yep you read that right is is a reminder to everybody (hopefully lol) to always.......

watch your sibes when eating

im posting this because of my little scare last night when feeding kira some more of her pig head (she clearly hadnt eaten enough and was hungry again by the time we got home). We were out in the garden and while she was eating she got a bit stuck in her throat, the signs were: kind of gagging but not as bad as when shes gunna be sick, moving her head back and forth, trying to chew something which wasnt there, and stopping eating. I put my had down her throat and tried to get it but couldnt, so i started smacking her (rather hard actually but not so it hurt) on the ribs and back. I dont know if this helped at all but she managed to get it up and rechewed again before she swallowed.

obviously im talking about an incident which occured when feeding raw, but this goes for everyone... this happens which kibble just as much as with raw, as the pieces are small enough to swallow whole and even inhale. So please please please supervise all meal times, even if your dog is a good eater and chews a lot, kira has always been fine, chewed and chrunched well, until last night.

If this does happen to your dog theres a few things you can do...

- try to get the offending thing out of their throat using your hands, dont do this if what they have swallowed is sharp, and dont use anything to get it out, as you run the risk of tearing the throat lining.

- do what i did and smack your dog on the ribs/back to dislodge the food

- perform the heimlick manouver, stand behind your dog and pick him up under his stomach, so his head is facing downwards

When trying to remove the item from the throat remember the dog will be distressed, and is much more likely to bite, i have done this before with kira when she got something she shouldnt have so i know how she reacts to this... if you've never tried this before or your dog is clearly very distressed try options 2 and 3 1st, or you can allow the dog to pass out then try to remove it.

after trying all these options if the dog still seems to be chocking, or if he refuses to eat, cries a lot, or his behaviour changes (you will notice this better than anyone else) make a trip to your vets... it could still be in there.

and remember this can happen with any diet

great advice sid not had this with any of mine but it dont mean i wont one day, glad shes ok bless, rep added xxxx

Good advice sid and im glad everythings ok, i myself watch pagan eat at all times,not only because what she hasnt eaten in a 15 minute time scale gets taken away,but to make sure things like you have just experienced are cut to a minimum.

+1

Good thread Sinead great advice

great advice sid +1

good advice, we always watch out 2 because suki will eat it all given a chance.

Ooh, lucky you got things unstuck. Glad Kira's OK.

Great thread sid, added to rep. So glad she's ok!

Have made this a sticky as i think it should not be forgotten

ooo my 1st sticky!! lol cheers saz i was hopin it could be

ooo my 1st sticky!! lol cheers saz i was hopin it could be

it is well deserved, think every member in fact ever dog owner should be made more aware of this

thanks saz, this has been posted on another form aswell but no replies as yet

thanks saz, this has been posted on another form aswell but no replies as yet

That's because this is THE best forum around!!

well we knew that already!!!!!!!!!!!

excellent advice! added to rep.

I only ever feed mine while I or someone is in the room, just habit more than anything, but that brings it home how easily something could happen. So glad Kira is OK after it ... must have been awful to watch her. Hugs from us here, xxx

only feed mine whilst we are there just incase and yes this is the number 1 site to be on xxxxx

This is one of those threads that make me love this site. Rep added.

How do I send this to my wife for her to read? I guess I could just PM her the link.

Great advise! Skye is quite the backyard hunter (rabbits, squirrels, possum, etc.) haven't had any trouble yet, but good to know if we do.

Nice one Akia will golp her food sometimes. I always have to watch her she is getting better know she has started to realize willow wont nik it.

Grey has done that Loads of times the whole head back a thro and chewing something that is not there, he does it more when he is making a pig of himself with Bones, the first time he done it i did panic and thought what was he doing and just like you i done the rib thing lol weather it worked or not i dont know! now i just dont worry he sorts himself out i do keep an eye but he always gets it back out and chews it back down again, i get more worried when he gets a bone stuck in the roof of his mouth inbetween the teeth as he claws away at his mouth trying to get it out and has made it bleed quiet bad on a few occations i have to hold him down to stop him clawing at it and scoop it out with a pen or something similar....

The pups never get fed unsupervised, I'm too worried something might happen!

I'm glad she is ok and thank you for making the thread! 

Thank you, Sid. Milla choked on her liver jerky treats just yesterday because she was swallowing without chewing. (That's her new "trick.") I think the piece started to go down the wrong pipe because she was eating so fast. After gagging several times, it came back up just enough to be re-chewed. Now I give her bigger pieces of treats, and make her work harder for them.

I would advise caution when patting/smacking your dog's back/ribs if they're choking or using your fingers to dislodge an object, as both methods can actually lodge the food/object in deeper, and potentially turn a simple choke into an airway block.

If your dog is choking, use the same caution you would use if a human was choking - if the dog is making sounds and you can hear him gagging/coughing, let him be. There's a good chance the object will dislodge on it's own. However, if he goes from gagging to being silent, his airway is most likely blocked and you should perform the canine Heimlich maneuver on him:

I think it is good advice though to always keep an eye on your dog while eating, chewing on his favorite chew toy, playing, and while on walks!

This happened to my mitsu while he was playing with a bone that he manged to chew down to size, he swallowed the whole thing and had it lodged in his throat howling and screaming around the floor, I absoulutly scared my self senseless after figuring out what happened in the end I had no choice but to stick my hand down his throat to dislodge the bone while he chewed and bit down on my hand in distress, managed to pull it out just in time before he chocked to death.