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Your Pet's Favorite Fetch Toy Might Harm Them. Try This Vet-Approved Ball Instead

Your Pet's Favorite Fetch Toy Might Harm Them. Try This Vet-Approved Ball Instead

Buzz Feed14-04-2025
The experts consulted for this story do not necessarily endorse the products ahead unless otherwise noted.
Dogs and tennis balls seem to go together like peanut butter and jelly. Even my cat plays with one. Yet according to veterinarians, tennis balls can pose real harm to your pet.
'Excessive chewing on the felt [of tennis balls] can lead to wearing of the tooth enamel and eventually lead to dental disease,' explained Dr. Carly Fox, a senior veterinarian at New York City's Schwarzman Animal Medical Center.
Plus, according to Stockton, California's Sierra Veterinary Hospital, 'When your dog is chewing happily on a tennis ball[,] there is no way of knowing what kinds of chemicals they are ingesting.' Since tennis balls are designed for near-throwaway use in sports, 'There are undoubtedly toxic chemicals used from the rubber ball, to the fuzzy coating, to the glue that holds it all together,' the veterinary hospital's site emphasized.
If your pet is wedded to their tennis ball, there are safer options you can switch to, Fox said. She recommended the Chuckit ultra ball in particular for its 'excellent bounce' that's 'easy on your dog's teeth.'
Pet parents are obsessed with the Chuckit ball, a bestseller with over 106,000 5-star ratings that reviewers praise for its durability against strong jaws and ever-engaging bounce. One person even penned a poem to the Chuckit after calling it ' the most important thing in my dog's life.'
'A day without it? Unthinkable fate! / He'd search and whine, he'd sit and wait,' waxed the reviewer-cum-poet.
'They are the first thing [my dog] gets when he gets up, and he takes one to bed at the end of the day,' wrote another of the Chuckit balls.
The Chuckit ultra ball can also be used with the Chuckit launcher, itself a bestseller. The long-handled thrower functions as an extension of your arm to propel balls farther and faster during fetch. It 'has completely changed our playtime routine,' wrote a reviewer named Lainey. 'With a simple flick of my wrist, I sent the ball soaring across the field.'
Whether you stay with tennis balls or switch to a safer alternative, just be sure to use the right size ball. 'No larger breed dog should be playing with a ball made for a small- or toy-sized breed. This leads to accidental ingestion and the need for medical intervention,' Fox stressed.
Grab a two-pack of medium Chuckit ultra balls at Amazon a Chuckit launcher
1.
Amazon and Chewy
The Chuckit air fresh ball"is a great alternative for a tennis ball," said Fox. "There are holes to allow easy gripping and air flow."
Plus, this choice is "excellent for brachycephalic dogs who can breathe through the ball when carrying it," she added.
Reviewers concur, giving the substitute 13,000 5-star ratings. "I used to buy tiny tennis balls, but my dog would rip off the fuzz and end up throwing it up," wrote one reviewer. "These have been a great alternative! They're durable, easy to clean and my dog loves chasing them."
Get a two-pack from Amazon for $6.99.
2. A toy whose design provides a safer way to enjoy tennis balls
Amazon
Fox also suggested the Kong Wubba toy. "This toy has reinforced nylon that covers a tennis ball ... [so] your dog gets the satisfaction and feel of the tennis ball with a lower risk of ingestion and no felt," she wrote.
"The tails make it fun to throw and chase," added Fox.
Numerous reviewers call the Kong Wubba their dogs' favorite toy, especially among enthusiastic chewers.
"I have a Blue Heeler with jaws of steel and an obsession with violently annihilating any toy he can get his mouth on," wrote a reviewer named Jess. "This octopus toy has been the most long lasting and seemingly most fun toy that I've found for him yet."
3. A flying disc designed for tugging and tossing with your pet
Chewy
"Frisbees are excellent fetch toys," said Fox, and "due to the shape [they] have a decreased risk of accidental ingestion.
Fox recommended the 9-inch Nerf tug flying disc in particular, which is made with tough, lightweight nylon.
"Our dog is nutty for this. Unlike hard plastic discs that bounce off her teeth, this one is easy for her to catch and retrieve," wrote a reviewer named Dave.
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Stephen Miller says Americans will live better lives without immigrants. He's blowing smoke
Stephen Miller says Americans will live better lives without immigrants. He's blowing smoke

