Local Ballymena business Grove Vets recently published a blog post on their website called Playing Fetch in Ballymena. If outline some of the problems which can occur if you play fetch with your dog using a stick or branch. After recent stories in the press about the problems with playing fetch we wanted to share this helpful article for all the dog owners in Ballymena:
Playing Fetch has been in the news and Grove Vets in Ballymena want to help out any confused dog owners. The BBC recently reported that throwing a stick for your dog to fetch could cause all kinds of problems for your dogs – from tongue splinters, to piercing a vital organ. You can read the full article here. Last year we addressed similar problems here on the Grove Vets blog. Here is what we shared to help dog owners whose dogs like to lift sticks, pinecones and other items.
Puppies are notorious for picking up bit and pieces which they shouldn’t but normally grow out of this habit. For those of us however who own a dog who is eating inappropriate things here is some advice;
- If your dog is grabbing picking up things he shouldn’t when he is out of your sight then keep him on the lead where you can look after him easily.
- Don’t use pinecones, or short sticks for fetching games. Use a toy which you dog likes.
- Keep you dog occupied with a dog toy, or game and treat him when he successfully avoids the temptation of eating things from the ground.
- Train your dog to obey commands such as “leave it” or “drop it”. Always use positive reinforcement when you dog is learning. Once they have mastered this you should be able to control their movements with more ease.
- If your dog has a really severe problem then put a muzzle on if you are in a park or forest.
If your dog has hurt their mouth or swallowed something that they shouldn’t then you need to get them examined by a vet. Grove Vets in Ballymena re on hand to help with your dog, call 028 2565 6023 to make an appointment with our team. Grove Vets have been helping pet owners in Ballymena the 1970’s and look forward to meeting you and your dog.