• About
  • Media

A Husky Life

  • Wordless
  • Training
  • Pet Health
  • Reviews
  • Travel
  • Hiking
  • Vancouver Dog
  • Cats
You are here: Home / Pet Health / Why Tennis Balls Are Bad For Your Dog

Why Tennis Balls Are Bad For Your Dog

May 25, 2014 by A Husky Life 4 Comments

For a while now, tennis balls have been getting a really bad rep for causing damage to dog’s teeth.

Tennis balls Truth About Tennis BallsRocco is not much a retriever, but once he gets a hold of a tennis balls, he meticulously removes the green fuzz from the entire surface.

Considering that his teeth already show quite a bit of wear, I decided to do some research and asked Rocco’s vet during one of his check up visits, to make sure I’m not causing unnecessary damage.

As it turns out the green fuzz that covers the tennis balls is indeed abrasive and it can most certainly wear down dog’s teeth, especially their canines. The effect is made worse by dirt, sand and debris that gets stuck to slimy tennis balls. However, it’s more of a problem with dogs that obsessively gnaw at the balls for prolonged periods of time, as opposed to dogs that simply play fetch with them.

The grinding down can be caused by other factors as well:

ground down canine2 Truth About Tennis Balls

  • chewing on hard , femur bones for a prolonged period of time.
  • chewing on fur (in case of dog’s with itchy skin), as hair is very abrasive.
  • chewing on crate bars, fences and toys that are not intended for dogs.

As it stands, I don’t let Rocco chew on tennis balls.  I got him a couple different ones, one covered in a safe material and a rubber one, but if you have a ton of tennis balls and don’t want to throw them out, you can simply put the ball in a sock and make a knot at the end of the sock.

Related Posts

  • Subtle Signs of Pain in DogsSubtle Signs of Pain in Dogs
  • 7 easy tips to make your home safe for your senior dog7 Easy Tips to Make Your Home Safe For Your Senior Dog
  • How Do Dogs Perceive Pain: Biopsychosocial Model of Pain in DogsHow Do Dogs Perceive Pain: Biopsychosocial Model of Pain in Dogs
  • Churpi Durka: Mineral Rich Dog ChewChurpi Durka: Mineral Rich Dog Chew
  • Healthy Stretches for Your Dog: Side StretchesHealthy Stretches for Your Dog: Side Stretches
  • Why It Is Important to Keep Your Senior Dog WarmWhy It Is Important to Keep Your Senior Dog Warm

Filed Under: Pet Health Tagged With: dog health, dog safety, health tips

Comments

  1. Misaki says

    May 25, 2014 at 4:03 pm

    I didn’t know that at about tennis balls at all. Luckily I don’t tend to chew them but will definitely avoid in the future

    Reply
  2. Kuruk says

    May 25, 2014 at 4:37 pm

    But I wuvwuvwuv tennis balls!

    Reply
  3. Rebekah says

    May 26, 2014 at 2:58 am

    Excellent point. Many dogs also chew them hard enough to collapse them, or cause them to become two or more pieces, then they become a choking hazard.

    Reply
  4. Kimberly Gauthier says

    May 26, 2014 at 11:58 pm

    Thanks for this. I hadn’t heard about tennis balls and clicked over wondering if there was a swallowing hazard. Rodrigo sometimes tears the covers off of balls so we started putting them away after play so that we can have them longer. Now I’m glad that I do.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Be Social With Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Newsletter Sign Up

Search Archives

Recent Posts

  • Subtle Signs of Pain in Dogs
  • How to Get to Know Your Dog’s Body Through Massage
  • 7 Cat Massage Tips
  • 7 Easy Tips to Make Your Home Safe For Your Senior Dog
  • Dog Massage: How To Massage Your Dog’s Paws

Popular Posts

  • What’s Wrong with Gibson? by Dorothy Wills-Raftery
  • Iqaluit Humane Society 2007 Inc.
  • Scary or Cute?
  • 12 Things I’ve Learned While Rehabbing My Dog
  • Healthy Stretches for Your Dog: Side Stretches

Copyright © 2023 · Lifestyle Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in