Tennis Balls

[mannabyrd]

I have a white female boxer and she LOVES tennis balls! I have heard that there is a dangerous gas inside of the tennis ball and it could be harmful to her if she bites through and gets the gas in her system. Is this true and is it okay for her to play with a tennis ball?

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Mommy to Geri
Born 07/08/00
White female
natural ears

 

[mc0624]

The obedience trainer that taught our puppy class a few weeks ago had a tennis ball for his rott. He never said anything about gas inside or anything like that and I've never heard that.

However, he did have a ribbon or rope of some kind that he ran thru the ball...in case the dog accidently got the ball stuck...he could pull it out. I think running a rope or whatever thru the ball would also alleviate the gas problem if there is gas inside them?

 

[dee]

I don't think there is any gas inside the tennis ball. I have read somewhere that tennis balls could be harmful because the tennis ball could explode inside their mouth if they bite it. Some people say to puncture it before you give it to your dog. Rocky has played with tennis balls since he was little with no problem. I use old used tennis balls, from my cousin who plays tennis. Maybe the problem is from new ones.

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Rocky's Mom
4 yr old white, natural ears, cropped tail

 

[Linda]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by mc0624:

However, he did have a ribbon or rope of some kind that he ran thru the ball...in case the dog accidently got the ball stuck...he could pull it out. I think running a rope or whatever thru the ball would also alleviate the gas problem if there is gas inside them?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I just made a dog toy using rope and a tennis ball. I'll tell you it is NOT as easy as it may seem!!! I got enough rope and a can of tennis balls, but only made one. :p
Let me know if anyone has a secret to getting a heavy rope through a tennis ball. I put the tennis ball in the vice, sliced slits in the ball crosswise with a razor knife and fed the rope through with a screwdriver. It was really hard and the rope kept unraveling.
I guess $5 or $6 at the pet store is not too much for this type of toy. :rolleyes:

 

[MarinaS]

Tina just loves tennis balls. She can play with them for hours and she has plenty of them as they are the only balls she can't tear to pieces or even bite through. I think it's because they are too firm and elastic. I guess dogs can hardly bite through tennis balls, so don't worry. The only risk is, as it was mentioned, if a dog tries to swallow a ball and it stucks in the dog's throat.

 

[GillianF]

Ttakas, my demolition expert, loves tennis balls - and yes he has destroyed many of them too! He chews the furry covering off and has split alot of them too. He walks around with a split ball in his mouth which makes a noise every time he tightens his jaws on it!! We do keep a close eye on him and remove the split balls before they come apart and get stuck in his throat. He loves chasing them about the living room, under the furniture and down the stairs!

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Ttakas - Flashy fawn (Male).
Bronte - Flashy brindle (Female).
Littermates - born May 9/97 and real clowns!!
Chester - Fawn, male. Rainbow Bridge at 10 years old in May 97.
Gypsy - Dark Brindle, Female. Rainbow Bridge at 6 years old in Aug.87

 

[ZEUS' Proud PaPa]

With my job, I do a lot of On Site job analyses for companies that are having a lot of occupational injuries (I am a Physical Therapist). I just recently spent several days at the Penn/Head tennis ball plant in Phoenix (really, I did). There is no "pressure" inserted into the balls that would cause them to explode. The balls are just glued together in big presses that look like muffin tins. As a matter of fact, the sound you hear when you open a can of tennis balls, that whoosh sound....it has absolutely nothing to do with the balls being fresh, it is actually negative pressure in the can so that when we open it it makes that noise, that's the only reason they do that, it's becuase we the consumer like that whoosh sound, we THINK that we are then getting fresh tennis balls. I assure you that there is no pressure or gas inside of a tennis ball.

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Todd & ZEUS 4/5/00 Fawn male, cropped, docked, white toes and "goatee."