Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook.pdf - Mr. Walnuts

316 •DOG OWNER’S HOME VETERINARY HANDBOOK
CHOKING (FOREIGN BODY IN THE LARYNX)
The sudden onset of forceful coughing, pawing at the mouth, and respiratory
distress in a healthy dog suggest a foreign body caught in the larynx. This is an
emergency! If the dog is conscious and able to breathe, proceed at once to the
nearest veterinary clinic.
If your dog is gagging and retching but is not experiencing difficulty in
breathing, assume a foreign object such as a bone splinter or rubber ball is
caught in her mouth or in the back of her throat. These subjects are discussed
in Foreign Body in the Throat, page 252.
Fortunately, a foreign body in the larynx is not common. Most objects are
expelled by the forceful coughing that results from laryngeal stimulation.
Treatment: If the dog collapses and is unable to breathe, place her on her
side with her head down. Open her mouth, pull out her tongue as far as you
can, sweep your fingers from side to side, grasp the object, and remove it. Then
administer artificial respiration or CPR as necessary (see CPR, page 7).
If the object cannot be easily removed, do not try to get around it with your
fingers. This will force it further down the throat. Instead, proceed to the
Heimlich Maneuver.
The Heimlich Maneuver
1. Abdominal compressions. It may be easiest to hold the dog upside
down in your lap, with her back against your chest and her head highest,
but facing down. Place your arms around the dog’s waist from behind.
Make a fist and grasp it with the other hand. For a small dog, you may
have to just use two fingers. Place your fist or fingers in the dog’s upper
mid-abdomen close to the breast bone at the apex of the V formed by
the rib cage.
Compress the abdomen by forcefully thrusting up and in with the fist or
fingers four times in quick succession. This maneuver pushes the
diaphragm upward and forces a burst of air through the larynx. This usually
dislodges the object. Proceed to step 2.
2. Finger sweeps. Pull out the tongue and sweep the mouth. Remove the
foreign body and proceed to step 5. If you are unable to dislodge the
object, proceed to step 3.
3. Artificial respiration. Give five mouth-to-nose respirations. Even a
small volume of air getting past the obstruction is beneficial. Proceed to
step 4.
4. Chest thumps. Deliver a sharp blow with the heel of your hand to the
dog’s back between the shoulder blades. Repeat the finger sweeps. If the
object is still not dislodged, repeat steps 1 through 4 until the object is
dislodged.