If your dog is choking, you can perform a modified Heimlich maneuver using quick abdominal thrusts just below the ribcage. The technique varies depending on your dog’s size and whether they’re standing or lying down, but the core principle is the same: a sharp inward-and-upward push to force air out of the lungs and dislodge whatever is blocking the airway.
Before you start, though, you need to confirm your dog is actually choking and not just coughing or reverse sneezing, which look alarming but aren’t emergencies.
Make Sure Your Dog Is Actually Choking
A choking dog will paw at its mouth, drool excessively, gag without producing anything, and struggle to breathe. The gums may turn blue or gray from lack of oxygen. The dog will look panicked.
This is different from reverse sneezing, which sounds dramatic but resolves on its own. During a reverse sneeze, a dog stands with its neck extended, head tilted back, nostrils flared, and mouth closed while making a loud snorting or honking sound. The key difference: air is moving in and out during a reverse sneeze. A truly choking dog cannot move air effectively and will deteriorate quickly.
Coughing is also not choking. If your dog is coughing forcefully, that means air is getting past the obstruction. Let them try to clear it on their own before intervening.
Check the Mouth First
Open your dog’s mouth and look for the object. If you can see it and can grasp it with your fingers, carefully pull it out. A pair of pliers or tweezers can help if the object is slippery or wedged.
Do not do a blind finger sweep deeper into the throat. A dog’s airway is very narrow, and pushing your fingers past what you can see risks shoving the object further down, making the blockage worse. A panicked dog may also bite down hard on your hand.
The Heimlich for Small Dogs
For dogs roughly under 25 to 30 pounds, pick your dog up so their spine rests against your chest, with their head up and feet hanging down. Wrap your arms around them just below the ribcage. Make a fist with one hand, cup your other hand around that fist, and deliver five rapid thrusts inward and upward toward the ribs. Each thrust should be firm but controlled. You’re trying to push a burst of air up through the airway, not crush the abdomen.
After five thrusts, check the mouth. If you can see the object, remove it. If not, repeat the cycle.
The Heimlich for Large Dogs
Large dogs are too heavy to hold against your chest, so you have two options depending on whether the dog is standing or lying down.
If the Dog Is Standing
Stand behind your dog and wrap your arms around their waist. Make a fist with one hand and place it just below the ribcage on the soft part of the belly. Cup your other hand over the fist and pull inward and upward with five quick thrusts. The motion is similar to the human Heimlich: sharp, deliberate pushes that compress the lungs from below.
You can also try lifting your dog’s hind legs off the ground like a wheelbarrow. The combination of gravity and the angle change can help a stuck object slide forward toward the mouth.
If the Dog Is Lying on Its Side
Place one hand on the dog’s back for stability. With your other hand, push on the belly just below the ribs, pressing inward and upward. Use the same rhythm of five thrusts, then check the mouth. This position works well for dogs that have collapsed or are too large and panicked to stand still.
If Your Dog Loses Consciousness
A dog that stops breathing during a choking episode needs immediate rescue breathing. For small dogs, cover both the mouth and nose with your mouth and gently exhale until you see the chest rise. For large dogs, seal the mouth shut and breathe into the nose. Give five rescue breaths, then perform five more abdominal thrusts and check the mouth again.
If the heart stops, transition to CPR: 30 chest compressions followed by two rescue breaths. Continue this cycle while someone drives you to the nearest veterinary emergency clinic. Do not stop to check for a pulse repeatedly. Keep going until you arrive.
What to Watch for Afterward
Even if you successfully dislodge the object, your dog needs a veterinary exam afterward. The object itself may have scratched or torn tissue in the throat. And the abdominal thrusts, while necessary, deliver real force to the body. Potential complications include bruised lungs (which can cause rapid breathing or coughing up pink-tinged fluid), rib injuries, or inflammation of the pancreas from blunt abdominal impact. These problems may not show symptoms for hours.
Watch for lethargy, vomiting, labored breathing, reluctance to eat, or abdominal swelling in the 24 to 48 hours after the event. Any of these warrants an immediate vet visit.
Reducing the Risk of Choking
Most choking incidents involve predictable culprits: balls that are too small for the dog’s mouth, rawhide chews that soften and break into chunks, bone fragments, and pieces of stick. Choose toys that are too large to fit past the back of your dog’s teeth. Avoid giving cooked bones, which splinter into sharp pieces. Supervise your dog with any chew toy that breaks down over time.
Dogs that gulp their food are also at higher risk. Slow-feeder bowls with ridges or raised patterns force dogs to eat around obstacles, naturally slowing them down. Spreading kibble across a flat baking sheet works in a pinch.