that's terrifying, definitely one of my biggest fears. so happy to hear she pulled through like a champ!

 

Another reminder to watch your dogs and learn how to do dog CPR and the heimlich manuever.

Glad your dog is okay.

 

How frightening is that! I'm glad your pup is OK.

BTW, the Red Cross offers a pet first aid class. I took it several years ago, but need a refresher.

 

I had no idea, I am totally getting in touch with them to see if I can sign up for classes! I've read about it but I'd rather take an actual class.

I've heard tennis balls can be dangerous for two reasons:
1) they are small enough that they can be swallowed so must be watched carefully
2) if the dog eats it or breaks it open the stuff inside can be deadly. My grandmothers dog did that years ago and needed an expensive surgery to get him better... he was never allowed any type of ball after that but had Kongs.

Tyson likes tennis balls but I only let him near them when I am there to watch. Bear grew up on them and never had a problem, but then we didn't really know the danger then. There are however many size of balls in pet stores that are like tennis balls but geared to breed size so that they cant swallow them. Try checking out your pet stores in the area to see if they carry those... I cant remember the brand off the top of my head. The ball I let Tyson play with most actually has holes all over it and its larger then a tennis ball so he can chew it and use it like a ball (and carry it easier when retrieving) but I don't have to worry about him so much with it.

That all aside, give Kyra a HUGE hug and kiss from us! I'm very happy to hear shes pulled through good especially because of her health issues. It brakes my heart she went through it... especially since it was her security toy but I'm glad you were able to replace it with one bigger and shes happy again!

 

I stopped letting my guys have tennis balls when I heard that Opra's Golden died from choking on one.
I use Kong toys - the dumbell shaped one. They also have a nice big hole through the middle.
So glad to hear that Kyra is OK.

 

Oprah's Golden died from choking on a small plastic ball meant for a smaller dog, not a tennis ball.

 

thanks for the warning. soooo glad that kyra is ok!

 

I do know how to do (in theory and classes) doggie Hiemlich, I just couldn't hold her high enough to pop it out. Kyra is blind and toothless and she is very attached to carrying something with her at all times. I did find a new (to me) ball for her that is 6 inches in diameter and hollow. So far it's working. If she doesn't have a ball she panics.

 

omg I know I would have had a heart attack, I am so glad she is okay, we don't have tennis balls because of that fear. We play with a soccer ball every night after dinner she knows it is that time, she chases it and brings it back to me and I throw it again, we go through alot of soccer balls, but got smart and go to garage sales.

 

So scary!!! Glad you were there with her to get her to the evet in time. Glad she is ok now!!

 

OMG How scary!!!! I'm glad she's OK though...

 

Thank goodness she is ok. That had to have been so scary. My Pawley has a big kong ball that is really big, it is the size for a great dane but it is the only kind he wants. Bama will only play with the regular tennis balls but I have notices they come in difference sizes. So when looking at them at the store, I always make sure to get the larger size. And never the kind at petsmart.

 

Wow, that's so scary. I'm so glad your dog was ok.
I had heard about this before thought it'd be to cruel to take them away, as they are his absolute favorite toy.

Harvey LOVEs tennis balls but he tends to hoard them so I've been thinking about taking them away from him anyway b/c he's too obsessive.

Luckily I just bought him a huge one (almost the size of his head) and he doesn't rip them up so I think I'll let him have those and then get rid of all the other ones.

Thanks for sharing your story. I think you helped me make a good decision. Better to be safe!

 

Poor Kyra! I'm so glad she is going to be okay. That must have been so scary for you.

I too have a dog with a tennis ball fetish and he too loves to carry them in his mouth.

In addition to all of the other warnings posters have listed in this thread my vet has cautioned me that the tennis ball fuzz (outer cover) is extremely abrasive to the dog's tooth enamel and can wear it down/off. Despite that, if we took Toby's tennis balls away he would lose his primary passion in his life. So we try to balance it with other toys (such as Wubbas). He tends to destroy any other ball we've tried.

 

I hope Kyra is much better this morning. These silly goldies!

 

That's why we don't let ours have tennis balls. Reilly almost got one stuck in his throat years ago and ever since then I said "NO MORE." They have bigger balls that they play with that they can't get in their throats. I believe 2 of them came from Planet Dog.

 

So sorry to hear this happened, how scary!

Hank loves to retrieve tennis balls, but we don't allow him to keep or play with them otherwise. He likes to pull them apart. When they start to show wear, I throw them out.

 

Oh yes, i have never let my dogs have tennis balls, i read years ago, how bad they are, if a dog splits one.

 

What a nightmare. Hoping Kyra is all better today.

Chuckit makes a good large size all rubber ball. We do use the medium size when playing at the park (makes me nervous at times) and I don't leave balls in the house for Mr. C to play with.

 

Glad Kyra's okay!! Ranger doesn't care too much about tennis balls, but I was always worried with his kongs. After he dropped his last 2 large sized kongs down the furnace vent, I replaced them with the extra large sizes just to be one the safe side. Ranger likes them more, too; more room for me to put treats in!

 

Kyra

Thank you for the warning and THANK GOD your baby is alright!
No more tennis balls for Kyra!

 

Was it definitely a regulation human tennis ball? Or was it a ball like a tennis ball that you got somewhere like a pet store? I ask because you say that it and some kind of hole she was breathing through, which a tennis ball definitely doesn't have.

I'm really, really glad she's OK.

 

Was it definitely a regulation human tennis ball? Or was it a ball like a tennis ball that you got somewhere? I ask because you say that it and some kind of hole she was breathing through, which a tennis ball definitely doesn't have.

I'm really, really glad she's OK.

Yes, it was a regular tennis ball. The fact that the ball was hollow just gave it just enough "give" to allow air to get by in places. If it had been solid it would have blocked her whole throat (or that's what the vet said).

 

I noticed tonight when I was picking up the pups tennis balls they were two different sizes. And I looked they are both regular human type tennis balls not the kind from like petsmart. So I threw the smaller one out.

 

we had situation we didn't like. Bridger got two balls in his mouth while swimming - one behind the other.

he has a small mouth, only has achieved 2 in mouth a couple times.....we sure didn't like this method.

he was at a dog park & grabbed all available.

If we fade-out t-balls, what will I get DH for birthdays?

 

If a tennis ball gets lodged and blocks the airway a corkscrew can be used to pull it out. It is strong enough to go though the tennis ball and once in, it doesn't pull out easily. A vet friend told me that she had used it and it worked. Glad to hear your dog is OK Annef

 

I didn't think it was possible but at about 10:00 pm, Saturday night of course, Kyra inhaled her tennis ball!!!!!!!!!!! I just heard a whump sound and then wheezing. She started foaming at the mouth and when I finally was able to get my hand in her mouth (with the annoying assistance of my other two dogs) I could feel the ball stuck in her throat.

She has carried this ball around for almost a year - it's her security ball. But I always thought it was too big to cause a problem (about 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter).

At any rate, one emergency vet visit, sedation and antibiotics, five hours, and $250 later she's just fine. As the vet said, thank God it was hollow which allowed for some air to get in and out. Be careful with the balls :uhoh:

Thank you so very much for making me aware of this.
I am so glad your dog is ok. You must have been so scard.
Take care.

 

That is one of those "couldn't possibly happen" stories.
I am astounded that the air passed through the ball at all. What luck