What to do if your dog is choking
Immediate veterinary care isnât always an option, even if itâs the recommended thing to do. If you notice that your dog is choking, the following measures may buy you some time while you are arranging for medical attention.
Remove any item that may be constricting the neck, like a tight collar. If you can do it safely, examine the inside of the mouth and remove any foreign object you see, but do not attempt to remove an object unless you can see and identify it easily.
If you cannot easily remove the object, lift and suspend a small animal with the head pointed down. For larger animals, lift the rear legs so the head is tilted down, like a wheelbarrow. This can help dislodge an item stuck in the throat. Another method is to administer a sharp hit with the palm of your hand between the shoulder blades, which can sometimes dislodge an object.
Finally, learn to use the modified Heimlich maneuver for dogs. Grasp the animal around the waist so that the rear is nearest to you, similar to a bear hug. Place a fist just behind the ribs. Compress the belly three to five times with quick pushes. Check the mouth to see if the foreign object has been dislodged.
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Tennis balls are the quintessential modern dog toy. My dog can sniff them out of roadside ditches, and nothing gives her as much joy as chasing after them in a wide-open field. However, tennis balls are a special toy in our household, reserved for supervised playtime.
This is because, while they are undeniably one of the most beloved dog toys out there, tennis balls can pose health risks for dogs.
My dog loves chomping on tennis balls until they pop. Dogs with powerful jaws like hers can easily break tennis balls in their mouths. This can lead to serious choking hazards. Sometimes, one-half of the tennis ball can get lodged in the back of their throats, blocking the airway. If this seems far-fetched, you may have heard that Oprah Winfrey’s Golden Retriever, Gracie, choked to death on a plastic ball.
The ball itself is not the only choking risk. Some dogs enjoy shredding the yellow-green fuzz that surrounds the tennis ball. Eating this fuzz can lead to choking hazards and intestinal blockages that could require surgery.
Choking hazards aside, tennis balls pose another risk: dental wear and tear.
That green fuzz might seem soft, but tennis balls are designed to withstand tennis courts and rackets. Dr. Thomas Chamberlain, a board-certified veterinary dental specialist, warns that the fuzz is actually quite abrasive, and accumulated dirt and sand increases the abrasive quality of the ball. As your dog chomps on a tennis ball, the fuzz acts like sandpaper, gradually wearing down her teeth in a process called “blunting.” This can eventually lead to dental problems such as exposed tooth pulp and difficulty chewing.
They ate something they shouldnât have
A âforeign objectâ such as a toy, sock, stick, or anything really that your dog attempts to eat could cause them to choke. The object can cause choking in a dog either directly, meaning., actually in the airway, or indirectly, meaning itâs compressing on the airway. A dog can manage to swallow something without it necessarily being âstuck,â but it compresses the trachea, making breathing difficult.Related article
How to get your pet to stop chewing on inedibles from clothes to couches.
Severe throat swelling can also cause choking and is usually associated with an allergic reaction or response to trauma like a snake bite. The tissues within the throat can swell and block the opening to the airway.