The next time you ask your pet pooch to fetch a stick, try to remember this stark warning: dogs suffer as many injuries chasing and catching sticks as they do on roads.
One of Britain's most eminent vets, Dan Brockman, professor of small animal surgery at the Royal Veterinary College, has listed out dozens of serious injuries and infections, almost all the result of animals being stabbed as they rushed after a sharp stick, reports TimesOnline.
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In his new research, Brockman along with a colleague will detail some of the injuries suffered by pets when a game of fetch goes wrong.
They include: dogs left paralysed after being stabbed in the back of the throat by a stick that then enters the spinal cord, and animals left with serious internal injuries when a spinning stick jams between the foreleg and chest as they try to catch it on the move.
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For owners, Brockman said, there is another problem with throwing sticks for dogs - the huge cost of treating injuries.
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Brockman added that people who get their pets to chase after balls may also be behaving irresponsibly.
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"I have had to operate on dogs that have swallowed tennis balls too," he added.
Source-ANI
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