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.
“They do incredible damage to dogs’ joints and the balls will always be dog-friendly ones.
“I will never feed Mandy a raw dog food diet.
“You can feed your dog whatever you wish, but for me, the risk of nutritional imbalances and the risk of bacterial infections to both her and my family are far too great.”
Saying she would also never let her dog get “fat”, she always keeps her dog Mandy up to date on vaccines and worm treatment.
The video sparked debate online, with many people who watched the video not agreeing with her advice.
One person wrote: “I’m confused how ball launchers can cause issues? I just have a bad throw and need help.”
Another said: “Raw food is better than any kibble for them. My dogs kiss me all the time and I never get sick.”
A third wrote: “Raw is what is natural for them… kibble is not what they would naturally eat.”
While others defended the vet, saying: “Our last dog needed an expensive operation after running after a ball thrown with a ball thrower.”
A second said: “My dog choked on a stick once, she was bleeding from her throat. Thank goodness she was OK but it was a lesson learnt.”
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.”
