by Sheri Spencer

Created on: August 08, 2008

When little Buddy starts to choke it becomes a serious emergency. If you notice that he is struggling to breathe, or worse, can't, it becomes a matter of life and death. Knowing how to perform the Heimlich can save his life. And when Buddy stops breathing, any effort to help is worth it!

For large breed dogs, when they are choking, it is easiest to get behind them and feel down their sides and towards the back until you find the area just below/behind the sternum at the base of the centre of the ribcage. Holding the dog up against your own body will provide more leverage. Using the nubb of your thumb with one hand, feel an inch or two behind the sternum and push in and forward - a "J" motion. Continue until the dog can work up whatever was lodged. Alternately, if he loses consciousness or is laying down from the start, lay him onto his back and kneeling at his tail, find the spot behind the sternum and push down and forward (away from you) with 3 or 4 knuckles of one hands in a scooping motion. If he coughs and starts to squirm to get up, let him. Chances are, he was able to cough it up but has to roll over to get it out of his mouth. If Buddy is already unconscious, check inside his mouth occasionally to see if anything came up.

Especially for smaller breed dogs, such as pomeranians, dashchunds, etc, it is important to understand just how small they are. Though force is necessary to clear the obstruction, use your strength appropriately for the size of the puppy. A young dachsie won't need nearly as much strength as a 6 month old lab.

Performed similarly to large breed dogs, hold the little ones up against your own body as you crouch on the ground (then you can rest their bottoms on your lap or floor for extra support so that your hands are free to perform the Heimlich). Only one or two fingers will be necessary to "scoop" with, and the spot on which to Heimlich into will be closer to a thumbprint from the base of the sternum. As before, push in and scoop up and forwards until the obstruction is cleared.

If the dog is laying down or passes out and you put him on his back, again, it's the same idea as for large breed dogs but requires much less force. Use your thumb and push down and rotate your wrist through the J-thrust. You may need to cradle them between your knees to prevent them from sliding away as you do the thrust.

If the large or small pup is still unconscious after you managed to remove the obstruction, he needs to breathe! Feel for breath with your cheek while your face is turned looking at their chests - watching for any breathing motion. If they are not breathing, roll them onto their backs. With one hand, hold their mouth closed so that when you blow into their nostrils, the air will push into the lungs. Sure, it's a squeemish to think about putting your lips around a dog's nose, but it's saving his life. You can always use mouthwash later.

Make sure that the nostrils are not blocked when you blow, and blow approximately 1/3 to 1/2 your lung capacity for a large dog and only a breath for small breed dogs. Using your entire lung capacity on a pomeranian puppy won't increase your chances of success. After each blow, check to see if they are breathing, and if they begin to struggle to stand, let them; they're obviouosly conscious and can breathe better on their own now that their throat is clear.

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