Health: Choking

Add a comment to this page

Choking is an emergency situation that requires immediate intervention. It's caused by an object blocking the airway, preventing normal breathing.

Symptoms

• Forceful coughing
• Respiratory distress
• Pawing at the mouth
• Pale or blue tongue
• Collapse/unconsciousness

Treatment

If your dog is conscious and able to breathe, take him to the vet or emergency clinic at once. If he can't breathe, do the following whether or not he's still conscious:

• Place the dog on his side with his head on the floor. Open his mouth. If the dog's still conscious, place your hand over the snout and, with his lips between your hands and his teeth, carefully but forcefully apply pressure. Reassure the dog as you do this. Be aware that he may be panicked and may try to bite.
• Pull out the tongue as far as possible and--if you can see the object--sweep the mouth with your finger, grasp the object, and remove it. If the dog's conscious, be sure to maintain a very secure grip on the snout to prevent him from biting.
• If you can't see the object, don't try to remove it by feel. Dogs have small bones that support the tongue, which can be mistaken for foreign objects.

If you can't remove the object using the method above, proceed as below:

Vertical hold

If your dog's small enough, pick him up by the hind legs and hold him with his head pointed down. This may dislodge the object. If not, give him a sharp blow between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand. If this doesn't work, use the Heimlich maneuver.

Heimlich maneuver

The Heimlich maneuver can be as effective for dogs as for humans. For a larger dog who's still conscious, wrap your hands around his abdomen from behind. Put your fists together and place them at the abdomen, just beneath the rib cage. Compress sharply up and into the abdomen three to five times, and  [Continued]