# Tennis balls=Bad for teeth?



## roleary (Jan 11, 2008)

I was told today that tennis balls eat away at enamel on dogs teeth...any truth to this?? Apparently my source was told by a vet, something to do with the fuzzy green stuff on the outside..?


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## geisthexe (Jan 18, 2007)

roleary said:


> I was told today that tennis balls eat away at enamel on dogs teeth...any truth to this?? Apparently my source was told by a vet, something to do with the fuzzy green stuff on the outside..?


Its the glue that holds the fuzzy stuff on that eats the enamel off the teeth.


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## hell no they wont go (Oct 4, 2007)

geisthexe said:


> Its the glue that holds the fuzzy stuff on that eats the enamel off the teeth.


so the dog should be fine if it doesnt rip off the fuzzy stuff or does it matter??


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## roleary (Jan 11, 2008)

I was told that tennis balls should just be avoided, I went and picked up some of those red rubber ones. They bounce better for longer anyhow.


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## geisthexe (Jan 18, 2007)

hell no they wont go said:


> so the dog should be fine if it doesnt rip off the fuzzy stuff or does it matter??


HELLO the glue is also on the outside, what do you think that makes the white lines??? NO they do not have to be ripped open



roleary said:


> I was told that tennis balls should just be avoided, I went and picked up some of those red rubber ones. They bounce better for longer anyhow.


tennis balls should be fully avoided, spend the money and purchase some nice rubber balls made for dogs, they will last longer and health wise will be much better.

Deb


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## buzhunter (Sep 3, 2007)

Learn something new every day. Thanks for the lesson, Deb.


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## MY MIKADO (Apr 7, 2006)

Well I don't know if I would ever avoid tennis balls because I have had a number of dogs that have always carried a tennis ball around. Montag loved his balls and he lived to 16 had his teeth cleaned once. The vet said at age 12 he had the best teeth and he didn't recommend cleaning them. Must depend on the dog. BTW Chalice doesn't like the hard rubber balls as much I think they must hurt her mouth when she catches the ball in the air.


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## MPRO112 (Aug 6, 2008)

I have heard the same thing. Avoid tennis balls!


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## scottronics01 (Dec 27, 2007)

What about the "tennis balls" that are mad for dogs and smell and taste like mint. Still bad? cause my dogs love those things to death but the dont chew them they just love to play fetch with them.


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## OldFortKennels (Mar 10, 2006)

KONG makes a decent ball but they will eat those too!!!


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## Judy (Dec 12, 2005)

Buster loves tennis balls. He will only chew open the squeaky ones, not the regular ones. The regular ones we play fetch with and he really doesn't try to eat them. Although he did chew a few up when he was younger. His teeth look ok.


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## MY MIKADO (Apr 7, 2006)

I don't know I think they put out stuff like to make people buy balls and toys designed for animals. We always played with tennis balls with the dogs everyone I knew did the same and the dogs were healthy and lived long lives.


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## RonnyMc "Jaymo's Dad" (Aug 7, 2008)

as far as I've learned, which is a lot based on Jaymo's terrible overbite is that balls, in general, can cause the dog's bottom canines to spread out. in our case, if Jaymo's teeth spread any more, they would connect with his upper canines causing enamel erosion. However, if you have a puppy with a slight overbite, a lacrosse ball can pull out the bottom canines and somewhat correct the bite. Jaymo shreds tennis balls in seconds. He seems to be cool with a kong full of peanut butter though!!:snap:


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## apbtproud (May 28, 2008)

Wow, I didn't know this thanks for the info..


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## Sampsons Dad (Jul 4, 2008)

In 17 years none of my pits, rottis, or mastiff have had any problems with tennis balls. These vets need to provide some sort of research before they make blanket statements. That is the first thing I ask for when I hear some off the wall statements. For instance some people on the Dogo club said grapes are poisonous to dogs. This is a big fat false statement. My old property has concorde grape vines. Every september the yard was littered with purple grapes. My dogs and the chickens would eat bunches of sweet grapes. None of them had any problems with grapes.
So before I pass on blanket statements I ask for some research.


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## reddoggy (Jan 31, 2008)

geisthexe said:


> HELLO the glue is also on the outside, what do you think that makes the white lines??? NO they do not have to be ripped open
> Deb


Man, you just can't stop being a biotch for a moment can you? I thought Witches were supposed to be all full of love for man woman and earth or some crap.

I'm not gonna stop using tennis balls, all I can suggest is don't let your dog rip through one everyday.


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## RonnyMc "Jaymo's Dad" (Aug 7, 2008)

Sampsons Dad said:


> In 17 years none of my pits, rottis, or mastiff have had any problems with tennis balls. These vets need to provide some sort of research before they make blanket statements. That is the first thing I ask for when I hear some off the wall statements. For instance some people on the Dogo club said grapes are poisonous to dogs. This is a big fat false statement. My old property has concorde grape vines. Every september the yard was littered with purple grapes. My dogs and the chickens would eat bunches of sweet grapes. None of them had any problems with grapes.
> So before I pass on blanket statements I ask for some research.


I hadn't heard about it either, but if you see the pic of my dog's severe overbite in my album, I can see how a ball could spread his lower canines and connect them with the uppers if he chewed on one all day every day. Either way, he just shreds them instantly and i'm stuck cleaning them up. I will play with the lacrosse ball with him from time to time. ... by the way, where you from in CT? I was born in Bridgeport but grew up in Stratford... graduated in 1992


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## Sampsons Dad (Jul 4, 2008)

I am from everywhere...lol 
But I am in Eastford CT now.


