Dogs naturally interact with objects using their mouths. One common visitor is a tennis ball! Tennis balls are used very commonly for play both indoors and out and provide fun and stimulating enjoyment for canines.
However, as with anything that enters a dog’s mouth, there is a risk it may not come back out! Some dogs love to chew. It doesn’t matter if it’s a stick or even something touted as “safe,” like pig ears or rawhides. If your pup is a chewer, then it won’t be long before tennis balls may be the next victim of your dog’s chewing tendencies.
The issue is that tennis balls can break down with repeated use. They then start to shed bits of fuzzy surface or rubber, which are even easier to swallow. This can cause harmful effects on your pup and may even cause a bowel obstruction, which may be life-threatening. Continue reading to find out what to do and when you need to call your local veterinarian.
Can Eating A Tennis Ball Harm My Dog?
Foreign Body
Tennis balls are made of synthetic materials like rubber and plastic, and the body cannot digest these. This means that if they are swallowed and enter the gut, they will have to come back out whole. They will come back out either via the mouth or at the other end!
Once the tennis ball or any part of it has entered the gut, it is known as a foreign body or foreign object. It then poses a risk of bowel obstruction. The gut is long and often narrow. This makes it very easy for them to get blocked, and this is the main risk for dogs. Bowel obstructions are very serious and can be life-threatening.
Don’t panic, though! There are plenty of actions veterinarians can take to help your dog. And this is true, even if the whole ball is swallowed. But you must seek help at the earliest opportunity for the best outcome.
Damage To Teeth
On a side note, tennis balls are also thought to wear down a dog’s teeth as they chew on them due to the roughness of the fuzzy surface. If your pup likes to chew, it is best to avoid tennis balls and seek out purpose-designed dog toys that will not damage the teeth.
Joint Damage
Tennis balls should also be avoided in older dogs. The act of throwing a ball and playing fetch can put a lot of pressure on joints. Older dogs are potentially at risk of arthritis in their legs, and the twists, turns, and high speed of fetch can be quite damaging on top of this. Steady and controlled exercise is best and can still provide plenty of physical and mental stimulation.
Choking Hazard
Tennis balls and other smaller balls can also pose a choking hazard to dogs. Again, this can be a veterinary emergency as the ball may block the airway. You’ll need to make sure you match the ball to your dog’s size so it’s not too small for them to swallow.
My Dog Ate A Tennis Ball, What Should I Do?
If your pup ate parts of their favorite tennis ball, there might not be any harm. This all depends on what was swallowed. Even still, there are a few steps you’ll want to take. Follow the steps below to ensure Fido has the best chance of having no impact as a result of their chewing habits.
Step #1: Remove The Ball & Any Pieces
Make sure you remove any remaining bits of the ball, or any further balls, well away from your dog. This is to ensure that no other foreign objects get swallowed while you have your back turned! If it is safe to do so, try and get any other bits of material or ball out of their mouth.
Step #2: Figure Out How Much Was Eaten
Try and work out roughly what was eaten and when. This is important, especially depending on the size of your pet. Small dogs that have eaten quite a bit of rubber may be more at risk of obstruction simply because their intestines are smaller than larger dogs.
Step #3: Call Your Veterinarian
Make contact with your local veterinary clinic straight away for further advice. They will ask about what has happened, any background information you have, and any symptoms of distress that may be showing. Based on this, they will be able to provide tailored professional advice for you and your pup.
Step #4: Follow Your Vet’s Instructions
Follow the instructions of the veterinary clinic. They will usually recommend a visit and a check up, but the advice may be given over the phone in some circumstances. It is best to take their advice seriously, as it will be in the best interests of you and your canine companion.
What Happens If My Dog Eats A Tennis Ball?
In The Stomach
Initially, the ball will enter the stomach. There, it will irritate the lining of the stomach and block the exit from the stomach into the intestines (the ‘pylorus’). This can cause vomiting and discomfort and will usually cause them to stop eating. In lucky cases, the ball or its parts may be vomited back up again, but this is not always the case. These symptoms will start after 30 minutes to 12 hours.
In The Guts
If the foreign objects exit the stomach and pass into the intestines, there is a long and winding path to the outside world at the other end. The ball will irritate the lining of the gut and cause damage. And at any stage, it may become wedged in the gut and cause a bowel obstruction. The initial signs of a bowel obstruction include lethargy, vomiting, pain, restlessness, and loss of appetite. This may be followed by diarrhea or constipation too.
Dogs show tummy pain by stretching out their body with their bottom in the air. This is known as a prayer position, as it looks like they are bowing to pray. The symptoms of a gut obstruction will start 12-72 hours after eating a ball. It usually takes 2-5 days for a foreign object to come out the other end for lucky dogs. But it could get stuck at any point.
Bowel obstructions are a big problem because they put a lot of pressure on that section of the gut. This causes it to become very inflamed and lose its blood supply. As the situation progresses, the gut will start to thin, die, and can even split open. If the guts start to split open, contents will leak into the abdomen. This can rapidly cause a massive infection and, unfortunately, is a life-threatening emergency.
Don’t panic! At any stage, with the right professional help, we can intervene to give your dog the best chance of a successful outcome! It is vital to seek help early, as the sooner these problems are identified, the easier they are to fix. The longer it is left, the worse the consequences may be.
How Is A Swallowed Tennis Ball Treated?
Your vet will be able to assess your dog’s risk and help you treat them as best they can. They’ll go through the risks, benefits, and costs of each option so you can make an informed decision.
