Dogs are big chewers, and they often don’t differentiate between bones, sticks, toys, shoes and stones. If an object fits in it’s mouth, dogs explore it by chewing. Problems arise if the object or part of an object is small and gets lodged in it’s airway causing choking.
Just like humans, dogs will panic when choking, which can lead to suffocation. You will know your dog is choking if it starts gasping, coughing harshly, wheezing, bringing it’s paw to it’s mouth or if you see it’s eyes bulging.
You should always give the dog the time to clear it’s own airway of the object for a few seconds, before checking it’s mouth. This is preferable because when you go into your dog’s mouth there is always the danger of inadvertently pushing the object further down the throat, damaging tissue and getting bitten yourself.
The video you are about to watch below, does a great job of taking you through the steps of helping choking dogs of different sizes. Should removing the object from the dog’s mouth fail, the next step would be TILTING the animal (method is differentiated for small and large dogs), and the final method if all else fails is the HEIMLICH MANEUVER.
The tutorial shows the method of performing this maneuver for small dogs vs medium and large dogs. Being shown the right amount of force to apply, prior to ever possibly having to using the Heimlich, is a prudent idea. Because dog’s ribs are more flexible than a human’s, the thrusting motion of the Heimlich maneuver can potentially cause lung flailing which won’t allow the object to be expelled.
Additionally, applying the right amount of force is key, because too much pressure can cause internal damage to the dog’s organs. You will find the following footage extremely helpful in illustrating proper procedures.
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