Chihuahua ate tennis ball.

Dr. Marie replied:

It always amazes me that dogs want to eat things like this.

If it is just the green fuzz that she ate then it's very unlikely that it's going to cause a problem. But, if she also ate the rubber part of the ball then this could cause an obstruction.

I don't usually recommend inducing vomiting...mostly because there are things that can happen if we do this. (For example, a dog could aspirate the vomit into their lungs).

What you may want to do though is feed Olive something that will help bulk up her stools to help this to move along in her intestinal tract. You can do so by adding an 1/8 tsp of bran to her food, or by feeding her 1/4 bran muffin.

If you think she ate a large amount of the rubber then it is a good idea to have your vet examine her tomorrow. But again, if it's just the green fuzz then don't be too worried. However, in the next few days if she is vomiting or not wanting to eat then she should see her doctor!

I will be online for just a few more minutes tonight. (You caught me just as I was turning off my online status). So, feel free to respond...if it's within in the next few minutes I can write back. Otherwise I'll check in on you in the morning.

Hope all is well!

Dr. Marie


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Dr. Marie replied:

It can take anywhere from 12 hours to 3 days for this to move through her system.

When you do go to the vet, take the rest of the tennis ball with you. That way when they take an xray, they can put the ball next to her on the xray plate. Some tennis balls show up really well on xrays and others don't. So, by doing this they should be able to tell if they can identify where the tennis ball is.

If it is still in the stomach they may try inducing vomiting. (It is safer to have your vet do it).

If it is moving along in her intestines then they will likely do some things to help her intestines move.

Again, it won't hurt to try the bran/bran muffins to see if that helps her get this through.