February 24th, 2009
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Do not leave tennis balls unattended with your dog. If he or she has strong jaws and chews on the ball it can pop into the back of her throat and cut off the air supply. Also, dogs who chew on tennis balls can wear down their teeth on the tough outer fuzz. |
I certainly can understand how a larger dog could possibly get a tennis ball stuck in his/her throat . . .
But are you sure about the fuzz being capable of “wearing down” their teeth?? . . . I would think the fuzz would help to brush and clean their teeth.
Thanks and all best,
Joe
Good question – in MODERATION a little rubbing against the teeth could act as a brush, but the problem develops when you have a dog spending hours a day with tennis balls in her mouth. Not only does this abrasion cause serious dental problems, but there is even a syndrome called “tennis ball toxicity” whereby the dog is affected physically by the chemicals used to make the balls. So really limit how much tennis ball time you engage in- or use a different kind of ball.