An Australian vet nurse has revealed the five things she would never do with her own dog – from throwing sticks to putting a collar on them when they’re home alone.
Tess Nolan, from Queensland, works as a nurse, practice manager and business owner, and has a Boston Terrier named Daphne.
After seeing some serious injuries come through the clinic, Tess said she’d never take Daphne to a dog park, leave her in a hot car even for a minute and or walk her off leash near a road.
Vet nurse Tess Nolan (pictured), from Queensland, has listed the five things she would never do with her dog including throwing sticks and going to a dog park
![Tess works as a vet nurse, practice manager and business owner and has a Boston Terrier named Daphne (pictured)](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/02/09/21/67493589-11730155-image-a-2_1675977901980.jpg)
Tess works as a vet nurse, practice manager and business owner and has a Boston Terrier named Daphne (pictured)
In a TikTok video, Tess also said she would never let Daphne wear a collar, bandanna or anything around her neck when she is home alone or unsupervised to reduce the risk of choking or strangulation.
The Animal Behaviour College advises against pets wearing collars unless under supervision as they can get caught on household objects and cause injury or in some extreme cases death by choking.
There are break-away collars available that will snap free if the animals snags it on something.
Tess would also never let her dog walk off leash near a busy road or any road at all.
‘I’ve seen way too many accidents happen this way even from the most obedient dogs,’ she said.
‘This one’s a little bit lenient not that I would rarely do it with her but I would rarely ever take her to a dog park,’ Tess added.
‘The most dog fights or incidences that we see come straight from the dog park.’
While Tess admits her fourth rule was an ‘obvious one’ she said she’d never leave her dog in a hot car ‘even if it was for two minutes’.
According to the RSPCA, while it is not an offence to leave a dog in a hot car, it can only take six minutes for them to die if trapped inside.
Because dogs cool themselves through panting, they are at high risk of death of heat stress if the air around them is too hot or they have no access to cool water.
Finally, and most controversially, she would never throw sticks for her dog.
While it is very common for dog owners to play fetch with their furry friends using a stick they found at the park, many vets warn against it.
President of the British Veterinary Association Sean Wensley told The Guardian most vets are familiar with ‘the very serious, potentially life threatening injuries that can be caused by throwing sticks for dogs’.
He said ‘of course’ not every dog who chases a stick will be fatally injured but they can be.
![Tess said she would never let Daphne wear a collar, bandanna or anything around her neck when she is home alone or unsupervised to reduce the risk of choking](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/02/09/23/67493593-11730155-Tess_said_she_would_never_let_Daphne_wear_a_collar_bandanna_or_a-a-1_1675985527416.jpg)
Tess said she would never let Daphne wear a collar, bandanna or anything around her neck when she is home alone or unsupervised to reduce the risk of choking
Sean said, the most common injuries occur when: ‘the dog is running typically at a pace after it, and the stick is forced down the dog’s throat – it’s essentially impaled on that stick.’
‘The stick itself is dirty, the mouth cavity is full of bacteria as well, and in that process inoculate bacteria into structures within the body, as well as damaging the oesophagus, the spinal cord – causing paralysis, and so on.’
He said some dogs have even been put down due to stick injuries and fatal infections.
Critical Care Specialist, Dr. Erin McGowan, from Blue Pearl Vet said previously: ‘We see stick related injuries all the time through the ER. Sticks are dangerous to play with and anytime I see an owner throwing a stick for a dog to chase I cringe a little.’
Tess’ clip has been viewed more than 236,800 times and sparked a lively discussion in the comments.
‘My dog doesn’t even own a collar since I’m so scared of accidents anywhere, she only has a harness that has her ID on it,’ one pet owner said.
![Tess said she would never leave her dog in a hot car for 'even two minutes' or throw sticks to play fetch as they can cause serious injury](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/02/09/22/67493591-11730155-Tess_said_she_would_never_leave_her_dog_in_a_hot_car_for_even_tw-a-2_1675981754290.jpg)
Tess said she would never leave her dog in a hot car for ‘even two minutes’ or throw sticks to play fetch as they can cause serious injury
‘My cat pulled a breakaway collar up into her mouth, tightened it and had to chew her way out and needed stitches. Collars are OUT,’ another agreed.
‘Dog parks I’m very cautious of and go to the small dog only ones or when they’re empty,’ a third added.
‘My old dog ran onto a stick and had to get an inch of it removed from her soft palate. Never again,’ wrote a fourth.
Others in the vet industry shared the things they would also never do or use with their animals.
‘My red flags as someone in the industry: retractable leads, raw food, going into a clinic off lead,’ one person replied.
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