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## Sadie (Jun 18, 2008)

RonnyMc "Jaymo's Dad" said:


> I hadn't heard about it either, but if you see the pic of my dog's severe overbite in my album, I can see how a ball could spread his lower canines and connect them with the uppers if he chewed on one all day every day. Either way, he just shreds them instantly and i'm stuck cleaning them up. I will play with the lacrosse ball with him from time to time. ... by the way, where you from in CT? I was born in Bridgeport but grew up in Stratford... graduated in 1992


hehehehe .. Make that another Ct native here.. Goodness how did I ever end up in Georgia LOL .. I am from danbury also lived in brookfield. It's a small world isn't it :thumbsup:


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## RonnyMc "Jaymo's Dad" (Aug 7, 2008)

SadieBlues said:


> hehehehe .. Make that another Ct native here.. Goodness how did I ever end up in Georgia LOL .. I am from danbury also lived in brookfield. It's a small world isn't it :thumbsup:


NICE!! Down South is the way to go these days baby. It's WAY expensive to live up here and it's definitely getting to the natives. I catch myself being miserable and enraged at least once a day.:snow:

You probably even have a yard for your dogs. All we have is a two bedroom condo and a young pit bull with a WHOLE lot of energy. Needless to say, I'm getting my cardio.

this forum kicks hiney though. I'm really happy I found and happy to make your acquaintance.


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## Sadie (Jun 18, 2008)

RonnyMc "Jaymo's Dad" said:


> NICE!! Down South is the way to go these days baby. It's WAY expensive to live up here and it's definitely getting to the natives. I catch myself being miserable and enraged at least once a day.:snow:
> 
> You probably even have a yard for your dogs. All we have is a two bedroom condo and a young pit bull with a WHOLE lot of energy. Needless to say, I'm getting my cardio.
> 
> this forum kicks hiney though. I'm really happy I found and happy to make your acquaintance.


Yeah I don't miss the cost of living at all LOL ... But I do like the snow  I feel you I have 3 pups @ 4 months old LOL ... And boy to the have a lot of energy .. It's def fun and they sure keep you active don't they!! Welcome to the forum glad to have met you and your precious doggy :woof:


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## bahamutt99 (May 14, 2008)

I'd always heard that tennis balls are bad for teeth because they pick up grit and whatnot off the ground, and as the dog holds the ball in their mouth, the grit abrades away their teeth.

As for grape toxicity, it's not false.

Veterinary Information - Toxins that Affect Dogs
snopes.com: Raisins and Grapes Harmful to Dogs
Raisin, Grape and Xylitol Toxicity 9/27/04 - VeterinaryPartner.com - a VIN company!


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## Sampsons Dad (Jul 4, 2008)

Then my ten year old pit should be dead because he and my mastiffs love grapes. As I said they ate grapes off of my vines and they eat them when my 3 year old give them his. So I believe some dogs can be sensitive to some things but none of my dogs have ever had a reaction to grapes.


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## bahamutt99 (May 14, 2008)

Sampsons Dad said:


> Then my ten year old pit should be dead because he and my mastiffs love grapes. As I said they ate grapes off of my vines and they eat them when my 3 year old give them his. So I believe some dogs can be sensitive to some things but none of my dogs have ever had a reaction to grapes.


Your example is like that of "my grandpappy smoked 3 packs a day and never got lung cancer." Obviously, there are people and dogs who can constantly ingest things that are bad for them and not feel a thing. And then there are those who can't. Just because a dog or two or even a hundred can do something and be just fine, that doesn't mean it isn't dangerous.


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## MY MIKADO (Apr 7, 2006)

I have to agree with Sampson's dad my dogs love grapes. I also read that tomatoes were bad for dogs my mom use to make a food with rice ground beef and tomatoe for the dogs. The youngest dog that ever died on my watch was only 10mos old and she was hit by a car all of my dogs have been old when they pass on. 

I take all this stuff with a grain of salt I remeber when it came out that eggs were bad for you you should only eat the whites and then a few years later they retracted that and how about the coffee you should quit drinking it know they say it is good for you.


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## bullybabe (Mar 2, 2006)

OldFortKennels said:


> KONG makes a decent ball but they will eat those too!!!


I second that. I should actually post a pic of Jesse's Kong. Well the half that is still left.


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## Sampsons Dad (Jul 4, 2008)

bahamutt99 said:


> Your example is like that of "my grandpappy smoked 3 packs a day and never got lung cancer." Obviously, there are people and dogs who can constantly ingest things that are bad for them and not feel a thing. And then there are those who can't. Just because a dog or two or even a hundred can do something and be just fine, that doesn't mean it isn't dangerous.


Your point requires a qualifying statement.
For instance if 200 dogs eat grapes and 2 get seriously ill then is the grapes dangerous or are those two dogs sensitive?
Another example...some people are allergic to strawberries does that make strawberries bad?

The research must be behind the statement.
you see in 17-18 years and actually even longer than that we have had dogs in my family. Puerto Ricans feed dogs whatever we are eating. So anyway there have been about 26-27 dogs raised around me and my immediate family. Not one has ever had a bad reaction to any fruit, veggie, or any food we eat, except for gas...lol
So my statement is valid in my opinion.
How many dogs have you personally seen sick from eating grapes?

As a vet tech we often see dogs the day after christmas with pancreatitis from too much fatty foods. But in over ten years as a vet tech...no grape toxicity cases.


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