration of such puncture wounds, because sticks shatter and splinter upon impact. Wood itself doesn’t necessarily show up on X-rays, especially small splinters of wood.

We went to visit Rhino after his ordeal and brought him a Purina Chew Squeaky Stick. We know he will love it when he is all better which after a couple of weeks rest

Rhino after his operation

Rhino’s brother and sister (Tank and Peach who are both rescue dogs) spent time chilling out in the cool while Rhino got better.