What to Do if a Dog Chokes on a Ball?
When playing with a golf ball, many problems can happen to your dog, but choking is the highest risk, especially if you have a medium or large dog.
If you are worried about that, check out the following explanation to understand more about choking signs and what to do if your dog chokes on a golf ball!
Dogs explore the world with their mouth, so you may often see a dog chewing inedible things and getting choked. It’s not rare for a dog to choke on something, and in most cases, they can vomit or swallow the object.
However, sometimes your dogs may not manage to get through golf ball choking. Therefore, you should understand the choking signs to react immediately when needed.
Here are some common and noticeable signs of choking. You should pay attention to your dogs and see if they have any of the following symptoms for timely action:
|
Signs |
Seriousness |
| Gasping for breath | Emergent, need immediate medical care |
| Pawing at/rubbing mouth & shaking head | Normal, something is stuck in the mouth but not the windpipe |
| Retching, coughing or gagging | Normal, easy to mistake with symptoms of cold & other diseases |
| Weakness, distress, refusal to eat, lethargy, insomnia, distended abdomen and inability to defecate, etc. | Serious, need medical care as soon as possible |
You can also refer to this video for additional information on choking signs in dogs! Watch Video: 5 Common Signs that Your Dog is Choking
Once you have confirmed that your dog is choking on a golf ball, try to know how serious the situation is.
If it’s not an emergency, try to open your dog’s mouth and see if you can take the golf ball out. If it’s impossible or your dog is getting more serious, you are recommended to look for professional help from a vet or people with experience and qualification.
However, in case immediate aid is unavailable, you can try the following methods to lengthen the time before seeking medical care.
It can be successful if the situation is not really bad, and you can try as a first aid before veterinary care.
For small breeds, lift and hold the dog with its head pointing down to the ground to dislodge. For large breeds that you can’t raise the whole body, lift their rear legs to make the head down and dislodge.
You can dislodge by firmly pressing underneath the jaw with both thumbs, preferably at the base of the throat, then pushing forwards until the ball is out.
Another method to dislodge is to hit sharply between the shoulder blades using your hand’s palm.
If all those dislodging methods are not helpful, try Heimlich Maneuver or find a professional to take care of your dog.
Another first aid that you can try at home is Heimlich Maneuver. It’s helpful if your dog is losing breath and can’t wait for medical care. Follow the below steps to carry out:
To understand more thoroughly on how to carry on the method, watch this video! Watch Video: How to Help a Choking Dog
A Golf Ball Is A Choking Hazard For Dogs
If a ball is small enough to fit past your dog’s front teeth, it is much too small to be a dog toy. A golf ball fits that category completely, and most dogs will be able to carry one around in its mouth. The ball will get slimy and can easily lodge itself in your dog’s windpipe, causing your dog to choke or stop breathing altogether.
If you didn’t see your dog swallow the golf ball, these are some indicating that he could be choking:
Once you’ve established that a golf ball is blocking his windpipe, swipe your fingers sideways against it. If you can’t expel the ball, you should immediately get him to a vet. You can also try the Heimlich Maneuver.
It is also possible to give dogs rescue breaths if you can’t dislodge the golf ball, closing his mouth and breathing into his nose. This scenario would be necessary as you’re rushing the dog to the vet, or he may not survive.
I’m sure you’ll agree that these are all good reasons not to allow your doggo to play with golf balls.
Toys not recommended for dog use
It may seem silly but many times we forget thattoys that our dog use should always be marked specifically for dogs or cats. What can happen, for example, if our faithful friend plays with a toy meant for children?
In this case it will depend entirely on the type of toys for children. Say your dog gets a hold of small lego pieces, it is quite likely – especially for a puppy – that whilst playing and jumping around they can choke on a piece. Or, there are many other toys that can be suitable for different ages of children that can be dangerous for our dog, such as board games, experiment kits, and puzzles.
In this sense you should treat your dog like a baby, since most toys that are suitable for babies may be for our dog. With this said, it is always better to choose a toy specified for dogs. Remember to teach any children of the house which items are suitable for dogs and which are not.