Monitor
Some of the risks of bowel obstruction are based on size. This means that if a big dog has eaten a very small part of the tennis ball, or if the dog has just eaten a bit of the soft fuzzy outer section, then it may be reasonable to allow this to pass through the dog. However, if a small dog has eaten a large chunk, then this is a greater danger.
This decision should only be made by a veterinarian as their professional experience is vital. Having discussed the situation with you, the veterinarian may recommend carefully monitoring your dog over the following days and allowing the object to pass through under supervision. This is never risk-free, and intervention may be needed if you see symptoms of problems or blockage.
Induce Vomiting
If your veterinarian advises that the risk of obstruction is significant, then we need to intervene. If Fido has swallowed a ball or parts of it within the last 4 hours, then it may be possible for the veterinarian to give your dog a strong, reliable injection to induce vomiting and bring the objects back up that way.
This is the safest option in many cases if the problem is caught early, although it should not be attempted at home unless your vet asks you to. There is a risk it will get stuck on the way back up again, blocking the gullet (food pipe) and putting pressure on the windpipe.
Investigate Further
If you see any symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, pain, and loss of appetite, or more than four hours have passed since they swallowed a tennis ball, more serious interventions are required. Your veterinarian will perform a full clinical examination and discuss the situation with you to fully understand your dog’s background and symptoms.
Often, they will then recommend imaging of the tummy, usually by X-ray but sometimes also by ultrasound. This is done to try and identify foreign objects and their location. Unfortunately, foreign objects like balls do not usually show up on X-ray pictures.
However, veterinarians use experience and judgment to identify patterns within the guts that represent inflammation or blockage. In some less clear-cut cases, repeated X-rays are required over some time to look for the evolving changes in the patterns.
Consider Surgery
If your veterinarian suspects your dog has a bowel obstruction, then urgent surgery is recommended to retrieve the foreign object before it damages and breaks open the intestines. There is no other alternative.
Although this is frightening for you, these are relatively routine procedures for veterinary clinics. Dogs do like to swallow things they shouldn’t quite frequently! If the problem is quickly identified and the surgery performed early, then the blockage can be relieved before the guts are severely damaged. This is the best-case situation, and most dogs recover rapidly.
Where problems have been left, and the guts are more damaged, the surgery can become more complex and carry greater risk. If the guts around the blockage are dead, these need to be removed. Recovery from this kind of surgery takes longer (up to two weeks) and is associated with more problems post-operatively. All intestinal surgery carries a risk of abdomen infection (‘peritonitis’), but this is much more of a risk where the guts are damaged and need removal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will My Dog Be Okay if He Ate a Tennis Ball?
Swallowing a tennis ball is always dangerous for a dog to do. However, if we take early and decisive action, then most dogs will make a complete and rapid recovery. The most important thing is to seek professional help at an early stage.
If this problem is dealt with early on, the risks are very low. If this problem is left to the point where intensive surgery is needed, unfortunately, the danger is very severe and can be fatal.
A tennis ball really can potentially kill a dog. Your dog’s best chances are with rapid treatment. Needless to say, a dog that needs a quick intervention will also be a lot cheaper than one requiring major surgery and a long post-operative stay at the veterinary clinic to recover.
What happens if my dog ate tennis ball fuzz?
In most cases, the fuzz will just pass through their digestive tract, and you’ll see it in their feces. But if you have a small dog, it’s worth contacting your veterinarian just to be safe. While the fuzz isn’t digestible, it’s usually broken up into smaller pieces. Even so, you should always contact your veterinarian if you have questions.
My dog ate a tennis ball and is throwing up. What now?
If your canine companion is throwing up, you need to contact your veterinarian. This could be the sign of a blockage in their intestines, and if so, they will need immediate medical attention.
My Dog Ate a Rubber Ball. Will He Be Okay?
The advice above applies to any ball or any foreign object that a dog swallows that it cannot digest. All swallowed balls can potentially cause harm, and if your dog has swallowed a ball, you should phone your veterinary clinic early for the best outcome.
Final Thoughts
Swallowing a tennis ball or any other foreign object that the gut cannot digest is a potentially life-threatening risk to a dog. Tennis balls do carry risks in general. It’s definitely worth using dog-specific, purpose-designed toys if possible. These are less likely to cause problems.
If you do use tennis balls, ensure they are too big for your dog to swallow. Regularly swap them to fresh balls so they don’t break down into more easily swallowed chunks. If you suspect your dog has eaten a ball, or parts of one, contact your veterinary clinic without delay. Discuss the situation with them for tailored advice for your pup.
My puppy ate the fuzz and some of the rubber of a tennis ball. She’s barely eating, vomiting and drinking little water and has diarrhea. The vet has done X-rays and blood work. The X-ray showed nothing and the blood work came back good. But it’s obvious that Violet isn’t well. What should be my next steps?
Consider calling your vet back to discuss since it is obvious she still is not well. Or, you could take her to another vet for a second opinion but that would likely prove much more expensive than talking with the ones who already tested and met with you and your dog.
My dog has been throwing up in the middle of the night for about three months. Long story short the vet and I came to the conclusion it must be acid reflex. He’s eating OK drinking OK acting OK, except in the middle of the night. This morning we got up and found a hard, oval shaped tennis ball in the grass. I heard him regurgitating but figured it was just part of the acid reflex. Could this have been the problem all along? Would he be able to have had a tennis ball and his stomach or intestines that long? Could a dog possibly have a tennis ball inside of him without knowing?
Trisha, this sounds like an excellent continuation of your discussions with your vet. Hope your dog is feeling better soon.