I Think My Dog Ate One Of My Golf Balls

[Philco]

I went out in the back yard to hit a few shots with my wedges and chipper.  First ball I hit was a bright orange one, the only orange one in the bag.  My German Shepherd runs over and grabs it as soon as it hits the ground.  I figured he'd play with it a minute then drop it..........wrong!  I hit a couple more balls and realize he's no longer got the ball, at least it's nowhere to be found and he had not gotten out of my sight.  I started looking all around where he'd been and never did find the ball so I'm pretty sure he swallowed it.  I called the vet and he wants me to bring him in tomorrow morning for X rays. I guess that will tell the story.  

Anyone else ever had something like this happen ? 

[David in FL]

Lost ball.

Stroke and distance!

[imsys0042]

A quick google from a vet in the UK states that a dog cannot pass a golf ball.   It can stay in the stomach as long as something doesn't shove it into the intestines, which would not be able to handle it.   The best thing that could happen is that he vomits it back up.  Barring that, it might have to be removed surgically.

Fingers crossed.   I hope for the best!

 

[boogielicious]

8 hours ago, David in FL said:

Lost ball.

Stroke and distance!

I would think 9.2 would apply as the ball was moved by an “outside agency” 😜

I would also recommend visiting the vet @Philco.

[Mr Puddle]

9 hours ago, Philco said:

I went out in the back yard to hit a few shots with my wedges and chipper.  First ball I hit was a bright orange one, the only orange one in the bag.  My German Shepherd runs over and grabs it as soon as it hits the ground.  I figured he'd play with it a minute then drop it..........wrong!  I hit a couple more balls and realize he's no longer got the ball, at least it's nowhere to be found and he had not gotten out of my sight.  I started looking all around where he'd been and never did find the ball so I'm pretty sure he swallowed it.  I called the vet and he wants me to bring him in tomorrow morning for X rays. I guess that will tell the story.  

Anyone else ever had something like this happen ? 

Hope your dog is OK. It is most likely the ball will have to be removed surgically, so I hope your dog is young enough to have the surgery. Dogs are dogs though, and there is little chance he will learn by this experience. Let us know how it goes

[David in FL]

1 hour ago, boogielicious said:

I would think 9.2 would apply as the ball was moved by an “outside agency” 😜

I would also recommend visiting the vet @Philco.

Well, since we only “think” that he ate it at this point, I’d say we’re lacking virtual certainty and are stuck with “lost”...   

[Philco]

Well I have good news and bad news.  First the good news is there's no golf ball in my dogs stomach after all.  The bad news is I've lost my ball and will have to take a penalty.  Oh yeah, I'm also out the price of a new putter to find out Cleatus didn't eat the golf ball. 

1 hour ago, David in FL said:

Well, since we only “think” that he ate it at this point, I’d say we’re lacking virtual certainty and are stuck with “lost”...   

 

[David in FL]

12 minutes ago, Philco said:

Well I have good news and bad news.  First the good news is there's no golf ball in my dogs stomach after all.  The bad news is I've lost my ball and will have to take a penalty.  Oh yeah, I'm also out the price of a new putter to find out Cleatus didn't eat the golf ball. 

 

Well worth it for the peace of mind.  Glad to hear that Cleatus is ok, and apparently smarter than you gave him credit for.  

[Zippo]

Glad to hear the dog didn't eat the golf ball. It would have been very difficult to tee up the dog on your next round.

[billchao]

2 hours ago, David in FL said:

Well, since we only “think” that he ate it at this point, I’d say we’re lacking virtual certainty and are stuck with “lost”...   

No, we're virtually certain the dog moved the golf ball. What we weren't certain of is if he ate it or not, which is irrelevant 😉

33 minutes ago, Philco said:

Well I have good news and bad news.  First the good news is there's no golf ball in my dogs stomach after all.  The bad news is I've lost my ball and will have to take a penalty.  Oh yeah, I'm also out the price of a new putter to find out Cleatus didn't eat the golf ball. 

Glad to hear your dog is ok. Well worth the cost to know.

[David in FL]

1 hour ago, billchao said:

No, we're virtually certain the dog moved the golf ball. What we weren't certain of is if he ate it or not, which is irrelevant 😉

 

You’re right!

[Casualgolfer]

Bet Cleatus knows where the ball is..

[boogielicious]

5 hours ago, David in FL said:

Well, since we only “think” that he ate it at this point, I’d say we’re lacking virtual certainty and are stuck with “lost”...   

I suppose if it was a piece of pizza, then it would be a certainty!!!!! My late beagle could flush out a piece of pizza 20 yards in the woods.

[IowaGreg]

My lab will retrieve unbroken clay targets. He goes nuts wanting to chase the ball if he's out with me when i'm hitting a few drives out into the nearby corn field. He'll point sparrows. Could care less if I take him hunting and down a pheasant...…… 

[Patch]

On 8/14/2019 at 7:04 PM, imsys0042 said:

A quick google from a vet in the UK states that a dog cannot pass a golf ball.   It can stay in the stomach as long as something doesn't shove it into the intestines, which would not be able to handle it.   The best thing that could happen is that he vomits it back up.  Barring that, it might have to be removed surgically.

Fingers crossed.   I hope for the best!

 

Not quite true. Depends on the size of the dog. Our Yellow Lab. "Jake" swallowed a golf ball., without us knowing about it. 

A day or so later we noticed he was having some discomfort, and took him to the vet. The Vet X-Rayed him and found the ball already in his lower digestive tract. It was decided no sergury was needed at that time. This since the ball was moving through his system.  He passed the ball the next day. It was a Titleist. 

Jake was a very large dog, weighing well over 120 lbs. 

[boogielicious]

10 hours ago, Patch said:

Not quite true. Depends on the size of the dog. Our Yellow Lab. "Jake" swallowed a golf ball., without us knowing about it. 

A day or so later we noticed he was having some discomfort, and took him to the vet. The Vet X-Rayed him and found the ball already in his lower digestive tract. It was decided no surgery was needed at that time. This since the ball was moving through his system.  He passed the ball the next day. It was a Titleist. 

Jake was a very large dog, weighing well over 120 lbs. 

I'm glad your dog was OK, but I will have to ask the burning question. So did you play the ball afterwards?

[Slazman]

On 8/15/2019 at 8:08 AM, Philco said:

Well I have good news and bad news.  First the good news is there's no golf ball in my dogs stomach after all.  The bad news is I've lost my ball and will have to take a penalty.  Oh yeah, I'm also out the price of a new putter to find out Cleatus didn't eat the golf ball. 

 

That’s great news. My Husky/Beagle likes to chew the covers off any ball I leave laying around. She likes urethane best.😁 We had a Golden retriever years ago that swallowed  a cat toy and had to have surgery. It was not a pleasant experience for us or poor Mutley.