How to Help A Choking Dog
Even the most cautious Pet Parent may be faced with their dog choking, so it’s important to know what to do if the situation occurs.
The clip below from the Penn Vet Working Dog Centre demonstrates how you can help a choking dog as well as how to perform the Heimlich Maneuver for dogs.
Five Steps To Help A Choking Dog
- If you think your dog is choking, don’t panic and check their mouth and airway to see if you can see what is causing them to choke. If you can see it and can safely do so, then remove the object.
- But if you cannot see or it is unsafe to remove the object, you will have to perform the Heimlich Maneuver. Be mindful that your dog may also pass out or collapse if they are choking and not to panic.
- Place your dog onto their side, and if you can, ensure that their neck is extended to give you a straight line and gives them the best chance to expel the blockage.
- Place your hand on the lower side of your dog’s body, just under their rib cage, and as demonstrated in the video, you will then push. This will hopefully create a force that will allow the blockage to be expelled from your dog’s airways.
- After the blockage has been removed, it is vital for you to check your dog’s airways and their breathing too and monitor them over the next couple of hours just in case you feel that they should also see a vet.
Hopefully, none of our Pet Parents will ever be faced with a situation where their dog or someone else’s dog is choking. Still, we hope this post has helped you develop the basic knowledge of what to do if the situation arises.
The Possible Choking Hazards for Dogs
As Pet Parents, our primary job is to be a leader for our dogs, to ensure that they are safe, well, supported, loved and cared for.
Another aspect of being a pet parent is setting up our dogs for success, meaning it’s crucial that we know the potential choking hazards for dogs and remove them from their environment if possible or limit their presence.
By either removing potential choking hazards or being aware and present when our dogs are engaging with them, placing us as Pet Parents in the best possible position to act if our dog does begin to choke.
Possible Choking Hazards for Dogs
- Collars.
Now all our dogs will probably wear a collar on a day to day basis, but it mustn’t become a hazard for our dogs. This means regularly checking to ensure that the collar hasn’t become too tight and isn’t interfering with our dog’s ability to eat, drink and go about their daily life. If a collar ever appears too tight, then simply loosen it. - Rawhide.
Rawhide is a common treat that people give their dogs. However, we’ve already written about how awful this treat can be for our dogs, but it also poses a choking risk for our dogs. If a piece comes off and our dog swallows it, intentionally or unintentionally, when we’re not around, then this could cause our dog to choke or a blockage in the digestive tract to occur. - Sticks and Stones.
For most dogs, it’s natural for them to pick up anything and everything from off the ground, and it’s pretty common for us to give our dogs sticks to carry around with them on walks. However, it’s essential to keep an eye on the stick’s condition as if it splinters, this could cause your dog to choke. - Toys.
Another natural thing that many dogs do is that they destroy their toys, whether it’s a rope, a tennis ball or any other type of toy. It’s always important to keep an eye on the toy’s condition as it can be really easy for little bits to break off, which our dogs may decide to try and eat.
If you’re interested in learning more or perhaps undertaking Dog First Aid Training, then check our the Dog First Aid courses website: https://www.dog-first-aid.com/courses/dog-first-aid
But if you’re interested in reading more at first, then check out these articles below.
Healthy Pets: https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2021/06/10/choking-hazards-for-pets.aspx
First Aid for Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT_vNktCbyw
First Aid for Pets:https://firstaidforpets.net/dog-choking/