Los Angeles Times

time2 days ago

  • Los Angeles Times

Stephen Miller says Americans will live better lives without immigrants. He's blowing smoke

Stephen Miller, the front man for Donald Trump's deportation campaign against immigrants, took to the airwaves the other day to explain why native-born Americans will just love living in a world cleansed of undocumented workers. 'What would Los Angeles look like without illegal aliens?' he asked on Fox News. 'Here's what it would look like: You would be able to see a doctor in the emergency room right away, no wait time, no problems. Your kids would go to a public school that had more money than they know what to do with. Classrooms would be half the size. Students who have special needs would get all the attention that they needed. ... There would be no fentanyl, there would be no drug deaths.' Etc., etc. No one can dispute that the world Miller described on Fox would be a paradise on Earth. No waiting at the ER? School districts flush with cash? No drug deaths? But that doesn't obscure that pretty much every word Miller uttered was fiction. The gist of Miller's spiel — in fact, the worldview that he has been espousing for years — is that 'illegal aliens' are responsible for all those ills, and exclusively responsible. It's nothing but a Trumpian fantasy. Let's take a look, starting with overcrowding at the ER. The issue has been the focus of numerous studies and surveys. Overwhelmingly, they conclude that undocumented immigration is irrelevant to ER overcrowding. In fact, immigrants generally and undocumented immigrants in particular are less likely to get their healthcare at the emergency room than native-born Americans. In California, according to a 2014 study from UCLA, 'one in five U.S.-born adults visits the ER annually, compared with roughly one in 10 undocumented adults — approximately half the rate of U.S.-born residents.' Among the reasons, explained Nadereh Pourat, the study's lead author and director of research at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, was fear of being asked to provide documents. The result is that undocumented individuals avoid seeking any healthcare until they become critically ill. The UCLA study found that undocumented immigrants' average number of doctor visits per year was lower than for other cohorts: 2.3 for children and 1.7 for adults, compared with 2.8 doctor visits for U.S.-born children and 3.2 for adults. ER overcrowding is an issue of long standing in the U.S., but it's not the result of an influx of undocumented immigrants. It's due to a confluence of other factors, including the tendency of even insured patients to use the ER as a primary care center, presenting with complicated or chronic ailments for which ER medicine is not well-suited. While caseloads at emergency departments have surged, their capacities are shrinking. According to a 2007 report by the National Academy of Sciences, from 1993 to 2003 the U.S. population grew by 12%, hospital admissions by 13% and ER visits by 26%. 'Not only is [emergency department] volume increasing, but patients coming to the ED are older and sicker and require more complex and time-consuming workups and treatments,' the report observed. 'During this same period, the United States experienced a net loss of 703 hospitals, 198,000 hospital beds, and 425 hospital EDs, mainly in response to cost-cutting measures.' President Trump's immigration policies during his first term suppressed the use of public healthcare facilities by undocumented immigrants and their families. The key policy was the administration's tightening of the 'public charge' rule, which applies to those seeking admission to the United States or hoping to upgrade their immigration status. The rule, which has been part of U.S. immigration policy for more than a century, allowed immigration authorities to deny entry — or deny citizenship applications of green card holders — to anyone judged to become a recipient of public assistance such as welfare (today known chiefly as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF) or other cash assistance programs. Until Trump, healthcare programs such as Medicaid, nutrition programs such as food stamps, and subsidized housing programs weren't part of the public charge test. Even before Trump implemented the change but after a draft version leaked out, clinics serving immigrant communities across California and nationwide detected a marked drop off in patients. A clinic on the edge of Boyle Heights in Los Angeles that had been serving 12,000 patients, I reported in 2018, saw monthly patient enrollments fall by about one-third after Trump's 2016 election, and an additional 25% after the leak. President Biden rescinded the Trump rule within weeks of taking office. Undocumented immigrants are sure to be less likely to access public healthcare services, such as those available at emergency rooms, as a result of Trump's rescinding 'sensitive location' restrictions on immigration agents that had been in effect at least since 2011. That policy barred almost all immigration enforcement actions at schools, places of worship, funerals and weddings, public marches or