Just as humans, our pets could swallow too fast or get something lodged in their throat. If your pet is choking how do you know? Here are symptoms to look for:

Symptoms: difficulty breathing, excessive pawing at the mouth, choking sounds when breathing or coughing, blue-tinged lips/tongue. Always proceed with caution, a pet that is choking is likely to bite in it’s panic. If your pet still can breathe, try to keep it calm and get him to a veterinarian right away. Look into your pets mouth and see if the object is visible. If you do see the object, gently try to remove it with a pliers or  a tweezer. Be very careful not to push the object further down. Don’t spent too much time trying to remove the object. If you can’t remove it right away, proceed in getting your pet to the vet. If you can’t remove the object or your pet collapses, place both hands on the side of your pet’s rib cage and apply firm quick pressure, or lay your pet on its side and strike the rib cage firmly with the palm of your hand 3-4 times.  You want to push the object out. Keep repeating this until the object is dislodged or until you arrive at the vet.

Remember, your pets count!

Great station of the day: Thunder Rock 101 – Alternative all the time! It can be found on the EDGEWATER INTERNET RADIO NETWORK!