Dog Choking
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Choking Dog: How To Help
Signs that your dog is choking include convulsive coughing, choking noises, open mouth, protruding tongue and pawing at the mouth.
You may be able to dislodge a blocking object by application of a modified Heimlich maneuver. Position yourself behind the dog and wrap your arms or hands around the abdomen, beneath the rib cage. Apply a quick and forceful squeeze.
Try this several times. If not successful, thump the dog's chest several times on both sides with cupped hands. An alternative (providing the dog is small) is to hold the dog by the scruff of the neck and the hind legs. Turn the dog upside down and shake vigorously for one minute.
It will not take long for a choking dog to lose consciousness. Once it does, you will have approximately 60 seconds to examine the back of the mouth and throat before the heart stops beating. Extend the head and neck forward, open the mouth and pull out the tongue. Use a flashlight to examine the throat for foreign objects and remove any foreign object that you find (making sure you are not pulling on the internal throat structure).
Do not attempt to retrieve an object by projecting your finger into the dog's throat. This will only lodge the object further down the throat.
Signs that your dog is choking include convulsive coughing, choking noises, open mouth, protruding tongue and pawing at the mouth.
You may be able to dislodge a blocking object by application of a modified Heimlich maneuver. Position yourself behind the dog and wrap your arms or hands around the abdomen, beneath the rib cage. Apply a quick and forceful squeeze.
Try this several times. If not successful, thump the dog's chest several times on both sides with cupped hands. An alternative (providing the dog is small) is to hold the dog by the scruff of the neck and the hind legs. Turn the dog upside down and shake vigorously for one minute.
It will not take long for a choking dog to lose consciousness. Once it does, you will have approximately 60 seconds to examine the back of the mouth and throat before the heart stops beating. Extend the head and neck forward, open the mouth and pull out the tongue. Use a flashlight to examine the throat for foreign objects and remove any foreign object that you find (making sure you are not pulling on the internal throat structure).
Do not attempt to retrieve an object by projecting your finger into the dog's throat. This will only lodge the object further down the throat.