Safer than the Heimlich maneuver: How to save your choking dog with the J technique
There is a new rescue method for dogs with balls, food or toys stuck in their throats.
Veterinarian Dr. Jean Bresciani and certified veterinarian technician Elise West, teachers in the veterinary program at Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical High School, were training emergency medical technicians and paramedics this week on emergency care for police dogs injured on duty.
That training, related to Nero's Law, included this new J Technique (the shape your thumb makes as you push the ball or toy up and out.) This method, the teachers said, is considered safer than the Heimlich maneuver because the traditional anti-choking method has an increased chance of breaking a rib and puncturing the dog’s lung.
Five steps to stop a dog from choking:
Allow dog to assume most comfortable position. If the dog is unconscious, stretched out on the back works.
Place thumbs under the jaw, to either side of the obstruction in the throat
Firmly but gently sweep forward with thumbs, with hands outside dog’s throat
Avoid finger sweeps inside the mouth as you may be bitten or risk pushing obstruction further into dog’s pharnyx
If a second person is available, hold dog’s mouth open with two strips of gauze or other material looped behind the canine teeth of the top and lower jaw to keep mouth open and allow object to pop out
To see a demonstration, click here.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: How to save a choking dog with the J technique, without getting bitten