How to Give Your Dog the Heimlich

Dogs are chewers by nature. They will chew on just about everything they can sink their teeth into. However, when that turns dangerous and your dog seems like they may be choking, do you know what to do?

Signs Your Dog is Choking

Many of the signs that your dog is choking are similar to the signs that a human may have. These include:

• Coughing
• Retching
• Drooling
• Whining
• Difficulty breathing
• Panicking
• Rubbing their face on the ground
• Excessive pawing at the mouth
• Blue lips and tongue

First Thing To Do

At the first sign that your dog is choking, you should try to open their mouth with both hands to see if there is something stuck in their mouth or teeth. Be careful to not get bitten as your dog may be in a state of panic. Remove any obstructions with your fingers. However, if you see something lodged in their throat, do not try to remove it. You can end up pushing it further back.

If you know the Heimlich maneuver, now would be the time to try it.

If you don’t know how to give your dog the Heimlich, take your dog to the nearest emergency vet. Don’t spend extra time trying to clear the blockage yourself if you are unsure of what to do as this could mean precious seconds to save your dog’s life.

How to do the Heimlich Maneuver on Dogs

For Small Dogs:

• Method 1: Hold your dog with their back to your front side, just like you would do to a human. Find the soft spot on your dog’s abdomen, just under the ribs. Once you find it, use your first and thrust in and up on their abdomen.
• Method 2: Lay your dog on their back and once again, find the soft spot on their abdomen, just under their ribs. Then, once again, thrust in and up on their abdomen.

Repeat these steps as necessary. If your dog coughs up the obstruction or it dislodges, you can remove it from their mouth.

For Large Dogs:

The methods for big dogs are similar to those for smaller dogs. However, the difference is that you don’t want to pick up a large dog.

• Method 1: Stand your dog up on their hind legs with their back against your front. Find the soft spot on your dog’s abdomen, just under the ribs. Once you find it, use your first and thrust in and up on their abdomen.
• Method 2: Lay your dog on their side and press inwards and upwards on their abdomen. You may also hold them from behind.

Repeat these steps as necessary. If your dog coughs up the obstruction or it dislodges, you can remove it from their mouth.

After the Heimlich

If you are successfully able to remove the obstruction from your dog’s airways, they should go back to breathing normally. However, if they do not, start administering CPR as soon as possible.

Even if your dog starts acting completely normal once the object is dislodged, you should still take them to the vet. The object stuck in the throat could have caused injuries that you will want to know about.

Prevent Choking

While accidents can happen to even the most careful of pet parents, their are steps you can take to reduce the risk of choking at home.

• Puppy-proof your home: Keeps objects out of reach of your dog
• Supervise playtime: anytime your dog is awake and exploring, they should be supervised. This is to prevent them from eating things they shouldn’t be.
• Choose the right size food and toys: Don’t give your dog food or toys that are not an appropriate size. Small dogs need small kibble while bigger dogs can have bigger kibble

Here are some other common causes of choking in pets.

Hopefully, you will never need to give your dog the Heimlich, but it may good to brush up on your skills. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.