Dog First Aid: How to Help a Choking Dog

Pet first aid is just as important as first aid in humans but if your dog started to choke, would you be prepared? As with most health issues the best treatment is prevention. Two easy prevention tips are to keep cooked bones (which can splinter), and toys with small parts (which can be chewed off) away from your dog as both of these present choking hazards.

If you do notice your dog is choking, follow these steps as outlined by veterinarian Jon Rappaport.

1. Open your dog's mouth and remove the item he is choking on. *Note: Do not pull any object you feel as dogs have small bones that support the base of their tongues.

2. If you cannot remove the object your dog is choking on, try to dislodge the item by pointing your dog's head down. If you have a large dog, try lifting his rear legs in order to tilt his head.

3. If tilting your dog's head does not work, give him a sharp blow between the shoulder blades using the palm of your hand.

4. If the above steps still do not work, use a modified Heimlich maneuver for dogs. Grasp your dog around the waist so that his rear is nearest to you (similar to a bear hug).

5. Place one fist just behind your dog's ribs.

6. Compress your dog's abdomen with quick pushes about three times.

7. Check your dog's mouth to see if the foreign object has been dislodged.

8. If the above steps do not work, take your dog immediately to the nearest veterinarian or emergency animal hospital.

9. Even if you were successful at removing the object your dog was choking on, it is recommended that you take him to see a veterinarian for an examination.

Now that your dog is no longer in danger, it is important to make sure he is hydrated in order to aid the healing process. Below are tips that you can use to help your dog increase his water intake.

1. Give your dog an ice cube to lick, or add an ice cube to his water bowl.

2. Put some water in your hand and allow your dog to lick your hand.

3. Either feed your dog canned dog food (as it contains more water), or add water to your dog's dry dog food.

4. Add a small amount of orange-flavored Gatorade to your dog's water bowl or food.

*Note: It is important that you not to force water into your dog as it could lead to aspiration pneumonia if your dog is not swallowing appropriately.