A heartbroken woman has warned other dog owners that they should avoid using tennis balls for playing fetch, after her pet choked to death.
Emma Meen was horrified when her friend called to say that her beloved fox red labrador Toby had collapsed after swallowing a tennis ball on Thursday May 11.
The mum-of-three, who has inflammatory arthritis, arrived 10 minutes later at the field where the three-year-old dog was being walked, and while the ball had been removed, the labrador could not be resuscitated.
Emma attempted CPR for 20 minutes on Toby but he tragically died.
The 47-year-old, who relied on Toby to help her with tasks she finds challenging, including picking things up off the floor and emptying the washing machine, has now binned all tennis balls.
She's urging owners to buy balls with holes so if they're accidentally swallowed, she believes there's a chance the dog will be able to breathe and survive.
Emma, from Cambridge, said: "She threw the tennis balls like she always does, because they love chasing tennis balls. He had one in his mouth. She threw another one, he went to get it and pushed the one that was in his mouth down his throat.
"He was running around in a panic, he finally collapsed and she managed to get the ball out of his throat. I thought she was joking. It sounds stupid, but she said he was down, and I thought she meant he was lying down.
"Then when she said she'd got the tennis ball out, I panicked. All the way over there, I was shouting, 'not Toby, not Toby'. He was lying on the floor, I started CPR and called my vet, and my vet said to just keep going.
"I was doing CPR on him and watching him go as I was doing it, it was so hard. 20 minutes later, there were still no signs of life. It was devastating. It was like my whole world had come to an end, because he was so good with me and so hardworking. He was like a child.
"He helped pick things off the floor for me, empty the washing machine, and take the washing to the tumble dryer. He loves everyone, everything. He was the best dog I've ever had, and we've had dogs all our lives."
Emma then took him to the crematorium before scattering his ashes in the garden where he liked to play.
Now Emma, who has a 16-year-old boxer-staffie cross called Cleo and a nine-year-old collie-terrier cross called Bosh, is keen to raise awareness about the potential choking hazards.
Emma said: "We took him up to the crematorium that day, we got him back the next day and we scattered him down the garden where he likes to play.
"The other dogs have been up there and they've had a sniff around the area. I think they still recognise his scent.
"We look at the windows where he used to look out, and he's not there. We changed the bedding and it's like, 'this is the last time he slept on the bed'.
"Even down to eating a bit of cheese, it's like, 'this is the last thing he ate before he died'. We've chucked all of our tennis balls out now. I see posts on Facebook where people are like 'oh, we're out with the ball today', and I'm just thinking, 'no, don't do it'.
"Balls with holes in the middle prevent them from choking, they have quite big holes in them so they can breathe still. Make sure it's something that they can breathe if they swallow it. Rope toys get all knotted - they inhale the knot and they can't breathe.
"I want people to know the dangers of balls. If we'd have known, it wouldn't have happened and he would still be here."