rallies, and hospitals. Trump rescinded the policy on inauguration day in January. The goal was for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, agents 'to make substantial efforts to avoid unnecessarily alarming local communities,' agency officials stated. Today, as public shows of force and public raids by ICE have demonstrated, instilling alarm in local communities appears to be the goal. The change in the sensitive locations policy has prompted hospital and ER managers to establish formal procedures for staff confronted with the arrival of immigration agents. A model policy drafted by the Emergency Medicine Residents Assn. says staff should request identification and a warrant or other document attesting to the need for the presence of agents. It urges staff to determine whether the agents are enforcing a judicial warrant (signed by a judge) or administrative warrant (issued by ICE). The latter doesn't grant agents access to private hospital areas such as patient rooms or operating areas. What about school funding? Is Miller right to assert that mass deportations will free up a torrent of funding and cutting class sizes in half? He doesn't know what he's talking about. Most school funding in California and most other places is based on attendance. In California, the number of immigrant children in the schools was 189,634 last year. The total K-12 population was 5,837,700, making the immigrant student body 3.25% of the total. Not half. In the Los Angeles Unified School District, the estimated 30,000 children from immigrant families amounted to about 7.35% of last year's enrollment of 408,083. Also not half. With the deportation of immigrant children, the schools would lose whatever federal funding was attached to their attendance. Schools nationwide receive enhanced federal funding for English learners and other immigrants. That money, presumably, would disappear if the pupils go. What Miller failed to mention on Fox is the possible impact of the Trump administration's determination to shutter the Department of Education, placing billions of dollars of federal funding at risk. California receives more than $16 billion a year in federal aid to K-12 schools through that agency. Disabled students are at heightened risk of being deprived of resources if the agency is dismantled. Then there's fentanyl. The Trump administration's claim that undocumented immigrants are major players in this crisis appears to be just another example of its scapegoating of immigrants. The vast majority of fentanyl-related criminal convictions — nearly 90% — are of U.S. citizens. The rest included both legally present and undocumented immigrants. (The statistics comes from the U.S. Sentencing Commission.) In other words, deport every immigrant in the United States, and you still won't have made a dent in fentanyl trafficking, much less eliminate all drug deaths. What are we to make of Miller's spiel about L.A.? At one level, it's echt Miller: The portrayal of the city as a putative hellscape, larded with accusations of complicity between the city leadership and illegal immigrants — 'the leaders in Los Angeles have formed an alliance with the cartels and criminal aliens,' he said, with zero pushback from his Fox News interlocutor. At another level, it's a malevolent expression of white privilege. In Miller's ideology, the only obstacles to the return to a drug-free world of frictionless healthcare and abundantly financed education are immigrants. This ideology depends on the notion that immigrants are raiding the public purse by sponging on public services. The fact is that most undocumented immigrants aren't eligible for most such services. They can't enroll in Medicare, receive premium subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, or collect Social Security or Medicare benefits (though typically they submit falsified Social Security numbers to employers, so payments for the program are deducted from their paychecks). A 2013 study by the libertarian Cato Institute found that low-income immigrants use public benefits for which they're eligible, such as food stamps, 'at a lower rate than native-born low-income residents.' If there's an impulse underlying the anti-immigrant project directed by Miller other than racism, it's hard to detect. Federal Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong, who last week blocked federal agents from using racial profiling to carry out indiscriminate immigration arrests in Los Angeles, ruled that during their 'roving patrols' in Los Angeles, ICE agents detained individuals principally because of their race, that they were overheard speaking Spanish or accented English, that they were doing work associated with undocumented immigrants, or were in locations frequented by undocumented immigrants seeking day work. Miller goes down the same road as ICE — indeed, by all accounts, he's the motivating spirit behind the L.A. raids. Because he can't justify the raids, he has ginned up a fantasy of immigrants disrupting our healthcare and school programs, and the corollary fantasy that evicting them all will produce an Earthly paradise for the rest of us. Does anybody really believe that?

