I was talking to one of my friends recently and she told me about her dog choking and asked if there was was a heimlich maneuver for dogs. There sure is! Thankfully her dog is okay and a friend was there to help in removing the object which was a bottle cap of all things.
Before performing the Heimlich there are a couple things to try first. And please if at all possible get your vet to show you these techniques. There are also often local classes you can take that demonstrate typical first aid for dogs. The anatomy of a dog is different than a human and you must be careful to not cause more damage in your attempts to help.
If your dog is attempting to cough the object up on their own let them try for a couple moments, if they begin to wheeze, gasping for breath or pawing at their face it is time to step in.
1. Sweep the mouth
Open the mouth and look for a foreign object. You can gently pull the tongue forward to gain a better view but be careful if the dog is conscious. Regardless of consciousness, sweep your finger through the dog’s mouth in an effort to feel or dislodge any object. Use caution to avoid being bitten. And be careful not to push the object further down the throat.
2. Tilt/Lift the dog
If the dog is a large dog you can tilt the dog by lifting it by the back legs like a wheel barrow, while the front legs remain on the ground, see if gravity will help dislodge the object.
For a small dog you can actually lift them by the back legs/thighs and give a couple gentle shakes as well when off the ground.
3. Back Blows
While your dog is standing use the heel of your hand to perform 4-5 sharp blows between the shoulder blades.
If none of these work to dislodge the object the Heimlich is the next option
There are a couple ways to do this and it depends on the size of your dog usually.
- Kneel behind the dog, with the dog facing away from you.
- Put your arms around the dog’s waist.
- Instead of making a fist, use a few knuckles of one hand and place them just below your dog’s last set of ribs on the soft part of the abdomen.
- Place your other hand flat on the dog’s back to keep him steady.
- Give a quick, hard poke with your knuckles.
- Press in and up four to five times gently, in a thrusting motion. Do not repeat more than four to five times.
- If the dog is lying down, place one hand on the back for support and use the other hand to squeeze the abdomen upwards and forwards.
- Check the dog’s mouth and remove any objects that may have been dislodged with your fingers.
For Medium to Large Dogs
- Stand behind the dog, with the dog facing away from you.
- Put your arms around the dog’s waist.
- Make a fist with one hand.
- Place your fist (thumb side up) just below your dog’s last set of ribs on the soft part of the abdomen.
- Wrap your other hand around that fist.
- Push firmly in and up in a quick and rapid manner, just behind the rib cage and toward’s the dog’s backbone. Apply enough force to move the dog’s whole body.
- If the obstruction is not dislodged try again for a maximum of four or five times.
- If the dog is lying down, place one hand on the back for support and use the other hand to squeeze the abdomen upwards and forwards.
- Check the dog’s mouth and remove any objects that may have been dislodges with your fingers.
One variation of the Heimlich maneuver for dogs is to try chest thrusts.
If you are unable to dislodge the item, you may need to perform CPR to provide oxygen to the dog while someone rushes you to a veterinarian.
For the visual learners here are two great videos showing some of these methods in action, please bookmark them and review often so you are comfortable should something like this happen to your pet.
Dog Safety Tip : Choking by Melanie
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm2WSjlg0MA
Animal Emergency Center: Heimlich
I admit I didn’t know about this until a couple years ago either, so I imagine there are many out there who don’t know how to perform this procedure.
I was SO thankful I remembered how to perform this when miss Luna decided to swallow a big piece of her goose breast…. whole. She started acting funny, hunched over and pacing attempted to throw up but couldn’t. I could tell she could still breath but something was totally off. I finally helped her out with a thrust and she got up, threw up some thick white foam and then was totally normal. My guess is the piece was too big to pass into the stomach easily and thus it made her uncomfortable.
Another note, it’s best to gently practice some of these ideas with your pet so you can get familiar with the motions as well as continue to get your dog familiar with normal body manipulating. Things like picking up dogs by their legs, opening their mouth, checking their stomachs and laying them on their side can turn a stressful situation into a much more stressful one for both dog and owner when they aren’t practiced ahead of time. So do your dog a favor and practice.