If you know your dog has a small ball, toy, piece of food, or other object stuck in his trachea (windpipe) and he can't breathe, do the Heimlich maneuver immediately.
How to give the Heimlich maneuver to your dog
1. Stand (if he's a tall dog) or kneel (if he's a small or medium dog) behind the dog, with the dog facing away from you.
2. Put your arms around the dog's waist. Make a fist with one hand and place your fist, thumb side up, on the dog's abdomen just below his ribs. Wrap your other hand around that fist.
3. Give a hard, fast jerk or squeeze upward, toward the dog's backbone. Apply enough force to move the dog's whole body. (If he's a very small dog, place two knuckles of one hand on the abdomen just below the ribs and the other hand flat on the dog's back to help steady him, then give a quick, hard poke upward with your knuckles.)
4. If the object does not come out of the dog's mouth on the first try, give another hard jerk. If after three or four jerks the object still has not come out or the dog still can't breathe, rush him to the nearest veterinary clinic, where a vet can do a tracheotomy (cut a hole in the dog's windpipe below the obstruction) to get air into the lungs and then remove the object surgically.
Click here to see an image of the Heimlich maneuver.
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Always seek veterinary care following first aid attempts. To learn more about pet first aid, register for a course in your area. See page 2 for a list of pet first-aid courses.
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