Can a dog chew on sticks?

Can you let your dog play with sticks? It would seem that the answer is obvious: why not? In the view of many, an ordinary stick from the street is a traditional toy of our four-legged friends, because dogs have loved sticks for centuries and play with them with pleasure. And it’s also convenient for the owners: I forgot my pet’s favorite ball at home – I picked up an alternative, right from the ground, and at no cost. But is everything so cloudless?

Not every owner will remember “harmless” stick games when the pet suddenly feels bad. The most intricate ones will be listed as the causes of the disease, but in practice, the cause of many common ailments is just an ordinary wooden stick. Marvelous? – Not at all. Let’s see what’s the matter here.

1. You never know what substances may be contained on a selected stick. In the conditions of a big city, these are various chemical reagents and even, possibly, poison from rats and other rodents, which was used to treat the nearest territory. Of course, it is not difficult to guess the consequences of playing with such a stick. At best, this is a mild indigestion, and at worst, a serious poisoning that is life-threatening for the pet.

2. Sticks may contain infectious agents transmitted by stray dogs and rodents. Many of them are life threatening.

3. Playing with outdoor sticks is dangerous due to helminth infection. After all, if a dog with a helminthic invasion carried this stick in its teeth a few minutes ago, and now your pet licks it cheerfully, the probability of infection is very high. In a word, it is not necessary to be surprised where the worms come from in a well-groomed dog!

4. And the last, most common ailment is damage to the oral cavity and gastrointestinal tract. Often they are so severe that eating is not possible. The fact is that the sticks break under the pressure of the teeth and form sharp chips that can damage the dog’s mouth or, for example, get stuck in the throat. Are “traditional games” worth the risk?

And everything would be very sad if there were no safe analogues of wooden sticks on the pet market. For dogs, they are no less attractive “natural product”, thanks to the bright aroma of natural wood (for example, Petstages Dogwood stick toys).

Of course, such a stick is no longer free, but when choosing a quality model, you can be sure that it will not fall apart into any chips that can harm the dog. On the contrary, special sticks for dogs are usually very durable and comfortable to play with. Your pet will not injure the oral cavity, and you will be pleased to hold such a stick in your hand: no splinters and scratches.