Dr Hunter Finn took to TikTok to share the warning, explaining why dog owners should never use tennis balls when playing with their dogs.

"Stop giving your dog tennis balls. Right now, you're probably thinking, 'Dr Finn, how does [a tennis ball] harm my dog?'" he started the video.

"Well, when you're playing fetch with your dog and throwing this thing, it's getting caught in saliva and dirt and sand, and [the felt covering the ball] just basically turns into sandpaper."

"As that ball turns in your dog's mouth as it's playing with it, and you're grabbing it, and it's being thrown and picked up multiple times … your dog's [teeth] will start to look like this."

Dr Finn shows an image of a dog's teeth that have started to wear down.

He then goes on to explain that if your dog's teeth sustain damage from a tennis ball, they don't always have to be removed, but it will depend on the state of your dog's teeth.

He suggested using a rubber ball or something smoother that would not pick up sand or dirt.

Many people were saddened to hear this. "So… are you going to tell my dog? Because I'm not going to break his heart," one user wrote.

"My dog doesn't play fetch, he just pulls the hairs off and then has neon poops," another shared.