Choking Emergency
Category: emergency
Choking occurs when a foreign object becomes lodged in a pets throat or airway, partially or completely blocking breathing. This is a true emergency that requires immediate action. Dogs are more commonly affected than cats due to their tendency to chew and swallow objects, but any pet can choke on food, toys, bones, or small household items.
## Recognizing Choking
**Partial obstruction:** The pet can still breathe but with difficulty. Signs include gagging, retching, pawing at the mouth, drooling excessively, coughing forcefully, wheezing or making high-pitched breathing sounds, appearing panicked or restless, and making exaggerated swallowing motions.
**Complete obstruction:** The pet cannot breathe. Signs include inability to make sound (no coughing or whimpering), blue or grey gums and tongue (cyanosis), collapse, loss of consciousness, exaggerated chest movements without air exchange, and fixed, dilated pupils (in advanced oxygen deprivation).
## Common Choking Hazards
**Dogs:** Balls that are too small (tennis balls can lodge in large breed dogs throats), rawhide chews, cooked bones (splinter into sharp fragments), corn cobs, large chunks of food (carrots, apples), small toys and toy parts, sticks, and rocks.
**Cats:** String, ribbon, and tinsel (linear foreign bodies), small toy parts, rubber bands, hair ties, and bones.
## What to Do — Step by Step
**Step 1: Stay calm and assess.** Determine if the pet is actually choking vs. gagging or coughing. A coughing pet is moving air and may clear the object on its own. Let them try to cough it up.
**Step 2: If partial obstruction — let them cough.** If the pet can still breathe and is coughing, let them try to expel the object. Restraining or interfering may worsen the obstruction. Head to your veterinarian immediately while monitoring.
**Step 3: If complete obstruction — act immediately.**
For small dogs and cats: Hold the pet upside down by the hips and gently shake/swing downward to use gravity. If this fails, place the pet on its side and apply 5 quick, sharp compressions to the chest just behind the last rib.
For large dogs: Perform the Heimlich maneuver — stand behind the dog, place your fist just below the rib cage, and thrust firmly upward and forward 5 times. If the dog is lying down, place one hand on the back and use the other to push upward on the abdomen just below the ribs.
**Step 4: Check the mouth.** After each attempt, open the mouth and look for the object. Only attempt to remove it if you can clearly see and reach it — blind sweeping can push objects deeper.
**Step 5: If the pet becomes unconscious,** begin CPR — alternate rescue breaths with chest compressions — and transport to a veterinarian immediately.
## After the Object Is Removed
Even if you successfully remove the object, veterinary examination is recommended. The foreign body may have caused damage to the throat or airway. Internal injuries may not be immediately apparent. The pet may have inhaled debris into the lungs. Soft tissue swelling can cause secondary breathing difficulty hours later.
## What NOT to Do
Do NOT put your fingers in a choking pets mouth unless you can clearly see the object — you risk being bitten and pushing the object deeper. Do NOT attempt the Heimlich maneuver on a pet that is able to cough and breathe. Do NOT give water or food to a pet that is choking. Do NOT use tools (pliers, tweezers) to remove objects from the throat at home.
## Prevention
Choose toys appropriate for your pets size (they should be too large to swallow). Avoid giving cooked bones (they splinter). Supervise chewing sessions with rawhides and dental chews. Cut food into appropriate-sized pieces. Keep small household items out of reach. Keep string, ribbon, tinsel, and rubber bands away from cats.
## Recognizing Choking
**Partial obstruction:** The pet can still breathe but with difficulty. Signs include gagging, retching, pawing at the mouth, drooling excessively, coughing forcefully, wheezing or making high-pitched breathing sounds, appearing panicked or restless, and making exaggerated swallowing motions.
**Complete obstruction:** The pet cannot breathe. Signs include inability to make sound (no coughing or whimpering), blue or grey gums and tongue (cyanosis), collapse, loss of consciousness, exaggerated chest movements without air exchange, and fixed, dilated pupils (in advanced oxygen deprivation).
## Common Choking Hazards
**Dogs:** Balls that are too small (tennis balls can lodge in large breed dogs throats), rawhide chews, cooked bones (splinter into sharp fragments), corn cobs, large chunks of food (carrots, apples), small toys and toy parts, sticks, and rocks.
**Cats:** String, ribbon, and tinsel (linear foreign bodies), small toy parts, rubber bands, hair ties, and bones.
## What to Do — Step by Step
**Step 1: Stay calm and assess.** Determine if the pet is actually choking vs. gagging or coughing. A coughing pet is moving air and may clear the object on its own. Let them try to cough it up.
**Step 2: If partial obstruction — let them cough.** If the pet can still breathe and is coughing, let them try to expel the object. Restraining or interfering may worsen the obstruction. Head to your veterinarian immediately while monitoring.
**Step 3: If complete obstruction — act immediately.**
For small dogs and cats: Hold the pet upside down by the hips and gently shake/swing downward to use gravity. If this fails, place the pet on its side and apply 5 quick, sharp compressions to the chest just behind the last rib.
For large dogs: Perform the Heimlich maneuver — stand behind the dog, place your fist just below the rib cage, and thrust firmly upward and forward 5 times. If the dog is lying down, place one hand on the back and use the other to push upward on the abdomen just below the ribs.
**Step 4: Check the mouth.** After each attempt, open the mouth and look for the object. Only attempt to remove it if you can clearly see and reach it — blind sweeping can push objects deeper.
**Step 5: If the pet becomes unconscious,** begin CPR — alternate rescue breaths with chest compressions — and transport to a veterinarian immediately.
## After the Object Is Removed
Even if you successfully remove the object, veterinary examination is recommended. The foreign body may have caused damage to the throat or airway. Internal injuries may not be immediately apparent. The pet may have inhaled debris into the lungs. Soft tissue swelling can cause secondary breathing difficulty hours later.
## What NOT to Do
Do NOT put your fingers in a choking pets mouth unless you can clearly see the object — you risk being bitten and pushing the object deeper. Do NOT attempt the Heimlich maneuver on a pet that is able to cough and breathe. Do NOT give water or food to a pet that is choking. Do NOT use tools (pliers, tweezers) to remove objects from the throat at home.
## Prevention
Choose toys appropriate for your pets size (they should be too large to swallow). Avoid giving cooked bones (they splinter). Supervise chewing sessions with rawhides and dental chews. Cut food into appropriate-sized pieces. Keep small household items out of reach. Keep string, ribbon, tinsel, and rubber bands away from cats.
Source: AVMA First Aid Guidelines; Red Cross Pet First Aid Manual; Merck Veterinary Manual