What Do You Do When Your Dog is Choking?

Choking is one of the most common reasons our dogs are taken to the emergency veterinary clinic. We try our best to keep our pets safe, but even under a watchful eye they can get into trouble. Knowing how to handle that trouble can become a life saving event. Dogs are constantly getting into items that they can, and do, choke on. A choking dog is an emergency situation, and you may not have time to get to the vet soon enough to save your precious friend. Therefore, it’s very important to understand how to safely treat a choking dog to make sure that he’s alive and as well as can be for his follow up visit with the veterinarian.

• Know the Signs – Pets, just like humans, that can’t breath will start panicking. If you happen to see your dog frantically pawing at its mouth or under severe distress, check to see if he’s choking. If you’re later on the scene, and you find your dog unresponsive or unconscious, check his throat to make sure there is nothing lodged in the airway. The most common items dogs choke on are balls, chew toys or sticks that have broken into smaller pieces, and lumps of gristle. Chew toys as sticks can become enlarged when moistened by the saliva in the dog’s mouth, and although they may seem small enough to pass through initially, they could get stuck.

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