[MyDogShelby]

I was reading a training book, and the author brought out a good point. Just wanted to pass it along.

He advises against using tennis balls, or any balls that compress. Reason being, that a lot of dogs like to chew and compress the ball in their mouths, and there's a chance that the ball could become lodged/stuck in the dogs mouth/throat, and cause it to choke. That is a really scary situation to consider.

Also, I just wanted to note, that you shouldn't give a dog a ball that is so small, in comparison to the size of its mouth, that it could accidentally swallow or choke on it when playing.

Naturally, most of this is "common sense", but I still wanted to pass it along so we're all more aware.

Let's keep our dogs safe

[borzoimom]

One of my friends has goldens- and this happened one day to her with one of her dogs.. Good awareness post!

[Renoman]

The tennis ball issue can also be extended to include throwing a ball directly to your dog. The force of the throw and the force of the dog running to catch the ball can cause the ball to lodge in the dog's throat.

This also includes sticks. I was at a group 'social' when a girl threw a fairly large stick to her dog. The dog caught the stick and immediately began coughing, expelling blood. Well, we all panicked! She immediately called her vet, who thank goodness was local, and it turns out the dog got a good size splinter in her throat from the stick! Again, the force of the throw and the force of the dog meeting the stick.

I've also read, but cannot confirm the fact, the glue used to hold the felt to tennis balls, when mixed with the dog's saliva, causes the deterioration of tooth enamel. If anyone has any additional information this, I'd really be interested in hearing it.

[Orange County Ca]

Originally Posted by borzoimom

One of my friends has goldens- and this happened one day to her with one of her dogs.. Good awareness post!

Heimlich maneuver time?

[MyDogShelby]

Originally Posted by Renoman

The tennis ball issue can also be extended to include throwing a ball directly to your dog. The force of the throw and the force of the dog running to catch the ball can cause the ball to lodge in the dog's throat.

I've also read, but cannot confirm the fact, the glue used to hold the felt to tennis balls, when mixed with the dog's saliva, causes the deterioration of tooth enamel. If anyone has any additional information this, I'd really be interested in hearing it.

Thank you for adding to this awareness thread. Excellent points.