skybarker Posted April 18, 2008 Report Share Posted April 18, 2008 A friend's dog died from cancer which her vet said was likely caused from catching tennis balls. Some of them have fibers which get into the dog's system and do damage. Has anyone else heard of this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagicGirl Posted April 19, 2008 Report Share Posted April 19, 2008 I have not heard of this but do know that they are made of fiberglass and can wear thier teeth down. I only let my dog place with dog aproved balls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb Scott Posted April 19, 2008 Report Share Posted April 19, 2008 We have a BC who will be 14 years old in June. Blaze is a tennis ball fanatic and he has slightly worn teeth and I guess if he gets cancer in his old age, I won't blame it on anything but all the chemicals in the environment. The joy he has in tennis balls far outweighs any health issues they might cause. Blaze's full brother was pts due to bone cancer at 11 and our other BC was pts due to spleen cancer; neither were as tennis ballcrazy as Blaze! Barb S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb Scott Posted April 19, 2008 Report Share Posted April 19, 2008 I have not heard of this but do know that they are made of fiberglass and can wear thier teeth down. I only let my dog place with dog aproved balls. I don't think they are made of fiberglass (wouldn't that cause a lot of itching like insulation?); I do think they collect a lot of dirt and that wears teeth down (silicone?) Barb S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanillalove Posted April 19, 2008 Report Share Posted April 19, 2008 I didn't think they were made of fiberglass, if they were, I'd even stop playing with them myself! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagicGirl Posted April 19, 2008 Report Share Posted April 19, 2008 Sorry I miss spoke when I used the word fiberglass. I am not sure what they are made of but they are abrasive. I use rubber balls that I believe to be less abrasive. Here is a link the ADVS site about the tennis balls being like a scouring pad. http://www.avds-online.org/info/wornteeth.html Again I am sorry I miss spoke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mona Howard Posted April 19, 2008 Report Share Posted April 19, 2008 My Katie was a tennis ball fanatic. She died of cancer at a little over 13. We took the tennis balls away and got rubber balls when we noticed her teeth seemed excessively worn for her age. Nothing else bounces as nicely as a tennis ball though. Rest in peace sweet Katie. M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skybarker Posted April 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2008 I have not heard of this but do know that they are made of fiberglass and can wear thier teeth down. I only let my dog place with dog aproved balls. I didn't know about the risk of dental damage. Another reason to switch to something else. Trouble is, most dog toy balls are a bit too heavy for a game of catch or too easy to chew to bits. The search begins... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted April 20, 2008 Report Share Posted April 20, 2008 My favorite type of ball are racquet balls. Same size as a tennis ball, but none of the "skin" to wear the dog's teeth down. My dogs seem to enjoy them just as much as tennis balls, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanillalove Posted April 20, 2008 Report Share Posted April 20, 2008 I didn't know about the dental damage either with tennis balls. I figured they weren't hard enough to wear down on the teeth. I don't like a lot of the rubber dog toy balls, maybe Planet Dog has something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BayouBC Posted April 23, 2008 Report Share Posted April 23, 2008 I haven't had much trouble with tennis balls, but I learned the hard way that basketballs are no-no's. One of Kodah's bottom canines has been excessively worn down since he was probably 2.5 because Pith would put a hole in the basketball, and Kodah would then chew on it. I think if you're worried about the tennis balls wearing on your dog's teeth, the easy thing is just to switch to dog-approved tennis balls. Petsmart and Petco both carry balls specifically labeled to not wear on teeth like "normal" tennis balls. My boys chew up raquetballs too fast, but they've always been fond of the Planet Dog Orbee balls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyleew Posted April 23, 2008 Report Share Posted April 23, 2008 I like the Chuck-It Ultra Ball. They are very durable and a lot like a tennis ball. http://www.chuckit.com/products/ultraballs/ultraballs.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skybarker Posted April 26, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2008 I like the Chuck-It Ultra Ball. They are very durable and a lot like a tennis ball.http://www.chuckit.com/products/ultraballs/ultraballs.html I found a couple of the Chuck-It Ultra balls and a light version of the Planet Dog ball at REI yesterday. They are nice and both dogs seem to like them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted April 26, 2008 Report Share Posted April 26, 2008 I also really like the Chuck-It ultra as well as racquetballs and Buddy Balls. Buddy Balls do not bounce well but there's a glow in the dark one I use when it gets dark early. I find the Chuck-It Ultra has a crazy bounce that leads Quinn all over in chase -- at least in my backyard. He does eventually break them with that big maw of his, but it takes a while. He is terrible on toys, so if they last for several months, I'm well pleased. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb Scott Posted April 28, 2008 Report Share Posted April 28, 2008 I'm always worried about glow in the dark stuff...what chemical makes them glow? Do I want my dog ingesting it? Barb S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcpon Posted April 29, 2008 Report Share Posted April 29, 2008 I don't know what makes them glow...but one nearly gave me a heart attack a few years ago. I was sleeping in bed and woke up...only to see a mysterious green orb floating above me in bed...I was very freaked out. Then the ghost gave a muffled "whoo whoo" and I realized it was my doofus boy Dan trying to get a game going with his buddy glow ball in his mouth while he stood on the bed. Oh my....took a while to recover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herdcentral Posted May 1, 2008 Report Share Posted May 1, 2008 My girl was 17 years old when she died and was a total crazy dog for tennis balls all her life. Always had one in her mouth. I dont use tennis balls any more as they dont last etc. I love the triple crown fantastic foam ball. Light, bouncy and very tough. Even my ACDs have trouble destoying this one. They float nice and high in the water and are nice and light so they dont kill my back and arm throwing them with the ball thrower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phej Posted May 1, 2008 Report Share Posted May 1, 2008 All good suggestions. We also like the Kong squeeky tennis balls (they are not abrasive) and regular orange hockey balls. Those I get at Sports Authority (I think 3 for $5), and they fit into the chuck-it handle. The hockey balls are awesome in winter, because they kind of stay on top of the snow, and also in summer because they are visible in grass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrisK Posted May 1, 2008 Report Share Posted May 1, 2008 I use ball hockey balls - $0.99 per ball and last a LONG time....I hit mine with a racketball racquet and the dogs run like the wind. 15 minutes later, I have happy, tired dogs oh...they float too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Posted May 4, 2008 Report Share Posted May 4, 2008 I have found there are a lot of varieties of balls at Cleanrun.com. Kong balls, and foam balls are very strong and durable. I have a yellow rubber ball, I am not sure exactly where I got it, but I have had it for years, its about the same as a kong ball, VERY durable, both my dogs LOVE to chew. They have yet to chew through either. I have tennis balls as well, but they arent as popular as the rubber balls in my house. My dogs also love field hockey balls. They are expensive though lol. Diane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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