Re: Choking

In Reply to: Choking
Category:   Medical
Posted by:  Liza
Posted on:  November 12, 2002 at 09:32:59

: I always supervise my little one when he's chewing on his chewies. He's got power jaws--in fact, I've seen him go through a bully stick in about 5 minutes! He's never choked, but I was wondering what I should do if that were to ever happen. Is there a hemlich maneuver for dogs? Or is there something else that should be done before taking him to the vet--which (unfortunately) is about 20 minutes away.

: Thanks again for all your valuable information.

Response:

Dear Liza,

There are two specific maneuvers that can be performed when a dog is choking -- one is a modified version of the Heimlich and the other is used if the dog loses consciousness. Since both require specific techniques, I highly recommend that you ask your vet for a demonstration.

While I know that most medical texts offer written explanations on how to care for a dog in an emergency (like choking) I personally feel better knowing exactly where and how to put my hands on my dogs because someone showed me. :-)