[Sally Le Page (OP)]

This week's question comes from listener Beth:

"My dog is always licking her fur but never gets a hairball. Why don't dogs get hairballs?"

Do you know the answer?

[evan_au]

Don't cats have a rough rasp of a tongue?
- Maybe a cat's tongue pulls out the loose hairs, and then they get them off their tongue by swallowing them?
- Dogs have a much smoother tongue...

[evan_au]

Apparently humans can get hairballs, too: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hairball

[Sally Le Page (OP)]

We answered this question on the show! You can listen here:

https://www.thenakedscientists.com/podcasts/question-week/why-dont-dogs-get-hairballs-when-cats-do [nofollow]