30-05-2025
Dr Chris Brown warns dog owners to NEVER play fetch with tennis balls
Australian vet Dr Chris Brown has issued a grave warning to dog owners about playing fetch with tennis balls.
The Bondi Vet revealed things he would never do as a pet owner - including a popular game thousands of Aussies play with their dogs.
Appearing on Sunrise, hosts Natalie Barr and Matt Shirvington asked the animal expert why he's against letting dogs chase tennis balls, as this seemingly innocuous park activity can come with long-term health risks.
'This is a big one so a lot of dogs are absolutely ball obsessed, ball is life... they'd chase a ball but that puts a lot of stress on their joints,' Brown explained.
'You'll see border collies down in the park just chasing ball after ball. They generally get early onset arthritis in the hips and in their knees from the forces on their joints.'
It wasn't the only concern the Channel Seven TV host had about dogs playing with tennis balls.
Interestingly, the vet explained that the materials and construction of tennis balls are not designed with a dog's mouth in mind.
'The fur on a tennis ball is highly abrasive because it needs to withstand hard courts when you're playing tennis,' Brown said.
As a result, the vet noted that dogs who constantly chew on tennis balls are prone to tooth erosion.
'Ball obsessed dogs often have worn down teeth,' he said, adding that this can become a problematic health issue for dogs as they get older.
Elsewhere in the interview, Brown explained why pet owners should never feed their dogs more than once a day.
'This is an interesting one,' the vet said.
'Similar to human intermittent fasting, there's genuine research around the fact that if you feed your dog once a day, they will live longer and have a lower risk of cognitive decline-like doggy dementia - compared to feeding them two to three times a day.
'So (feeding once a day) helps to regulate their blood flow, sugar, insulin release and actually means their brain stays younger for longer.'
Surprisingly, many pet owners agreed with the vet's advice to avoid using tennis balls when playing with dogs.
'Completely agree with the ball thing as someone who worked in the dog industry,' one said.
'My adult dogs are fed once a day in the afternoon. Always have. And agree with the tennis ball... been there, done that,' another shared.
'The ball theory is true'
'The ball theory is true - my dog just recovered from ball injury and now back to square one with new injury,' one revealed.
While another was stunned be the advice, saying: 'Can't believe a border collie can't chase a ball as it effects its joints. These dogs run for miles zipping in and out of sheep - surely a thrown ball can't do more damage?'
When one person questioned why ball chasing games would be an issue for herding dogs - which are built for long stretches of running - another person helpfully pointed out that the two activities are quite different.
'The sudden jolting stop to get the ball can tear their ligaments', they responded.
'[When they are] herding sheep they are not doing sudden jolting stops close to the ground.'
Brown's segment also called out cat owners for a common habit.
The TV vet recommended that a cat should never be left alone for extended periods of time - and certainly no longer than 24 hours.
'All the research is now showing that cats actually experience a level of cortisol increase when we leave the house or leave them alone,' he explained, adding that this can result in them experiencing 'more separation anxiety than dogs do'.
The revelation stunned Barr, who said she'd always had the impression that cats seemed unfussed about whether people were around or not.
'It's probably a surprise for a lot of people,' Brown agreed.
'A lot of people think that cats are very independent and sometimes a bit aloof.
'They like to give the impression that they don't need you.'
The vet said the tell-tale signs of a cat experiencing stress or separation anxiety included a 'sneaky' vomit, weight loss, or 'licking themselves a lot'.
Brown said that all these signs pointed towards a cat who is 'actually quite stressed and experiencing extreme separation anxiety'.
The animal expert concluded that '24 hours alone is the absolute limit' for a cat to be left alone.
'Don't go away for the weekend and leave them without any sort of care or attention,' he added.
