THROWING a stick for your dog may seem an essential part of a walk in the park, but it could be placing your pooch in peril, according to new research.
Academics from the Royal Veterinary College at the University of London claim dogs suffer as many injuries playing fetch as they do on Britain's roads.
Professor Dan Brockman, who co-authored a report on chronic and acute "stick injuries" in dogs,
said such accidents were also responsible for huge veterinary bills.
He said: "For vets it is one of the most frustrating kinds of injuries. Many injuries are minor, but some are horrific. They range from minor scratches to the skin or lining of the mouth, to paralysis of limbs, life-threatening blood loss, and acute and chronic infections.
"The problem is that sticks are sharp – and very dirty. That means that, as the dog runs on to them or grabs them in its mouth, the end of the stick can easily pierce the skin, going through it to penetrate the oesophagus, spinal cord, blood vessels or the dog's neck."
Prof Brockman said it was common for sticks to break and remain within a dog's neck. Dogs could bleed to death or acquire fatal infections.
He added: "Several dogs involved in the study died as a result of their stick injury and these deaths almost always involved resistant bacteria and infection that spread from the neck to the chest. For owners, the cost can be huge. I have had dogs with stick injuries whose treatment has cost up to £5,000 – but they have ultimately died."
Guy Richardson, a dog behaviour expert, told The Scotsman that he was delighted to find academic backing for a danger he had known throughout his 34 years' experience.
He said: "It's a principle I tell to everyone – not to throw sticks. I'm aware of dogs that have impaled themselves on sticks. The stick tumbles and it has gone straight through the soft tissue of the dog's mouth and killed it instantly.
"It's a very bad habit, giving a dog wood. I think the professor is right. It's a very dangerous thing to do, to have your dog pick up sticks and chase them.
"If you allow your dog to pick up sticks, it could pick up dirty, dead, contaminated things. The only thing it should pick up is something you have thrown or hidden for it."
Mr Richardson said that when he walked his son's German Shepherd, he took a frisbee for the dog to chase. He said owners had to take greater responsibility for their pets and plan tasks to motivate them.
The Animal Welfare Act 2006 placed a responsibility of care on owners, he said.
But he warned of the dangers of tennis balls, which can get stuck in a larger dog's mouth. He said: "The dog will run at the ball at up to 25mph and take the ball straight in the back of its throat. It can swallow it or get stuck.
"There have been cases of dogs mutilating their owner trying to get (the ball] off them. I always encourage an over-sized article."
