Puppy’s life-threatening injury prompts warning for owners to supervise dogs during playtime

A puppy’s life-threatening injury has prompted a call for owners to supervise their dogs while playing with balls.

The nine-week-old Jack Russell was seriously ill when he arrived at Lort Smith Animal Hospital in Melbourne where vets immediately ran tests to find out what the problem was.

“Flynn was in a state of shock when he arrived and it was clear that he didn’t much time to get to the bottom of the problem,” said veterinarian Dr Danai Noitakis.

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”All signs were pointing to a foreign body lodged inside his small little frame. He was stabilised for surgery and work begun to find the cause of this pup’s sickness.”

The team soon realised the puppy had swallowed a rubber ball whole and it was sitting intact in his stomach.

”An obstruction like this is often enough to cause serious complications, especially if they are small dogs. Luckily for Flynn we got to him in time,” said Dr Noitakis.

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Flynn spent five days in the hospital’s intensive care unit before being adopted from Cambellfield Adoption Centre. He had previously been surrendered by his original owners who could no longer afford to look after him.

The puppy’s experience is a reminder of the need to keep an eye on dogs while they’re playing with balls.

”Just make sure your pup isn’t getting to the toy when you’re not around. Limiting their access to the balls when you’re away is a good idea,” Dr Noitakis said.

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“Knowing when to toss the ball in the bin is also essential. Signs that it’s time to get a new ball is if there are puncture marks, chunks of rubber missing, or the tennis ball is becoming bald.”

The advice is shared by Dr Katrina Warren, who isn’t a fan of dogs playing with tennis balls in particular.

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But when it comes to balls in general she has a handy way to know if a ball is likely to be a choking hazard for your pooch.

“Opt for tougher rubber balls and ensure your dog only plays with balls too large to be swallowed, and is always supervised when playing with balls. Tough chewers can also chew up rubber balls,” she wrote in an article for 9honey Pets.

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In terms of tennis balls, Dr Katrina warns they can be a choking hazard, lead to bowel obstruction, a choking hazard and damage dogs’ teeth.

“The coating of a tennis ball is abrasive, and when dogs are allowed to chew them, it can wear the teeth down over time, causing permanent and sometimes severe and painful damage,” she said.

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