Dog owners warned against giving pets tennis balls due to serious health risk

29 August 2023 , 12:22

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Tennis balls can hurt your dog, according to a TikTok vet (stock image) (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Dog owners have been warned about the serious health risk posed to their beloved pets by tennis balls.

Though long-regarded as a favourite toy of our four-legged friends, the sporting essential can cause harm to a dog's mouth, according to a popular TikTok vet.

In a new video, Dr Hunter Finn said that the surface of the ball can become rough while being thrown about during a game of fetch, with saliva, dirt and sand combining to make it 'like sandpaper'.

When a dog picks it back up in its mouth, this can result in severe tooth and gum damage.

Speaking in the video, Dr Finn said: "Stop giving your dog tennis balls... right now you're probably thinking, 'Dr. Finn, how does [a tennis ball] harm my dog?' Well when you're playing fetch with your dog and throwing this thing, it's getting caught in saliva and dirt and sand, and [it] just basically turns into sandpaper."

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"As that ball turns in your dog's mouth as it's playing with it, and you're grabbing it, and it's being thrown and picked up multiple times... your dog's will start to look like this", he said, showing an image of damaged canines that can often require removal. Instead, he recommended that dog owners should go for a "smoother ball that's not gonna pick up a bunch of sand and dirt and things", such as a rubber ball.

American vet Dr Hunter Finn has gained widespread attention on TikTok for his short videos sharing advice for dog and cat owners, and now has over two million followers. In another recent video, he said that bananas can be a "good treat" for dogs - but stated that owners of small dogs should try and limit their pet's intake to a about a quarter of the fruit.

In July, a sick dog was rushed to the vets in the UK after his owners found he was not eating and being unwell - only for an X-ray to reveal he had swallowed two tennis balls. Loki’s owners first feared something was wrong when their beloved pet refused to eat his dinner and started being sick. Fearing for his life, they took Loki to the PDSA who x-rayed him to see what was going on.

PDSA Vet Catherine Burke, who treated Loki, said the case was “life and death” and warned other pet owners about the dangers tennis balls could have for their pets. She suggested people buy toys and balls specifically designed for dogs, as well as choosing correct sizes so they are not swallowed.

Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas