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  #1  
Old July 11th, 2005, 08:23 PM
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tennis balls?

I've heard through the oh so reliable source of my mother (not that she isn't reliable, just that, well the 'momma knows best' stigma) that tennis balls are bad for dogs' teeth because they wear them down. Has anyone heard of this? Because Layla LOVES tennis balls, and while I try not to let her have them, I live near a tennis club, so well they're everywhere.
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  #2  
Old July 11th, 2005, 08:29 PM
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I've heard when it slipts open to promptly take it away because the inside contains really not good stuff for dogs.. and I try to limit how much fuzz she eats..

But if a dog can chew bones and such without doing awful damage.. a tennis ball is a drop in the bucket.
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Old July 11th, 2005, 09:10 PM
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it's a myth that the stuff inside can harm dogs (I have heard that there are dangerous fumes, but it's an old wives tale).

The felt is not good though. Generally, if the dog can get his teeth inside and is able to rip the felt off, take it away.

we had an "air kong" for about a week when it got a hole...
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Old July 11th, 2005, 09:14 PM
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Thanks raingirl. I still wouldn't want her to chew pieces of a split ball.. but good to know.

I like the petsmart balls because there seems to be less fuzz to pull off... but she can in 2 seconds start pulling it off.. I try to collect as much as possible and help her remove it so she can''t eat much, but that is the part that scares me..
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Old July 11th, 2005, 09:23 PM
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I love the air dogs-- you have to get the football one or the long narrow one- they last a bit longer. Dog tennis balls are filled with air, while real tennis balls are filled with some sort of gas. I don't know if it's harmful, but real tennis balls last way longer than doggy tennis balls. Just be sure he doesn't swallow any bits of it.

Nothing about teeth though- they are by far not the hardest, nor most abrasive thing they chew, if you ask me.
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Old July 11th, 2005, 09:45 PM
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Missie used to get tennis ball but the glue on them made her really sick. She barfed all day. Made me a basket case so off the the vet we went. Vet said no more tennis balls for Missie, the glue was making her sick.
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  #7  
Old July 11th, 2005, 09:54 PM
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I just looked up on snopes.com ... one of my faves for old wives tales stories .. and there is a story about tennis ballas and dogs.
Suffice it to say, unless the ball has been booby trapped, your animal is OK.
Here is the link, may be disturbing to some readers: http://www.snopes.com/critters/mishaps/tennisbl.htm
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Old July 12th, 2005, 06:10 AM
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Tennis balls

The fiberglass on tennis balls is what is bad for the teeth. I believe it is only bad for dogs that are obsessed with them, that is dogs that play with them all the time.
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Old July 12th, 2005, 06:29 AM
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Hmm ok, everything said makes sense. Layla's goal with tennis balls doesn't seem to be to open them up, but rather peel all the fuzz off to make the tennis balls "naked" and make piles of green fluff on my carpet. I always clean up the piles so she doesn't eat it. But I think i'll limit her time spent with the balls.
I was thinking about the suggestion on air kongs, thinking "hmm I know i've seen them... but where..." and then I rememberd: at a mere age of 4 months layla destroyed one within three hours of getting one
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Old July 12th, 2005, 06:57 AM
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I've found that the cheap tennis balls get ripped apart far quicker than the higher end ones. We bought a pack of three for about $2 once. The fuzz tended to come off very easily and it took little effort for mu pups to make large cracks in them. On the other hand, I have several Wilson balls that have lasted for a year and still show no signs of wearing out. They have a low pile fuzz that makes it quite difficult for the dogs to get hold of so they don't get ripped apart.
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  #11  
Old July 12th, 2005, 07:30 AM
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It is true, tennis balls are bad for dog's teeth. The felt on the outside wears them down like a nail file. They're okay to use under supervision for fetch or something, but don't let your dogs chew on them at their leisure. My friend found out the hard way with his dog. When she was young he let her chew on them all the time for years thinking it was okay, and now she's 18 years old and her canine's are worn down to little nubbs. You can see the roots!
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Old July 12th, 2005, 10:18 AM
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Quote:
It is true, tennis balls are bad for dog's teeth. The felt on the outside wears them down like a nail file.
Wouldn't dogs chewing on bones be worse than that?
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Old July 12th, 2005, 10:42 AM
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People play tennis in the park across the stree from us. My little "Hoover" has done his best to grab one - only thing he has not bee successful at. Thankfully, because his one friend in the neighbourhood - a Blood Hound did get one and managed to swallow it - had to be surgically removed.
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Old July 12th, 2005, 10:53 AM
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My vet's assistant had a golden that was playing fetch with a tennis ball and it lodged in her throat. Even though the assistant had good animal knowledge and such she couldn't save the dog, she suffocated on the tennis ball. My vet says no fetch with tennis balls for large size dogs - they are just the right size to lodge in the throat. Both my dogs love tennis balls (they are both large dogs), but we don't play fetch with them. They also love to peel them and at that point I take them away. For me it's the size that scares me not the fuzz.
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Old July 12th, 2005, 11:39 AM
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Quote:
Wouldn't dogs chewing on bones be worse than that?
No, because bones aren't covered in felt. Also, when dogs chew on bones, hey use their back teeth more than the front, and when chewing on tennis balls, they tend to pull with their front teeth and canines, thus wearing them down.

