I was sitting in the lounge thinking “that’s unusual noises coming from the dog”. I looked back to see Coco pawing at her face, making high pitched wheezing noises.  I instantly knew she was choking!

I opened her mouth and could see a large soft, white, sticky mass stuck in her throat – it wouldn’t come up and it wouldn’t go down – luckily it was within easy reach and I was able to pull it out!

 Now they say never put your fingers into the mouth of a conscious dog but I know Coco and she easily allows me to manipulate her, she was not panicking, and I caught it straight away. You’ll know your own dog to assess the safety of such a manoeuvre

So what was Coco choking on?

If you are already aware of the dangers of rawhide chew toys/treats you may have guessed it by now. Yes it was a Rawhide.

After this episode I did a bit of research and have since learnt just how bad they are! They are a well-known choking hazard. In fact rawhides have the highest risk of causing choking of all the recreational chew treats available.

 Ever watched your dog eat a rawhide?

They feverously gnaw away working it down bit by bit to that last mouth-sized piece, then in haste they swallow – it’s gone!

 

 

Here lies the problem!

The thing is once a dog chews a rawhide it turns soft – really soft! It swells and turns into a sticky mass a bit like chewing gum.

 

Do you know how to tell if your dog is choking?

The 4 choking symptoms to look out for:

• Violent pawing at the face
• Gasping
• Frothing
• High pitched wheezing (strider) 

The 5 things you must do if you give your dog rawhides:

• Make sure they are of good quality from a trusted manufacturer
• Only give whilst under supervision
• Remove the rawhide once it becomes small enough to swallow
• Remove the rawhide once it turns into a sticky white mass
• Be prepared – know your pet first aid

Have you attended a pet first aid course?

If you haven’t I’d highly recommend it. Be prepared for whatever     scenario - you never know when you might need it.

A few of our Eezapet stockists also run pet first aid courses. If you would like more information then follow the links below and give them a call to discuss

• Nose 2 Tail - Wellington
• The Dog House – Bay of Plenty
• Complete Canine Care – Auckland and the north island

These Eezapet stockists have pet first aid courses held at their facilities contact the pet first aid instructor listed:

• Paws in the City - Wellington - contact Paw Amore - Melinda MacKenzie
• The Hounds Hangout – Taranaki – contact Taranaki Paws - Maria Carroll

Is Eezapet good for the first aid kit?

Most definitely - did you know that the herbs we include in Eezapet have a history of anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory properties – the secret to why Eezapet does what it says it does

– a must for wounds, rashes, hot spots, insect bites and as a sunburn reliever.

With all that goodness Eezapet should be in every pet first aid kit and will happily sit for 3 years without the need to rotate stock.