Pet Choking! Here’s What to Do

There’s so much that can be a dog or cat choking hazard, and that can cause major concern for us pet parents. For a lot of us it’s one of our worst fears.

Ideally you really want to know what to do if your dog or cat’s choking before you are in the situation. Googling it while your furball is choking nearby is definitely not going to be anywhere near as much help.

Let’s go over how to identify if your pet’s choking and what you can do to help. 

Dog or cat choking: What to do

The scary thing is that almost anything can be a choking hazard to a pet. Literally – a hair tie, cork or even a rubber band can be ingested and get stuck in their throat.

Dogs love to snack and chew on anything in their paw’s reach, while cats aren’t confined to taste testing on the floor and will find their way to anything within a jump’s reach. 

How do you identify if a dog or cat’s choking?

Choking happens when something gets stuck in the windpipe, but could also happen if something gets stuck in the oesophagus. The oesophagus is the food pipe that runs alongside the windpipe. Something blocking the food pipe can put pressure on the windpipe and make it difficult to breathe. 

An important note: choking sounds can only be made if the windpipe of a dog or cat choking is only partially blocked. If it’s completely blocked they’ll not be able to make any sound or breathe at all. If you catch your dog or cat choking you need to act fast.

Here are some signs:

• Blue coloured skin and mucous membranes (if the object is blocking them from breathing)
• Collapse
• Coughing
• Drooling
• Extreme distress
• Gagging / retching
• Pacing
• Pawing at the mouth
• Rubbing their face against the ground

Saving a dog or cat who’s choking

If your dog or cat’s choking, they’re likely to panic. It at all possible, gently restrain them to make it easier for you to help them. The best way to do this is to wrap a blanket or towel around their body and hold them.

Once secured, you want to hold open their mouth and see if you can see what’s blocking their windpipe. If you can reach it with tweezers, tongs or your fingers and remove it then that’s first prize. However be careful not to push it in any further.

If you’re scared that you might not get it out easily we recommend you perform the Heimlich manoeuvre specifically for your pet. Watch this video on how to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre on dogs.

Cat choking is, thankfully, not so common. Though, purr parents are familiar with their least endearing trait – coughing up furballs. Strangely enough this is pretty similar to how they’d act if they were choking. As long as you can hear air passing through their windpipe they’re okay.

If you’ve a cat then you can find out how to do the Heimlich manoeuvre below:

Once the immediate danger is resolved, you should now get your pet to the vet as soon as possible. They’ll be able to check more thoroughly that your cat or dog is okay and assist in case there’s been any damage or trauma.

Dog and cat choking hazards

Accidents happen and it’s almost impossible to predict what your pet could choke on. However, Proud Dog Mom has identified some common choking hazards to look out for:

• Tennis, rubber, plastic, or fabric balls. This doesn’t mean you can never give your pet a ball – but it does mean that you should supervise them when they play with balls. We’ve seen enough claims for surgeries involving tennis ball material in the stomach to know that obstructions can easily happen.
• Rawhide bones. Although these are popular, vets do not recommend you give your pet rawhide (read why in our ‘is rawhide bad for dogs‘ article). If pup breaks off a chunk that’s too large for their esophagus, it can easily get stuck. Rawhide has also been linked to airway obstruction, esophageal, and intestinal blockages. 
• Bones, especially chicken and turkey bones. You should NEVER give your pet cooked bones, as they can not only lead to choking, but splintered bone can cause internal injury.
• Raw bones are less brittle than cooked bones, but can still cause harm. Watch this video below for some great information on the dangers of different types of bones to dogs:

Other risky items include bully sticks, sticks, stones, plastic wrap, kids toys and gristle.

On the other paw, accidental ingestion

Sometimes a dog or cat choking might then swallow the item. Although this means they now won’t die from lack of air, it can cause intestinal blockages, which often require surgery. 

You can find out more about ingestion risks here. There are a lot of things that can poison your pet or harm them in another way – from food to plants to essential oils and beyond. Our ‘can dogs eat?’ article answers that question in relation to a bunch of different foods.

Sometimes if your pet has swallowed something they can’t pass or that makes them feel unwell, they’ll eat grass. While there’s more than one reason for eating grass, it’s a good way to help them throw up and purge their tummies. So it could be a sign and might be worth visiting your vet just to make sure they’re okay.

Click here for more on why dogs eat grass and why cats eat grass.

Because you can’t predict the future – pet insurance

Hopefully you’re now more confident to take quick action when you see your dog or cat choking. Nevertheless, pet insurance is vital to cover your pet in case of an accident, illness, third party property damage and more.

Cat insurance and dog insurance are both free for a certain amount of time with PD Insurance. Get a no-obligation quote today.