A PROFESSIONAL dog walker has warned pet owners to watch out for tennis balls with thick paste inside after his bulldog cross had to have her stomach drained.
András Marosi was left with a £140 vet bill when Alba stumbled across a discarded tennis ball that had a glue-like paste inside on Wednesday.
The five-year-old pooch managed to ingest part of the sticky mixture which was also left stuck to her muzzle and paw.
András, 42, from Edinburgh, immediately called a vet who told him to bring Alba in as soon as possible.
Alba was then sedated for a 90 minute surgery so that vets could drained the thick paste from her stomach.
The vet told András that some tennis balls are made with a white powder inside and can form a strong adhesive like glue when mixed with melted snow.
András shared a photograph of the ball on his Facebook page later on that day to warn others.
He wrote: “Alba found this tennis ball on the walk at Meadowfield Park.
“After playing with it, her muzzle and her paw was covered with that white stuff that I couldn’t get off.
“It smells like paint but it’s sticky like an adhesive.
“I drove her to the vet straight away as I thought someone placed it on purpose.
“So many similar cases were reported recently…It turned out some of these balls are actually filled with some kind of white powder instead of gas. I’ve never come across with this before.
“When this powder contacts water it turns into this sticky paste. The vet milked her tummy out so she’s fine. Watch out which kind of tennis ball you are giving to your dog to play with.”
The photograph shows an old tennis ball which is hollowed out with what appears to be a white glue substance at the core of the ball.
Another image shows the thick paste that was taken out of Alba’s stomach.
Speaking today, András said: “I’ve never seen anything like it. It was my first time that was the reason as I thought someone had deliberately left it out.
“The vet told me there were two types of tennis balls one with gas and the other with a white powder. She was in surgery for 90 minutes getting her tummy drained.
“She found the ball when she was sniffing about and got in touch with it. I think it was the melted snow that led to the powder turning into an adhesive. I didn’t have much time to worry as I had to get straight back to the other dogs to finish off their walk.
Trish Duffy wrote under the post: “So glad Alba’s ok, Andras, have been desperate to message you but didn’t like to
Jill Hume said: “What a worry. So glad Alba is ok though.”
Ian Tickell said: “That’s a heart stopper. I buy all of my tennis balls, in bulk, from Sports Direct. They stock Head, Dunlop, Slazenger and Wilson.”
