Choking hazard FYI

Painful to remember, but I post this to share the lesson.
Years ago, we lost our first corgi, a small Pem who was a gulper.
She was on a raw-meat diet and would routinely swallow things like raw chicken wings and necks, no problem, gulping them whole with little chewing.
One sad day, she was fed a turkey neck and died immediately.

I might add that for all of my first-aid training, I did not react well to the emergency. Neither my wife nor I recognized the urgency of the situation soon enough. Remember that the 1st step in first aid response, even before ABC (Airway? Breathing? Circulation?) is to RECOGNIZE THAT YOU HAVE TO ACT, NOW! I've been in life-or-death situations 3 or 4 times, and reacted slowly each time because I didn't recognize how serious it was. When in doubt, decide quickly, scream like hell for help and act fast.
[Nothing could have saved this dog; we could not clear the airway, not even the vet could remove it, and she was dead before we got her into the car.]

I don't know if these are the best sites for this, but:

http://www.dogster.com/guides/dog_health_and_care/emergency_care/gi...
http://www.smalldogsparadise.com/pet-safety/heimlich-maneuver-how-t...
http://www.petplace.com/dogs/heimlich-for-your-dog/page1.aspx
http://www.ehow.com/how_2166868_perform-dog-heimlich-maneuver.html

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Permalink Reply by Sarah C. on January 30, 2009 at 3:54pm

I'm so sorry that this happened to you! Thanks for the posts, they should be very helpful. When getting snacks mine can be a "gulper" and she's had a few close calls where she started gagging and coughing but we've never had to intervene... yet.

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Permalink Reply by Amanda on January 31, 2009 at 9:12am

Thanks for sharing. Dax has had a few close calls, but like Sarah, I haven't had to intervene yet either. Though I wouldn't have known what to do if I did have to -- now I have an idea. It's terrible to know someone has lost a dog this way.

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Permalink Reply by Lisa on January 31, 2009 at 10:06am

We are so sorry to hear about your tragedy. Thank you for passing this info. along as I have been considering a raw diet for my dogs. Both my dogs are speed eaters so, perhaps that would not be a good choice for us. Do you still feed a raw diet?

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Permalink Reply by Cam on February 1, 2009 at 4:54pm

Maybe if you feed them raw, you should cut the food up into bite sized pieces so there is nothing too big to get stuck.

Just a thought.

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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on February 2, 2009 at 1:07am

There's a local company that delivers raw meat in frozen bricks to our door, all ground, no bone.

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Permalink Reply by Wendt Worth Corgi's on February 1, 2009 at 1:00am

I'm so sorry for your loss. This scares the heck out of me. I always wonder how I would react..will I panic..think fast enough and keep my cool. Thank you for the links..we must all be sharp on the signs and how to react. Sorry again for your misfortune.

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Permalink Reply by Kristen on February 2, 2009 at 2:13pm

John, I know how hard it must have been, but thank you for sharing your story. We can all learn from your experience. I'm so sorry for your tragic loss. Thank you for the references.