Tripawds Three Legged Dog & Cat Forum Archives

Thanks for sharing.  This was an interesting read.  I think the guidelines for how to play ball to minimize risk is important information for all dog people because I don't think most of us (myself included) are going to stop playing ball with our dogs.  

• Never throw a ball for a dog who is injured or has arthritis
• Only throw a ball once the dog is warmed up
• Never throw balls indoors, particularly on slippery floors
• Do not throw balls on wet surfaces or unstable surfaces such as gravel
• Throw straight and low down
• Do not throw downhill
• Do not throw repeatedly
• Do not throw for more than one dog at the same time

This is actually pretty much how I play ball with my quad-pawd anyhow.  Ball is the only toy she cares about.  She's a little older now (7) and often after a couple of tosses she finds a sunny spot to lay down with her ball.  When I play ball with my tripawd, I usually only kick the ball.  I am no athlete, so this slows the ball down and keeps it on the ground.  She gets to run and chase and (hopefully) it's less strenuous on her body.  She likes a variety of toys, so she doesn't get a lot of ball play time anyhow.

Brownie was the same way and he was a labadore retriever. He would fetch the ball two to three times and then look at me. "Mom make up your mind. Do you want it or not?". Lol