A choking episode can be very scary for the dog guardian and the dog. Knowing what to watch for and what to do if your dog is choking can be life-saving.

First it is important to recognize choking right away.

Signs Your Dog is Choking

• Distress escalating to panic
• Pawing at the mouth
• Salivation
• Excessive, exaggerated swallowing
• Coughing
• Gagging or retching
• Blue or purple gums or tongue

Coughing is often misinterpreted by dog guardians as choking. Both can look similar, but with choking, your dog will have trouble inhaling and the symptoms are much more alarming. If it’s just coughing, your dog will inhale almost normally. A coughing dog will not usually display symptoms of panic, excessive drooling, and blue-tinged mucous membranes as a choking dog would. Another way to tell the difference is your dog appears normal between coughs. If he’s choking, the symptoms are not likely to subside until the object is removed.

The Different Scenarios of Choking Dogs

1. Upper airway obstruction
   The upper airway consists of the nasal cavities, oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx. If these are blocked by an object or swelling then air cannot reach the trachea (windpipe). If your dog is choking because the upper airway is obstructed then the symptoms would be due to a lack of ability to breathe. These would look like panic, blue-colored tongue, and gums, and eventually lead to passing out. The obstruction can be due to a physical object or due to conditions such as tracheal collapse, laryngeal paralysis or brachycephalic syndrome.
2. An esophageal obstruction
   When dogs swallow something large such as a toy, piece of bone, corn cob, etc it can get lodged in the esophagus rather than the airway. This leads to choking because it causes excessive production of saliva that can then obstruct the upper airway. The symptoms are exaggerated swallowing, foamy drooling that can lead to panic, and cyanosis (blue colored gums and tongue) once the saliva builds up in the back of the throat.
3. An object such as a stick is stuck across the hard palate between the upper dental arcade. These symptoms are usually pawing at the face, distress, and drooling. The symptoms of this do not usually appear like your dog is having difficulty breathing but he may be visually upset.
4. Strangulation

• Collars
  Collars pose a serious strangulation risk when dogs are crated or left alone in the house or backyard. Our own puppy almost died from getting his collar stuck on the inside of his crate while I was driving. Take the collar off when you are not with your dog or when he/she is crated.
  If you have more than one dog it is essential to take their collars off when they are playing. One dog can get his teeth stuck in the other’s collar and cause strangulation. Unfortunately, this is one tragedy we see too often in the ER.
• Tags
  Tags also pose a risk of getting caught on things and leading to strangulation. Place tags or embroidery on a harness instead.
• Drapery and blind cords
  These pose another strangulation risk. Be sure that the cords from your drapes or blinds are out of reach. This is more of a risk for mischievous and curious puppies.

What to do if your dog is choking

1. Firstly, gently restrain your dog to protect yourself, but do not muzzle them as they are struggling to breathe because it will make things worse. Choking dogs are likely to struggle, potentially causing harm to themselves and to you, they may thrash around and bite in their panic.
2. Open the mouth and look inside. An object in the mouth such as a stick or piece of bone may be able to be removed with a large pair of tweezers or by reaching into the dog’s mouth, with the help of another person. Sticks stuck across the hard palate between the upper dental arcade can be grabbed with your fingers or a large tweezer. DO NOT put yourself at risk of being bitten.
3. If a solid object is lodged at the back of the throat one person should hold the mouth open extremely carefully (try to press their lips over their teeth to protect your fingers) and another reach into the dog’s mouth to grasp the item and remove it. Do not push at the object with your fingers as you may lodge it deeper. If the choking is not due to a physical object obstruction then get to your vet as quickly as possible. Put the air conditioning on high in the car to help his breathing.
4. Do not stick your fingers further down the throat or finger sweep to try and locate an object, as this is likely to cause damage to the delicate tissues at the back of the throat.
5. The XXT technique (external extraction technique) – Large objects, such as balls or rubber toys, can sometimes be dislodged by placing firm pressure with both thumbs underneath the jaw at the base of the throat and pushing up and forward. Here is a video demonstrating this.
   
   
   

Prevention is Key

• Check that balls and rubber toys are small enough for your dog to carry but large enough that they can’t completely fit it in their mouth – it should extend beyond their jaws a bit, and be obvious when they have it.
• Don’t leave your puppy or dog alone with toys or bones to chew.
• Take your dog’s collar off when you are not with him, when he’s playing with other dogs or when he is crated. Choose embroidery instead of tags.
• Try to prevent your dog from chewing on sticks
• Prevent your dog from picking up things off of the ground on walks.
• Be sure the garbage is inaccessible to your dog so they can’t get to things like corn cobs that can get stuck in their esophagus.
• Keep drapery cords are out of your dog’s reach.
• If your dog has a cough get it checked right away to avoid it leading to upper airway obstruction.

Your dog is safer today because you took the time to read this blog. You’re a Rockstar Dog Guardian.

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