What To Do If Your Dog Is Choking

You may think you know what to do if your dog is choking. But do you really? As a dog parent, I cannot emphasize this enough: You should not only know of the Heimlich Maneuver for dogs, but you need to get comfortable with performing it.

The Panic Is Real When Your Dog Is Choking

It started like any Monday. I was in bed, trying to return to sleep. My husband was headed out the door to work at 5 am. He gave each of the girls a treat as he does every day. And it happened. Lemon began to choke.

She’d swallowed the cookie whole and it had lodged in her throat just so. I knew something was deadly wrong the second he yelled my name. Thinking I was familiar with what to do when your dog is choking, I did the finger sweep in her mouth. I did it again. There was nothing. I couldn’t reach the cookie.

Lemon’s whole body was beating as her heart raced. Her paws curled toward her mouth, scratching, trying herself to dislodge the offending treat. She cut her gums and blood covered her paws. Frantic, we clapped her back and sides. Though I’d casually read how to do the dog Heimlich Maneuver before, my dog was choking before my eyes, and I found myself unsure of exactly what to do.

The Heimlich Maneuver For Dogs

Long story short, we had a couple of minutes of sheer, horrifying panic before Lemon choked up the cookie. I knew immediately I needed to not just know of the Heimlich Maneuver for dogs…I needed to get comfortable with executing it.

Check to see if the item can be removed from your dog’s mouth. Using your index finger, sweep the mouth to hook and remove it. Take care not to push the item further into your dog’s throat. Raising your dog’s back legs may allow gravity to move the object forward enough to dislodge it.

If you’re unable to remove the item with a finger sweep, make a fist with one hand and cup it with the other hand. Placing your hands just below your dog’s ribs, execute a rapid thrust five times into the diaphragm with an upward motion. Again, check your dog’s mouth for the item with a finger sweep.

If the item was not dislodged, give five sharp blows on your dog’s back between their shoulder blades. Only once the airway is clear, if you dog is unconscious, begin CPR. You can learn more about pet CPR here.

After a choking incident, always have your dog checked out by your veterinarian to ensure there is no damage or other injury.

Practice Makes Perfect

Practice these motions and placement when your dog is not choking, so you become comfortable with what to do when your dog is choking.

No, I am not saying to actually thrust into your dog’s diaphragm. But make the fist and learn where to place it. Sweep your finger into your dog’s mouth on the regular, so doing so is not an unusual experience for your dog, or for you.

We are very fortunate that Lemon is okay, in spite of our utter panic over what to do to help her. I hope I never need these skills again, but you better believe I’m making sure I not only know what to do, but that I’m comfortable doing it.