Every vet has seen it: a dog swallowed a ball and didn’t say a word about it. Confessions of an exuberant retriever (A Labrador’s Story)
Anonymous confessions from Surrey’s pets… with a little help from our vets.
Names changed to protect the guilty. Although if you own a Labrador, you already know this one.
I Didn’t Mean to Eat the Tennis Ball…
…I was just being extra helpful.
Hello! I’m a Labrador! My humans call me Barney (probably not my real name, but who’s counting).
My hobbies: food, ball, and finding more food. Also: people. If you have hands, we’re basically best friends already. Life is basically perfect and I am basically the happiest dog who has ever lived. Every single day.
Last week Dad said the two greatest words in the English language. “Walkies.” I ran to the door. I ran back again. I forgot why I was excited and then remembered all over again. WALKIES.
Off we went round Esher Common. SO many trees. SO many smells. One very promising sausage-shaped stick that turned out to just be a stick, which was a bit of a letdown if I’m honest, but I forgave it quickly because that’s just the sort of dog I am.
Then he got the ball out.
Reader, I am an EXCELLENT catcher. Best in the park. Possibly best in Surrey. Ball after ball after ball, and every single throw was somehow the greatest moment of my entire life. I do not know how I keep topping myself but I do.
Then one got away from me a bit. I caught it very enthusiastically. Extremely enthusiastically. There may have been a little happy wiggle involved. Enough enthusiasm, anyway, that — somehow — it ended up going down further than planned.
Dad looked confused. “Where’s the ball?”
I did not know. I wagged my tail instead. Seemed like the friendly thing to do. We carried on with the walk and I genuinely forgot the whole thing had happened, because that is how my brain works and honestly it’s a very peaceful way to live.
Next morning: breakfast arrived and, for the first time in my whole entire life, I did not want it. I know. Shocking. Nobody could believe it, least of all me. I looked at my bowl. My bowl looked at me. We both knew something was wrong.
Mum looked worried. My tummy felt funny. No wag, no bounce, just me sadly under the table wondering what on earth was happening to me. This went on all morning and it was, frankly, a very un-Barney few hours.
Off to Beech House Vets, where at least there was lots of fuss to be had. I do love a good fuss. Then the vet had a feel of my tummy and went “hmmm,” which even I know is not a good noise.
“Has he eaten anything unusual?”
Dad went very quiet. “…The tennis ball.”
Oh! That! I’d completely forgotten about that.
Turns out it was sitting in my stomach like a little squatter, blocking absolutely everything up. Apparently stomachs aren’t built for tennis balls, who knew. I needed an operation to sort it out.
I don’t remember much. One minute good boy, next minute I woke up, ball gone, tummy fixed, cuddles incoming. Genuinely one of the best naps of my life, and that’s saying something because I nap professionally.
For a day or two I was a bit quiet, which everyone found very strange, because “quiet” is not really a setting I come in. But I had lovely soft food, lots of fuss, and everyone kept telling me what a good boy I was, so honestly, swings and roundabouts.
A few days later I wanted my dinner again! Huge news. Mum cried (happy tears this time, she said). I heard the biscuit tin from the garden and was inside before anyone had even opened it. Back to normal.
I’ve learned my lesson. Definitely. One hundred percent. Completely.
…although Dad’s sock by the back door does look rather delicious.
⸻
Vet’s Notes
It is a common presentation we see – a dog eating something they shouldn’t. Labradors are one of the breeds we most commonly see after swallowing something they shouldn’t — toys, socks, stones, corn cobs, you name it. If a dog has swallowed a ball, they are often too large to pass out of the stomach and can sit there causing a blockage, or get chewed into pieces that pass further down and obstruct the intestines instead. Either way, it’s serious and often needs surgery. Watch for vomiting, sudden loss of appetite (especially unusual in a Labrador!), lethargy, abdominal pain, or trouble passing faeces.
If your dog may have swallowed something they shouldn’t, seek veterinary advice promptly — early diagnosis makes a real difference to outcomes.
At Beech House Vets, our independent team treats pets across our four branches in Surrey. Whatever your pet’s got themselves into, our aim’s the same: compassionate, high-quality care to get them back to doing what they love.
Even if what they love is trying to eat something they shouldn’t…
If you need help with your pet, don’t hesitate to book online or call us today
