Are we accidentaly poisoning our dogs?

Do you know how dangerous tennis balls can be for dogs? Every pet owner should know this.

Dogs can easily choke on tennis balls and when they crack and swallow them some contain high levels of toxic chemicals such as lead, chlorine, cadmium Arsenic, Mercury and Bromine.  According to Pooch & Co, 48% of tennis balls contain lead, some have extraordinary levels of Lead and Arsenic just in the lettering.

www.treatball.com mentions rubber and latex, with latex being the most harmful, as some dogs are allergic to it.

Take a look at www.healthystuff.org for the toxin analysis of several pet toys. They noticed that half of the tennis balls tested had detectable levels of lead. They reported that balls intended for pets were more likely to contain lead, than sports ones.

Leonbergerhealth.com links these “cancers to biocides, some gasoline additives and chemicals used in the manufacture of plastics. Arsenic is readily absorbed through ingestion and inhalation.”

Other useful article:

http://thebark.com/content/beware-lead-and-toxic-dog-toys

http://www.vetstreet.com/dr-marty-becker/are-tennis-balls-a-dangerous-toy-for-dogs

If you have a furry friend who is addicted to tennis balls think again. Firstly we don’t know when buying them what they contain, there is no standard marking, a dog puts them in their mouth and arsenic/lead is easily passed into the blood stream and lastly what should we do if an animal eats one. Thoughtful pet owners could ensure they always take them home.

Herbie, our Golden retriever has recently developed Haemangiosarcoma and had to have his spleen removed before he bled to death. He has been addicted to tennis balls for all his life and much as we have tried to keep them away from him, he can smell them at 50 paces.  Golden Retrievers are the dog with the highest incidence of this condition.  In my experience goldies love tennis balls.  We have discovered that this condition rarely effects humans, and for those reported cases, people have often worked in the rubber and tyre industry.  Is it so low in humans because humans don’t eat tennis balls?

I am looking for more evidence about this in the hope of reducing this nightmare for pet owners. I am also interested into why some tennis balls are so much more attractive than others to pets.  If you have a furry friend who has developed Haemangiosarcoma please e-mail details of your dog’s name, breed and any information that connects with tennis balls to olive@tiahl.org. Also please let me know about any studies you have heard of.  There is much to discover.