Vets Reveal Why You Should Never Give Your Dog A Tennis Ball

Remember this the next time you're playing fetch with your furry friend.

My pugalier Rocky has always had a gift. His ability to sniff out a tennis ball anywhere is remarkable. At the park in thick grass, under the couch, buried in someone’s garden. For years, I joked that I wished I could teach him to find gold or truffles or anything more valuable. Once he found one, he’d demand a long game of fetch before chewing it for hours. It seemed like exactly what a happy dog was supposed to do.

When Rocky was 9, we took him in for a routine dental checkup. The vet said his teeth weren’t in great condition and she needed to put him under anaesthesia to assess the damage properly. We expected one or two teeth might need work. Instead, she removed 10.

The cause of the problem? Tennis balls.

The vet told us it is more common than we’d ever imagine. I texted every dog owner I knew that day to warn them.

Tennis balls are so embedded in dog ownership that most people never question them. They’re cheap, they’re everywhere and dogs go crazy for them. But veterinarians have been watching the damage accumulate for years.

“The fuzz on tennis balls acts like sandpaper when it contacts a dog’s teeth, especially once it traps dirt and grit,” said Dr. Ezra Ameis, owner of Paw Priority veterinary clinic. “When a dog repeatedly chews or carries the ball, that abrasive surface slowly wears down the enamel. I have seen canines that are literally flattened across the tips from chronic........

© HuffPost