We had another trip to the E vet today!

I was at my dads house,. My father, Tasha, my dad's dog Bella and me were all hanging out on the deck . Suddenly, Tasha jumped up and ran down onto the pool cover. She was gagging as if she was choking, whipping her head around and swiping her paws like she was trying to get something off of her face. It was very scary!

I got her to come to me pried open her mouth to see what was going on. She had a 4 inch twig stuck across the roof of her mouth wedged in between her molars!

I couldn't keep her mouth open long enough to pull it out, and since it was all the way back I was a little afraid of her clamping down on my hand. The poor baby was panicking!

We ended up at the vet, and I'm glad that I took her right in. They ended up having to sedate her to get the stick out. She's sleeping at my feet right now.

Its the little things that will get ya!

I decided to post here to ask itf anybody happens to know what to do in the event that a dog is actually choking. Has anyone ever dealt with that before?

Having that moment of thinking she was choking and not knowing what to do scared the crap out of me!

Thanks!

Poor Tasha! That sounds so scary- it was your quick thinking that kept her from further injuring herself. I've heard horror stories about sticks puncturing the trachea or the roof of the mouth.

Thank god she's ok! Take a deep breath!

I've always wanted to take an animal-based first aid class. Even more ammunition to actually do it!

I have had all my dogs choke on a RMB at one time or another as pups or adults. I have just grabbed them & stuck my hand down their throat & pulled out whatever was stuck. I never feed my dogs & walk away. Can't say that I have had to chase them though, as they were just standing there eating when it happened. I always stand there & keep an eye on them when they are eating. I have had my female, who is an avid stick chewer if she can get away with it, get a piece of stick lodged between her teeth much like your dog did. Although she just stayed where she was & was behaving as your dog did with her paws. She did not panic like your dog did. Again I just reached in & took it out. I did have an episolde where she chewed on a stick out on the side of the field one day that was crumbly & it scratched her throat up & she was bleeding & I had to do the emergency vet(as it was a late Sat eve) to make sure that she didn't do any real damage or perferate anything. She has always been a stick chewer & I have been even more vigilent about keeping her from eating sticks after that episode. I guess that I never thought about getting bit, I just stuck my hand in. But if you think that she was that paniced, she may have just reacted & bitten you. Glad your dog is ok.

Heimlich maneuver is not just for humans - it's also used on dogs:

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1677&aid=3551.

Glad Tasha is OK!

Wow...Glad she is alright!
She has not been having a good month!
I took an animal First Aid/CPR class many years ago, it was worth the money. My previous GSD choked on a small rubber ball that went to a Jacks game, very scary, even with the training! This was a dog that never chewed anything, no interest in toys, virtually no prey drive, so pretty much the only thing he put in his mouth, he choked on! Roger loves running around with sticks, I am always throwing them out of his reach.

Usually she is just into big logs and tree branches! I always get a kick out of watching her pick up a branch that is eight feet long and 10 inches around and take off running full speed through the woods with it.

She hasn't even tried to put anything remotely small or dangerous in her mouth in at least 8 months. I will be watching her much more closely from now on.

She does like to pick up the ribs from her food bowl the long way and carry them into the hallway to chew them, though. THAT always makes me nervous!

I will ask my vet about doggie CPR.

Thanks everybody!

Maggie choked on a 3 inch piece of a bully stick months ago when we had just gotten her home from the kennel/quarantine. We were sure we were cursed! Anyway, she was hacking up blood and freaking out. My husband picked her up to take her to the car and to the e-vet when out came the bully stick. While it wasn't a formal Heimlich, the picking her up popped that thing out. She looked around like, what the heck is going on?

OY.

 Quote: ana kozlowsky

Heimlich maneuver is not just for humans - it's also used on dogs:

please check your URL bbcode syntax!!!

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1677&aid=3551.

Thanks, Ana, glad to know the Heimlich can be used for dogs as well. My instinct would be to try it if airway blockage seemed to be the issue. I actually had a friend in high school whose father died choking on a piece of steak (pre-Heimlich).

I have 4" sticks ALL OVER my yard. Man, this was scary. Glad Tasha is OK.