RFK Jr. Just Let It Slip That He Knows One Of His Health Initiatives May Have Terrible Consequences, And I Knew It Was Bad, But Damn
RFK Jr. Just Let It Slip That He Knows One Of His Health Initiatives May Have Terrible Consequences, And I Knew It Was Bad, But Damn

Yahoo

time01-07-2025

  • Yahoo

RFK Jr. Just Let It Slip That He Knows One Of His Health Initiatives May Have Terrible Consequences, And I Knew It Was Bad, But Damn

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has touted his plan to Make America Healthy Again (MAHA), which includes stances backed by questionable scientific evidence. He has spoken out against vaccines, called on states to ban fluoride, and made ableist comments about autism. Just last week, he actually let it slip that he's well aware that at least one of those initiatives could have some terrible consequences. Related: On Fox's The Faulkner Focus, news anchor Harris Faulkner asked RFK, Jr. about his stance on removing fluoride from drinking water. In particular, she questioned him about dentists' concerns that children from low-income families may not be able to get the preventative care that they'd need to protect them from tooth decay. Kennedy replied, "You know, it is an issue. It's a balance. You're gonna see probably slightly more cavities." The secretary went on to say, "Although in Europe, where they banned fluoride, they did not see an uptick in cavities. The issue is, parents need to decide because the science is very clear on fluoride. The National Toxicity Program issued a said there's a direct inverse correlation between the amount of fluoride in your water and loss of IQ." The American Dental Association (ADA) released a statement in April 2025, saying that the ADA "believes that good oral health depends on proper diet, nutrition, oral hygiene, and optimally fluoridated water. Eighty years of community water fluoridation at optimal levels has proven to be safe and effective at reducing tooth decay to improve oral health." And not all European countries have banned fluoride in their drinking water. In May 2025, the BBC reported that some areas have naturally occurring fluoride in their water, while others choose to fluoridate their milk, salt, or bottled water. In addition, the National Toxicology Program's study that the secretary cited specifically says that "lower IQ in children" can occur with the consumption of water containing "more than 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per liter," which is twice the CDC-recommended saturation of 0.7 milligrams per liter. They added directly, "It is important to note that there were insufficient data to determine if the low fluoride level of 0.7 mg/L currently recommended for U.S. community water supplies has a negative effect on children's IQ." Related: Historically, there are cities in the US and internationally that have removed fluoride from their water supply and seen increased cavities as a result. The New York Times reported that Calgary, in Alberta, Canada, is reintroducing fluoride into its water supply after 10 years, starting just this week. They noted that "The Alberta Children's Hospital saw a stark increase in the number of children from Calgary who needed antibiotics to treat dental infections after fluoride was removed from the drinking water." Unsurprisingly, people on Reddit had some thoughts on the secretary's comments. "Could we, instead, maybe focus on banning lead in our drinking water? We'll tell him it's to reduce obesity." —Stank_Dukem "So, honestly asking says it's a balance…so what are we gaining for the increase in dental costs to the tune of $300/year average for all Americans?" —pixiegod Related: "I used to be a dental hygienist. All this will do is cause people who have no money to now have to spend it on dental, but they can't. They won't because they can't. Increasing poverty. I hate this MF." —Apprehensive_Cheek77 "For the kids and adults who don't have access to dental care for whatever reason, this is going to be devastating. It hurts nothing and helps those who need it most." —brookmachine "How does having more cavities in children's mouths make us great and healthy again?" —Impressive_Car_4222 Related: The conversation continued over on Twitter (X), with one user saying, "More cavities for kids in families who can't afford dental care." "Gonna see slightly more cavities, but luckily in exchange for that we're going to get absolutely no benefits whatsoever so I guess it's a fair tradeoff," said another. And finally, "This isn't public health. It's policy by privilege." If you'd like to watch the full clip, you can do so below. And I'd love to know: Are you concerned about the levels of fluoride in Americans' drinking water, or do you think it should be left as-is? Let us know in the comments. Also in In the News: Also in In the News: Also in In the News:

