What To Do If Your Dog Starts Choking?

It is not very uncommon for dogs to get choked. Either it is a random object or a food substance too big to swallow that might be blocking the airway.

Here are step wise first aid steps that you need to perform till vet assistance arrives

1. Open your dog’s mouth and look for a foreign object under bright source of light or a penlight. Try grabbing your dog’s tongue and grope your fingers into its mouth to feel the object and dislodge it. Take care that your dog doesn’t bite you.

2. If you fail to feel the object or dog is unconscious with clenched teeth, lift your dog and place it against your chest such that the dog’s spine is pressed against your chest. Perform abdominal thrusts by placing your hands under the dog behind waist line. Make pushing up movements by closed fists just under the last rib. This should push the object up in the throat. Repeat step 1.

3. In case of no success, try to lift dog upside down by holding its hips firmly for 2 minutes. Repeat step 1.

4. If object is not dislodged, make you dog sit or stand and administer firm blows with your hands at dog’s back precisely between its shoulder blades.

Repeat above steps until the object is dislodged and keep checking for heartbeat. Perform CPR if necessary.

• If your dog is too heavy to perform step 2 then, stand behind the dog, bend over and wrap your arms around the dog under the rib cage. Pulling in and up, give 5 rapid abdominal thrusts. Repeat step 1.

• If your dog is too heavy to perform step 3 then pick up the dog by his hind feet (like a wheelbarrow) so his head is lower than his hips for 2 minutes. Repeat step 1.

Don’ts

• Don’t muzzle the dog if it shows sign of choking or even goes violent.

• Don’t use any sharp object to dislodge the object.

• Don’t try to swing or shake the dog

One must take care that dog doesn’t make a habit to put small bones, socks, balls into its mouth. This might not be impossible using proper dog training technique and training rewards. Also make sure that dog toys and bone for dog to chew are safe to play with. With vet approved dog training equipment you can cultivate habit of playing with dog toys and avoiding smaller objects.

Dogs when under training should be considered as kids and should be under supervision for the maximum possible time. The number of veterinary services should be kept handy for emergency situations. As a dog parent, you should not panic if dog contracts some problem, instead you should keep calm and perform first aid methods. Dogs tend to recognize things as safe and unsafe if they are trained to do so. Hence proper training is the key for safety. For dealing with emergency situations you must be aware of first aid methods to be performed in case of common incidences like choking.