These are a vet's words, not mine.

No matter what, when we bring our dogs for a walk, we are guaranteed to throw them a stick to play fetch, it's in our nature. But one vet is saying that we shouldn't be doing this at all, and it's causing a lot of big opinions to come out. According to Cat Henstridge from Sheffield, playing fetch with a stick is one of the biggest things you shouldn't be doing with your dog. The 42 year old posted a video to share her "do nots" as a dog owner, with her telling her followers that she would never throw a stick for her dog because "the injuries that are caused by throwing sticks are horrendous." Going on to explain that the sticks can go down their mouths, into their necks and can be super serious, this was her top tip among others. She also said that she would never feed her dog raw food and warned of the dangers of using ball throwers. Posting the tips to TikTok, she added: "Although she loves playing with tennis balls. “I will never use a ball thrower to throw one for her. A third added: "NO STICKS!! My old dog cut the inside of his throat open catching one." In a second, follow up video, Cat defended her original video, saying: "With throwing sticks, not every time you throw a stick something will go wrong. But there can be horrific injuries. "A lot of people disagreed on the raw food, but the dogs are more likely to shed salmonella and antibiotic-resistant e-coli if they eat raw. "So it's a public health issue as well as a personal one. With the ball flingers, the dogs really love it - but that kind of exercise puts a lot of strain through the dog's joints. "Because the activity causes them to release adrenaline, playing ball can tip into obsession for the dogs. They want to get that high all the time, and won't play any other games. It's not good for their mental health."