An oropharyngeal penetrating wound can occur in dogs playing with sticks. Acute symptoms includepain, blood in the saliva, dysphagia and even respiratory complaints. Surgical exploration of thecervical region to lavage the sinus tract and to remove foreign material (wood fragments, grass, sand)is imperative. The prognosis of stick injuries is good, unless the oesophagus is perforated (mortalityrates of 15-50%). The chance of developing a chronic draining tract is 1%. When initial trauma is notrecognized or treated, chronic stick injuries (> 7 days) evolve, and abscesses and discharging drainingtracts develop. Preoperative medical imaging is helpful to detect residual foreign material. Despiteextensive surgical exploration in chronic cases, symptoms persist in nearly one-third of cases.