Stick stuck in mouth - tip to help removal

[Millipede]

Millie is a bit of a stick obsessive. We do not encourage her to chase them and take them off her whenever possible, but she is a devil for picking  them up, carrying them around and generally chewing them. 
She managed to get a stick stuck in the roof of her mouth once before when in the garden and got quite distressed before we were able to keep her still enough (wedged in the corner of the sofa) to remove it, luckily it came out quite easily that time.
This time we were out on a walk, when I noticed her pawing at her mouth and again becoming agitated. I could not keep her still enough to help, so sprinted back home with her (luckily the park is right by our house). She was sick just as we got home and I again wedged her in the corner of the sofa to remove. This one was well and truly stuck, and I was beginning to think we might need to go to the vets. Luckily remembered my Mum had a tip when this happened, once quick call to her later, and fingers back in Millie's mouth to push the stick gently backwards rather than downwards as I was trying. Stick came out fine, relieved Millie and very relieved me with just one slight abrasion on my finger and no visible damage to Millie's mouth. It may be a very obvious tip to everyone else, but thought I would share just in case it did help anyone in their hour of need...

[Jane57]

Wow that is really scary, thankfully you got it out with no real ill effects.
Riley has gotten worse with sticks lately, I now have to walk the other way to get him to come after me rather than try to get to him to get the stick out. He does drop it eventually but always a risk.
Hope your ok too.

[JennyBee]

That happened to Brodie once and no way could we get it to budge. It was very scary as she was panicking. We ended up rushing her to the nearest vet (whose receptionist tried to turn us away as she didn't think it was an emergency still makes me mad thinking about it) and the vet was just about to sedate her when she got it out. She was on wet food for about a week afterwards.

I can't remember if we/the vet tried to push it backwards but I will try if it happens again. Brodie loves eating sticks and it is pretty impossible to get her to stop - she tends to go for the softer pieces these days, although any sharper type she picks up gets taken off her.

She hasn't touched sticks all winter but I knew Spring was coming when she started up again

Edit: should have said I'm glad Millie is ok!

[elaine.e]

So pleased that Millie is OK

William is stick obsessed too. I don't know why as he's never had sticks thrown for him and never been encouraged to pick them up. It's a year round problem for us as we walk in the New Forest and even the open heathland is littered with deadwood, let alone the wooded areas

[JennyBee]

So pleased that Millie is OK

William is stick obsessed too. I don't know why as he's never had sticks thrown for him and never been encouraged to pick them up. It's a year round problem for us as we walk in the New Forest and even the open heathland is littered with deadwood, let alone the wooded areas

Funny that, as I said above it strictly seems to be a Spring/Summer problem with Brodie. She hasn't touched a stick or eaten grass (another favourite of hers) all winter, but the last few weeks she has started again. I can understand the grass eating as the new shoots are coming through, but not sure about the sticks - you'd think they would be just as tasty all year round

[elaine.e]

So pleased that Millie is OK

William is stick obsessed too. I don't know why as he's never had sticks thrown for him and never been encouraged to pick them up. It's a year round problem for us as we walk in the New Forest and even the open heathland is littered with deadwood, let alone the wooded areas

Funny that, as I said above it strictly seems to be a Spring/Summer problem with Brodie. She hasn't touched a stick or eaten grass (another favourite of hers) all winter, but the last few weeks she has started again. I can understand the grass eating as the new shoots are coming through, but not sure about the sticks - you'd think they would be just as tasty all year round

William seems to think so and the more rotten they are the more he likes them

[JennyBee]

So pleased that Millie is OK

William is stick obsessed too. I don't know why as he's never had sticks thrown for him and never been encouraged to pick them up. It's a year round problem for us as we walk in the New Forest and even the open heathland is littered with deadwood, let alone the wooded areas

Funny that, as I said above it strictly seems to be a Spring/Summer problem with Brodie. She hasn't touched a stick or eaten grass (another favourite of hers) all winter, but the last few weeks she has started again. I can understand the grass eating as the new shoots are coming through, but not sure about the sticks - you'd think they would be just as tasty all year round

William seems to think so and the more rotten they are the more he likes them

Oh yes... Brodie swallowed a really disgusting and very rotten piece of bark (at least I'm hoping it was bark) in the garden earlier - no way was she giving it up, not even for chicken . She is obsessed at the moment! Had to wrestle a bit of bamboo off her earlier

[SusieY]

Barney's a nightmare for picking up sticks and wood when we're out and as it was a 'c' shaped stick that caused a blockage, emergency surgery on a Sunday then 5 nights in ITU in animal hospital in Bristol last year it's a real worry.  If he gets anything stuck at home or close to home it's straight onto the grooming table where he's much more cooperative.  If we're out and about and I need to take something off him or he's got something stuck I try to find a wall about the same height as his table and he's much easier to handle

[Walshies]

Same here - loves picking them up and running off with them. Always take them off him or stop him in the first place. One day when Fudge and I were out on a walk I was taking one out of his mouth - this plonker asked me what I was doing and said "it's what dogs do". I reminded him he was my dog and not his!

Would hate to see him in pain - sounds awful.

[8 Hairy Feet]

Good tip...
the palate widens towards the
back and this is why it works
Pleased Millie :luv:is ok
steffxxx

[piph]

Ozzy too is a nightmare as you are all probably aware as he eats anything!!!  However, we walk in the woods all the time and he hardly ever bothers with sticks when they are all around him.  It's only when they are where he deems they shouldn't be, like on the grass in the park, that he becomes obsessed with chewing them up and eating them! 

[Millipede]

Barney's a nightmare for picking up sticks and wood when we're out and as it was a 'c' shaped stick that caused a blockage, emergency surgery on a Sunday then 5 nights in ITU in animal hospital in Bristol last year it's a real worry.  If he gets anything stuck at home or close to home it's straight onto the grooming table where he's much more cooperative.  If we're out and about and I need to take something off him or he's got something stuck I try to find a wall about the same height as his table and he's much easier to handle

Really pleased Barney was ok, that must have been very scary. I'll try lifting Millie onto something higher if it happens again when I'm out and about, which hopefully it won't again! What are they like!