Choking
So I was working on the calendar last night, Vienna was having dinner in the kitchen and I overheard her coughing, I thought... no big deal because sometimes she eats too fast and it happens, so I disregard it and went back to work. A few minutes later, my wife caught Vienna pacing around, pawing at her mouth, she immediately called my name in distress and my heart sank.
By the time I got to the kitchen, Vienna was already on her side, gagging with food around her mouth, she was gasping for air and then shortly passed out. I felt her pulse rate and immediately performed the heimlich maneuver for dogs, I just kept pressing and pressing, clearing her mouth in between, she was barely responding, her gum color had already turned blue and I was ready for the worst. All this time my hands never stopped pressing and then a miracle happened, I caught Vienna licking her lips, from there on I knew she was going to be okay, I cleared more food out of her mouth, she gave me a smile and stayed by my side rest of the night.
We were very fortunate to get Vienna back, eventhough she is fighting a losing battle of lymphoma, we were not ready to let her go, not this way. Here's a few things for you to ponder:
It is extremely beneficial for you and your family to learn Canine first aid / CPR, google your local red cross and take a class, I remember it costed around $4X for students certificate and $1XX to become an instructor, that was 5 years ago.
Remain calm, survey the situation, check for vital signs, then spring into action and call for help.
Yes, there are many videos online, but please go take a class with a certified instructor and then practice on a stuffed animal. Do it, you'll never know when it'll become handy.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Natalie, Lance &Tucker on
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Glad to hear Vienna is ok, good job Sam!! You are right, you never know when this will be needed, and its good to know what to do! We an an incident last year with Lance grabbing a thick piece of bread off the counter and gobbling it as fast as he could so we couldn't take it from him!! Luckily he was ok on his own, but still very scary.
Thanks for posting
Actually my husband was choking the other night as well, and I work with little kids, so I really need to look into where I can take a course around here!!
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Permalink Reply by Laura and Tommy Jefferson on
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Thanks for posting, Sam! So glad to hear that Vienna is ok!!!! :)
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Permalink Reply by Geri & Sidney on
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Good job Sam! You saved her! I'm so glad she's ok.
I took a first aid class with Sid's rally instructor. It was a 2 hour class, but really eight hours wouldn't be enough! The book for the class is a great resource to have handy, because if you are like me, you'll panic and forget what to do. If you cannot find a nearby class, at least the book would be good to have around.
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Permalink Reply by Bogart the Cardigan on
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That scared me into signing up for a pet first aid class in my area on January 12. Thanks! Charlotte
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Permalink Reply by CorGeek on
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Thanks for sharing that, Sam. I'm so glad Vienna is ok. I'm definitely going to go looking for a class.
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Permalink Reply by N a t h a n & L u f f y on
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Thank goodness Vienna is okay and had someone like you there that knew what to do.. Reading this made me realize that I would have had no clue on what to do and might have lost Luffy if it were him. I'm looking up my local red cross now. Thanks for the advice.
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Permalink Reply by Beverly Butler Redford & Tucker on
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Thanks-this is important for both pets and people. I signed up for the December dog & cat class here in Las Vegas (hey, Las Vegas Corgi Meet Up Group-wanna join me?) and will do a human cpr class in January.
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Permalink Reply by Teresa Gilpin on
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OMG! This must have been heart wrenching for you! Thank you so much for sharing your story and your great advise! I am so glad Vienna is ok!
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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on
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How terrifying! Even being trained in CPR, not sure how I would respond if it was Franklin in distress! Its so much more difficult when the victim is so close to you. I need to brush up on what I know because this is a very real possibility for any dog! Good job staying calm and great message for pet owners!
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Permalink Reply by Steve on
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So glad Vienna is OK. My eyes were filling with tears as I read this. I'm glad Silvia saw Vienna and you successfully administered the heimlich. I sometimes think about these situations (for humans and canine) and wonder if I'll panic and forget what to do or if I'll remain calm and do what needs to be done. Time to go look for local classes.
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