Football-Sized Hairball to be Removed From Tiger

A tiger with a football-sized hair ball in its stomach was taken into surgery Wednesday in Clearwater.

Vernon Yates, who runs Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation in Largo, brought in "Ty," a 17-year-old tiger, after it started having trouble eating about two weeks ago.

Ty usually eats about 15 pounds of meat a day, Yates said. Since he got ill, Ty is being fed about three pounds a day. The tiger lost about 100 pounds since the hair ball formed, Yates said.

Ty was expected to undergo surgery for about two hours Wednesday afternoon to have the hair ball removed at BluePearl Veterinary Partners emergency hospital.

*updated 9:34 p.m. May 22, 2013

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