Posted on 08/30/2023 5:45:02 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A veterinarian in Texas is taking to social media to warn dog owners about the dangers of giving tennis balls to their furry friends.
Hunter Finn is generating buzz after posting a pair of videos on TikTok where he explains what toys and chew items you should not give your dogs.
Why Should You Not Give Your Dog Tennis Balls? "Stop giving your dog tennis balls," Finn says into the camera as the video opens.
He explains when you throw the ball, it starts to collect saliva and dirt turning the fuzzy yellow surface "basically into sandpaper."
"Your dogs teeth will start to look like this," Finn says pointing at a photo of severely damaged canine teeth.
According to Finn, the damage comes from the ball turning in the dog's mouth and the owner trying to grab it back out of there.
Which Balls Are Safe For Your Dog? Finn recommends selecting a rubber ball or a ball with a smooth surface that is less likely to pickup dirt when playing with your dog.
In addition to tennis balls, Finn also suggests in his videos not giving your dog cooked bones pig ears as they can both cause damage to teeth and digestive systems.
Instead, he recommends freezing vegetables with broth to make "chew toys." Here are Finn's suggestions along with a dance.
Finn is the owner of Pet Method Animal Hospital in McKinney, Texas. Besides TikTok, he also shares additional pet advice on his YouTube channel.
someone is looking for something as an excuse to make $ for writing something
Dude probably owns a chew toy brand…
More importantly, Never give your dog grapes or raisins - they’re toxic & can result in organ shut down.
Choking. Happens a lot.
I had a friend this happened to, from throwing the ball in the air and the dog caught it, and it wedged deep in the dogs throat.
She is a vet tech and could not save her own dog.
Deer entrails make a great pull toy.
Chocolate.
It makes sense what the vet says. Mud on the tennis ball becomes a grit/grinding paste on the teeth. He offered suggested alternatives.
We had a GS/Golden mix who loved to play fetch with herself. She would drop a tennis ball into the swimming pool, wait for the circulation current to carry the ball to the opposite side of the pool, then leap into the pool to retrieve it.
We finally decided to fence off the pool and only allow her to do it when we could watch her so she wouldn’t get herself into trouble and drown.
He’s a nut ball. Train the dog to drop the ball on command, problem solved. Also vegetables as chews? Green barf.
I can see it being a problem to let a dog chew on a tennis ball, because some dogs will work on chewing something 24 hours/day. But I dont’ think there is a problem using a tennis ball to throw around.
What dog wants, dog usually gets. Not giving a tennis ball to a lab is like taking a doll away from a girl. Unusual and cruel.
Chocolate, tennis balls, frisbees, sticks, belly pats, etc.
Besides, the stuff they’re fed usually doesn’t require cutting with their teeth. Not like they’re going to need to tear into a mastodon or something.
I think most people are aware of not giving a dog chocolate. But grapes & raisins they may not be familiar with.
Black labs are fine with other balls. I’ve known enough of them to know they can adapt just fine to lots of other types.
Our last dog was addicted to tennis balls, as well. There is a tennis court nearby and consequently there are tennis balls in bushes, etc. And that dog would find ALL of them.
Interesting. Kid just got a mini goldendoodle puppy.
Just choose a different shape. Congrats on your new addition.
LOL, as to the tennis ball thing, I’ll be the arbiter as to what my dog uses for toys.
I had tennis elbow once and that was a bitch.
Thanks! He’s a cutie! Looks like a teddy.
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