Fetch goes wrong: 18-inch dog swallows 16-inch stick

http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat...10-fetch_x.htm
:eek: :eek:
Fetch goes wrong: 18-inch dog swallows 16-inch stick

LONDON (AFP) — In a feat that put human sword swallowers to shame, a British dog managed to gulp down a stick only two inches shorter than its own body, and escape unscathed, a report said Thursday.
Millie, a two-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier, swallowed the stick by accident while on a walk with her owner, John Hurst, in fields behind his home in Portsmouth, southern England, the Daily Mail newspaper said.

Hurst threw the 16-inch stick for Millie to retrieve, but it stuck in the ground like a javelin and the sprinting dog managed to effectively impale herself on it, swallowing it whole.

Fearing the worst, Hurst rushed his pet to a vet, where micro-cameras found the stick had somehow worked its ways down Millie's throat and deep into her stomach without hitting any vital organs on the way.

After a two-hour operation, the only injury to Millie was a small scratch inside her stomach, the report said.

Dogs receiving treatment for swallowed sticks was common, vet Matthew Tyler told the newspaper.

"But for a dog to get a stick stuck this far down is unheard of," he added.

Oh my! I'd be in a blind panic if that happened! I'm glad to hear the pup is a-ok and has nothing but a scratch. Amazing.

wow :eek: Glad the pup is ok!

That would be so scary, the owner must of been beside himself.:eek:

:eek: Wow!Im glad he's ok!!

:eek: I would of freaked out. Glad the dog is okay! :)

I try and keep mine from playing with sticks for this exact reason! When Buddy was a puppy, he was running with a stick and did the same thing. He ended up with a 4" puncture wound in the upper back of his throat, which of course required after-hours emergency surgery on a SUNDAY ( I had to pay for the vet, an assistant, and an anasthesiologist (sp?) ). There went my free (rescue) dog!! LOL

Thats why I used logs. they cannot stick in the ground & if its dried out its fairly light.. I used a foot long 3inch log. My dog loved it & not once did he have a problem. I also traind him to NEVER pick it up by the ends, only the middle area.

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Originally posted by schteve_d
I try and keep mine from playing with sticks for this exact reason! When Buddy was a puppy, he was running with a stick and did the same thing. He ended up with a 4" puncture wound in the upper back of his throat, which of course required after-hours emergency surgery on a SUNDAY ( I had to pay for the vet, an assistant, and an anasthesiologist (sp?) ). There went my free (rescue) dog!! LOL

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Sounds all too familiar! I had a rescued Border Collie, and her 6 all female pups rescued next to train tracks back in the 70s. Relentless dogs that they are, she would grab up anything that even remotely resembled a stick (she found a cardboard match once, and wanted to fetch it :D ). Children in the neighborhood loved playing fetch with her, and one threw a stick that punctured the soft tissue at the back of Genaro's throat. Awful name for a female dog, but long story behind that one. :rolleyes: Sunday...what other day would it have been, and a trip to the very pricely emergency vets way away. :eek: I forget what the vets had to do to patch up the hole, but sticks were out from that day forth. Spencer, our youngest has that relentless fetch instinct as well, but only tennis balls for him! ;)

Sticks can be very dangerous to dogs. A few years ago my Aunts dog was playing with a stick and tripped over something and the stick went right through his chest:( I try not to let my dogs play with sticks at all.

How very very sad and frightening! I am glad the dog in the original story is okay - that dog had one alert guardian angel for sure!


Never would have had that problem with Gracie - she never ever understood catching anything, not even food! And "fetch" to her was "watch the weird human throw things then make goofy noises."

aw, poor dog! I always get angry when I see people throwing sticks for their dogs.. if the dog doesn't swallow the stick, it could easily swallow splinters and chunks of the stick :( which must really suck for the poor dogs.

I don't let my dogs play with sticks either, but they do like to fetch tree roots. :rolleyes: My ash tree in the back yard has roots that are pretty close to the surface of the ground and the dogs manage to sniff them out, dig them up, and then start yanking. I guess playing tug-o-war with me isn't enough of a challenge for a bunch of Pit Bulls. It's funny to watch as they pull a 5 ft root out of the ground. One of these days they're going to pull the tree up. :eek:

I'm glad the little Staffie is ok, they are tough little dogs.