My dog swallowed a tennis ball piece and is coughing. Is it serious?

Hi there! I'm sorry to hear that Bear has given you a scare. If she got off a small piece of fabric and ingested it, it will probably pass on its own with no trouble. If the piece was large or had any plastic bits attached to it, keep a very close eye on her for any signs of vomiting, lethargy, or diarrhea, as they may be symptoms of an obstruction. Bring her to the vet right away if any of these symptoms develop. It is very unlikely that she inhaled the piece, but do also keep an eye out for any further coughing or breathing difficulty, as this would also warrant an immediate trip to the vet's office. Good luck, and I hope that Bear continues being a happy, playful puppy!

Since this has been going on, I would recommend that she is seen by your vet as soon as possible. Vomiting could mean that she does have an obstruction causing her nausea and pain. An obstruction can be intermittent, and leaving her untreated could turn into an emergency if the foreign material abrades or perforates her GI tract somewhere.

Hello, thank you for your question about Shadow. It is difficult to know for sure whether this will lead to a problem or not. Since Shadow is a good sized dog if the ball was small it is possible that it will pass through her GI tract without causing any problems. However, there is always the chance that foreign material can cause an obstruction in the GI tract; this would require surgery to remove the ball. I would recommend continuing to monitor Shadow for development of any signs such as vomiting, diarrhea, inappetance, or lethargy. If at any point she shows these symptoms I would recommend contacting your veterinarian. In the meantime to try and help the ball pass through her GI tract I would recommend offering her canned food to help the material pass. Alternatively you could offer her bread or canned pumpkin with her meals. Hope this helps, good luck!

I would recommend to wait as this episodes may be incidental or related to a mild inflammation caused by the squeaker, from what you are describing I do not think there any risk of complete obstruction at this stage. As a first approach I would suggest to withhold food for the next 8 hours and then start feeding with a bland diet based on boiled chicken and rice in small portion every 6 hours for the following 48hours. Then gradually reintroduce the normal diet over 5 days. I would definitively recommend a veterinary check up if you notice diarrhoea, more vomiting, lethargy or inappetence. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further

Oh no, that was naughty of Copper! This rubber should pass without problem, but I would keep an eye on him to be safe. There is a potential it could cause a blockage, and signs of that include vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, lethargy, and constipation. If you see any of those signs, take Copper into a vet immediately.

I'd keep monitoring Bella for now. If you see vomiting, diarrhea, she doesn't poop at all, lethargy, or loss of appetite, then you will have to take her into a vet right away. This may pass without problem, but I can't say for sure.

Poor Kahlua! It is likely that the tennis ball is hurting her stomach. The problem with a tennis ball is that it can cause an obstruction in her GI tract. If Kahlua ate it within the past two hours, I would have her seen by a vet right away. The vet may decide that inducing her to vomit with a shot would be the best treatment for her to prevent any chance of an obstruction. Even if it's been longer than two hours since she ate it, I would have her seen by a vet anyway. The vet may prescribe medications to help with her upset stomach.