Kenzo loves playing fetch. Sadly that pastime almost killed him.
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If the Australian Open has inspired you to put your dog into training as a tennis ball-retrieving ball(fur)kid, you might reconsider after reading Kenzo’s story.
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The playful two-year-old Airedale terrier lost his appetite after an energetic game chasing his favourite mini tennis ball one day.
His family knew immediately that something was up, so they took him straight in for veterinary care.
Initial X-rays didn’t reveal anything unusual; however, upon careful observation following, the problem began to present itself.
“Sometimes the most telling signs aren’t always visible at first glance,” Lort Smith Animal Hospital’s Dr Harold Pook said.
“When Kenzo started regurgitating and drooling, we continued further investigations and follow up imaging and that’s when we saw it.’’
There was a crushed tennis ball lodged in Kenzo’s oesophagus.
If left untreated, lodged foreign objects can be fatal to pets.
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“It turns out that Kenzo was a little too enthusiastic while playing with the ball and accidentally swallowed it,“ Dr Pook said.
“We swiftly performed an endoscopy to carefully remove the lodged tennis ball.’’
The procedure was a success, and Kenzo made a full recovery.
While Kenzo’s story has a happy ending, it might not have been the case had he not been treated promptly.
“Fragments of the ball, or in severe cases, an entire ball, can get lodged in the throat or gastrointestinal tract, leading to potentially fatal blockages,” Dr Pook said.
“And with the Australian Open now in full swing, it’s a good time to remind everyone that while tennis balls can be fun for humans, without proper supervision, that can have a devastating impact to an animal.”
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