RFK Jr. Just Let It Slip That He Knows One Of His Health Initiatives May Have Terrible Consequences, And I Knew It Was Bad, But Damn
RFK Jr. Just Let It Slip That He Knows One Of His Health Initiatives May Have Terrible Consequences, And I Knew It Was Bad, But Damn

Yahoo

time01-07-2025

  • Yahoo

RFK Jr. Just Let It Slip That He Knows One Of His Health Initiatives May Have Terrible Consequences, And I Knew It Was Bad, But Damn

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has touted his plan to Make America Healthy Again (MAHA), which includes stances backed by questionable scientific evidence. He has spoken out against vaccines, called on states to ban fluoride, and made ableist comments about autism. Just last week, he actually let it slip that he's well aware that at least one of those initiatives could have some terrible consequences. Related: On Fox's The Faulkner Focus, news anchor Harris Faulkner asked RFK, Jr. about his stance on removing fluoride from drinking water. In particular, she questioned him about dentists' concerns that children from low-income families may not be able to get the preventative care that they'd need to protect them from tooth decay. Kennedy replied, "You know, it is an issue. It's a balance. You're gonna see probably slightly more cavities." The secretary went on to say, "Although in Europe, where they banned fluoride, they did not see an uptick in cavities. The issue is, parents need to decide because the science is very clear on fluoride. The National Toxicity Program issued a said there's a direct inverse correlation between the amount of fluoride in your water and loss of IQ." The American Dental Association (ADA) released a statement in April 2025, saying that the ADA "believes that good oral health depends on proper diet, nutrition, oral hygiene, and optimally fluoridated water. Eighty years of community water fluoridation at optimal levels has proven to be safe and effective at reducing tooth decay to improve oral health." And not all European countries have banned fluoride in their drinking water. In May 2025, the BBC reported that some areas have naturally occurring fluoride in their water, while others choose to fluoridate their milk, salt, or bottled water. In addition, the National Toxicology Program's study that the secretary cited specifically says that "lower IQ in children" can occur with the consumption of water containing "more than 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per liter," which is twice the CDC-recommended saturation of 0.7 milligrams per liter. They added directly, "It is important to note that there were insufficient data to determine if the low fluoride level of 0.7 mg/L currently recommended for U.S. community water supplies has a negative effect on children's IQ." Related: Historically, there are cities in the US and internationally that have removed fluoride from their water supply and seen increased cavities as a result. The New York Times reported that Calgary, in Alberta, Canada, is reintroducing fluoride into its water supply after 10 years, starting just this week. They noted that "The Alberta Children's Hospital saw a stark increase in the number of children from Calgary who needed antibiotics to treat dental infections after fluoride was removed from the drinking water." Unsurprisingly, people on Reddit had some thoughts on the secretary's comments. "Could we, instead, maybe focus on banning lead in our drinking water? We'll tell him it's to reduce obesity." —Stank_Dukem "So, honestly asking says it's a balance…so what are we gaining for the increase in dental costs to the tune of $300/year average for all Americans?" —pixiegod Related: "I used to be a dental hygienist. All this will do is cause people who have no money to now have to spend it on dental, but they can't. They won't because they can't. Increasing poverty. I hate this MF." —Apprehensive_Cheek77 "For the kids and adults who don't have access to dental care for whatever reason, this is going to be devastating. It hurts nothing and helps those who need it most." —brookmachine "How does having more cavities in children's mouths make us great and healthy again?" —Impressive_Car_4222 Related: The conversation continued over on Twitter (X), with one user saying, "More cavities for kids in families who can't afford dental care." "Gonna see slightly more cavities, but luckily in exchange for that we're going to get absolutely no benefits whatsoever so I guess it's a fair tradeoff," said another. And finally, "This isn't public health. It's policy by privilege." If you'd like to watch the full clip, you can do so below. And I'd love to know: Are you concerned about the levels of fluoride in Americans' drinking water, or do you think it should be left as-is? Let us know in the comments. Also in In the News: Also in In the News: Also in In the News:

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