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My dog ate a 1-inch rubber ball. Will it cause an obstruction?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Male | neutered | 8 years and 9 months old | 110 lbs

My dog swallow a rubber soft squeak ball about 1” in diameter he is 110 lab will he pass the ball

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Emily Fukuzato, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on March 31st, 2019

Hello and thank you for reaching out about your dog. While you do have a large lab, there is certainly a high chance that this ball could cause an intestinal obstruction. If it was recently ingested (within 3 hours) you could take him to your local emergency veterinary hospital, have an xray performed, and if it still in the stomach (and based on the size of the ball) the veterinarian MAY be able to induce vomiting to try and retrieve the ball. An xray today would be advised to see where the ball is in his intestinal tract. If you elect to not seek veterinary care today I would advise to monitor for ANY vomiting or decrease in appetite. If either of those occur please seek veterinary care for your dog immediately.

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    Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

    Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

    Published on December 1st, 2018

    You still need to be worried. Some small foreign bodies can stay in the stomach for weeks, either causing no symptoms, causing vomiting that is infrequent, or causing severe illness. Keep looking for the ball and watching your dog's appetite and energy level. If he starts acting odd or has vomiting, I would have him examined by the vet for a possible GI obstruction.

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