Hey folks – I was recently shopping and passed by a pet toy section where someone had placed a package of tennis balls, meant for actually playing tennis with, in the area. I moved it immediately somewhere else – as it is extremely dangerous to give dogs tennis balls meant for playing, but it made me realize that this is not necessarily common knowledge.

Only give your dog tennis balls that have been de-pressurized (the bounce has gone out of them), or buy your dog tennis balls that are made especially for your dog from the pet store (however, be wary of tennis balls made in china – test result have found dangerous amounts of lead in the ink printed on the supposedly safe toy). The results can be fatal, especially for big dogs.

When a dog has a tennis ball and starts to chew it, he/she can easily spit a tennis ball in two – if a new pressurized tennis ball is in the wrong position in his or her mouth, the pressure can quickly lodge parts of the ball in the dog’s throat.

Trust me when I say that’s a vet bill you’d rather not have – not to mention the pain to your pup.

What I used to do?

Head to your local racquet club/gym and ask the guy in charge of the tennis courts for the balls that are no longer good for playing with. They’re plenty good for your dog. I guarantee he won’t know the difference. This way you also avoid leaded ink from dreaded China.