Also, bones break off and they chew and swallow them. When dogs chew on the felt from tennis balls, they chew and chew, wearing their teeth down because they don't tend to swallow the felt.
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Old July 12th, 2005, 01:57 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by heeler's rock!
No, because bones aren't covered in felt.
Sorry! That one made me giggle! I know bones aren't covered in felt, I meant wouldn't bones be worse than felt. I still think bones would be worse (not bad, but worse) than a felt covered ball on the teeth, but that's just my opinion. Thanks for your reasoning!
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  #17  
Old July 12th, 2005, 02:06 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dog Dancer
My vet's assistant had a golden that was playing fetch with a tennis ball and it lodged in her throat. Even though the assistant had good animal knowledge and such she couldn't save the dog, she suffocated on the tennis ball. My vet says no fetch with tennis balls for large size dogs - they are just the right size to lodge in the throat. Both my dogs love tennis balls (they are both large dogs), but we don't play fetch with them. They also love to peel them and at that point I take them away. For me it's the size that scares me not the fuzz.

I also worried about the risk of swallowing tennis balls with the newfs. As soon as the newf gets big enough to where I can't see the tennis ball in their mouth anymore (lips too big ) then I trade it for a giant tennis ball. I've never worried about a doggie swallowing one of those. Instead of being the normal 2 1/2 inches diameter, its about 5 inches. I got both of mine at Walmart. It looks and feels just like a normal tennis ball. My dogs love em.
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Old July 12th, 2005, 02:09 PM
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You would think with all the concerns about tennis balls as toys for dogs, and the amount of people who use tennis balls with their dogs, that some company would come up with an untennis tennis ball. . . slightly larger, no felt, nothing hazardous on the inside. . . .

hum. . . . what an idea. . . perhaps I should patent it!
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Old July 12th, 2005, 02:15 PM
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I do remember getting a toy at christmas from a friend that was like a giant tennis ball made for dogs, except that it looked like, well, Shrek. It was about 5-6 inches in diameter with sort of a soft felt, and it had two "ogre ears" sticking out of it. It was even extra thick rubber, so it was heavy duty.
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Old July 12th, 2005, 02:28 PM
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Damn! so much for retiring at 27!
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  #21  
Old July 12th, 2005, 06:02 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dogastrophe
On the other hand, I have several Wilson balls that have lasted for a year and still show no signs of wearing out. They have a low pile fuzz that makes it quite difficult for the dogs to get hold of so they don't get ripped apart.
I wasn't going to drop brand names in, but I think Wilson's are the best for doggies. They bounce so well, they don't break easily and they are sold at Costco in BULK.
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  #22  
Old July 12th, 2005, 06:35 PM
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Yeah, I forgot. We try to name all the toys so the doggies can go get a particular one... Ball was taken so the tennis balls are called Mr Wilson... Sort of from Cast Away... "Go get Mr Wilson"...
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  #23  
Old July 12th, 2005, 07:06 PM
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I just want to say this. Be very careful with a broken tennis ball. A friend of mine's dog ate half a tennis ball and it cost over $2500 to get it removed, not to mention the huge surgery the poor pup had to go through.
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Old July 12th, 2005, 09:13 PM
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Quote:
Sorry! That one made me giggle! I know bones aren't covered in felt, I meant wouldn't bones be worse than felt. I still think bones would be worse (not bad, but worse) than a felt covered ball on the teeth, but that's just my opinion. Thanks for your reasoning!
LOL!!!! I didn't mean it like it sounded. I guess the reason bones aren't as bad is because they don't wear down teeth from constant grinding like tennis balls do. Most of the dogs whose teeth have been worn down by tennis balls that I've seen, is due to the owners letting them chew them all the time for many years. If they are supervised with the tennis balls and owners only use them for fetch or something, then it;s not as bad. But any good vet or trainer should verify that the felt acts as a nail file, eventually destrying the dog's teeth.
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  #25  
Old July 12th, 2005, 10:18 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Grover4
I just want to say this. Be very careful with a broken tennis ball. A friend of mine's dog ate half a tennis ball and it cost over $2500 to get it removed, not to mention the huge surgery the poor pup had to go through.
Yes, you should never leave any dog unsupervised with any toy, for just that reason. I saw Animal ER a while ago where a doggy had eaten a sock... and it was stuck.... very stuck....
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  #26  
Old July 12th, 2005, 11:06 PM
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Tosa loves to play with a racquetball. No felt and tougher rubber than a tennis ball I think. She likes to chew on it too. Of course with a larger dog this wouldn't be a good idea as it gets slick when covered in dog slobber.
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