In this case its the exact same. If the plush or doll is not specific for dogs, we risk that a bought stuffed toy, whether for children or not, may carry components which are dangerous to our dogs health.
The contents of stuffed animals is an important thing to keep in mind, because if for example it contains pellets of porexpan, it is deemed dangerous. In addition, if the accessories that the doll has (like its eyes), are not sewn with thread but are glued plastic, your dog may swallow them unwittingly. Whenever we suspect that our faithful dog has swallowed something that should not we should go to the emergency vet as soon as possible.
At first this type of toy is beneficial because it strengthens our dog and entertains them while allowing them to play with fellow dogs. It can also clean their teeth in the same way as we floss. However we must monitor this toy because the strands of the rope can end up unraveling and our dog could swallow them easily.
In principle what usually happens in these cases is that we see the residue of the rope in their stool and this is not a cause for concern. But these strings can become knotted and cause dogs difficulty when doing the toilet. This can happen with any kind of strands. not just from rope toys.
In more serious cases there may be a problem such as retention in the intestines and this can cause vomiting and malaise in our pet. We must go to the veterinarian to diagnose the presence of a foreign body in the digestive tract and remove it – or help it be expelled naturally. Therefore, we must be attentive to the state of dog toys and if we see that they begin to have the broken strings, remove it and replace it with a new one.
Another very typical toy for dogs is the frisbee. In itself the frisbee is a good toy because it helps use up a lot of their energy easily. But you have to be careful with which material the frisbee is made of. The ideal material is rubber, as hard plastic or similar materials easily damage the mouth and teeth of dogs.
The movement involved in catching the frisbee includes an abrupt bite and blow to the mouth. Therefore if the material is too hard, it will end up hurting them. This toy is good for when we play with them, but it is not the most suitable for when they are alone at home.
It is very typical to use tennis balls, or for small dogs, a golf ball. This really is a big mistake, because these balls are made with fiberglass. If our dog does not play much with them, it is okay to occasionally play with some. However if they are very fond of chewing this ball, it is likely that before they hit old age they are left without parts of their teeth. We must realise that fiberglass acts as sandpaper and is rapidly wearing the teeth. There have been cases where dogs have filed down their teeth so much, almost to the level of their gums.
In this case we should change the type of ball and avoid using those that contain these fibers. If not, we risk that in a few years our dog has serious mouth and dental problems and we will have to incorporate soft diets and intense oral hygiene maintenance.
Dog chewing golf balls and annual vaccinations – Dr. Caldwell for Pets Best Insurance
No, golf balls are not safe for dogs. They are extremely toxic for your beloved pets.
Some dog owners think that if their dogs see a golf ball on the ground, this is an invitation for play.
But there’s no need to encourage your pet with loose balls since you can easily keep them from getting in trouble by giving him his own set at home.
Additional risks are possible when using unsecured rawhide chews or tennis balls so that they may have become lodged in teeth.
Playing fetch can easily give way to an all-out play session and potentially result in more injuries if you allow your dog to run off with the ball.
When this happens, teach him some great recall commands so he will return immediately when called: “Come”, “Here” and other commands of this type are best suited.
Golfers beware! Golf balls are constructed with toxic materials that can be harmful to your dog.
There are some reports that state that the chemicals on some golf balls, such as lead and arsenic, can be hazardous to dogs health if they come in contact with skin.
These chemicals may cause cancer, birth defects, and infections. It’s important to keep your dog safe while playing golf by making sure you keep the ball away from the dog.
The biggest issue that golfers have when it comes to golf balls is choking hazards. Golf balls are often eaten by pets and small children because they’re small and round, which makes them a perfect plaything for a dog or a toddler.
Dogs may not show any signs of being in distress until the ball has been swallowed, but more signs for puppies include coughing, wheezing, difficulty breathing, drooling, retching and vomiting.
There are small pieces of plastic on golf balls, which can cause serious problems if swallowed by pets or children.
Pets ingest these pieces when they chew on them or eat them along with grass.If not careful, they’ll get stuck in their teeth or get swallowed. There have even been reports of even people choking on them.