I'm looking for some advice as I had a massive scare earlier today while my dog was eating.
Basically, Charly is very greedy and we'd been for a long walk this morning. I feed him very early in the morning and then again in the afternoon, so he’d been waiting eagerly for his dinner. He scoffed his dry food so fast that he suddenly collapsed on his side; he couldn't breathe at all. I held him with his head down and thumped his back firmly a few times. A few unchewed bits of dry food came out, but I honestly thought I was going to lose him. I'm still in total shock...
After that, I ended up hand-feeding him the rest of his meal bit by bit, out of fear that he'd choke again.
I really think I could have lost him when I saw him fall on his side like that. I'm still so shaken up.
If anyone has any advice on how to prevent this from happening again, I’d be really grateful :(
Translated from French
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I don't know a massive amount about dogs - I've had Labradors before but never any issues with them eating. But from what you're describing, it must have been a real scare. I think you're right that you shouldn't panic and just act the way you did. Hats off to you solebo, because I reckon I would've just panicked.
Thanks girls for the sound advice, I’ll be sure to follow it carefully.. I still can’t believe the breathing thing, as I had my Julie for 17 years and never had any issues like this, but I must say it’s quite a shock seeing your dog lying on their side like that..
Darn, I’ll post the paragraph in question for you, so I’m quoting:
"Choking (Practical info):
Pugs are small molossoid dogs with very short muzzles.
Their nasal cavity is smaller than that of other breeds, and their soft palate tends to push up and block nasal breathing...
So, it sometimes happens that a Pug unintentionally makes the choking worse by trying to breathe through their nose!!!
After a while, they run out of oxygen and 'pass out'. There’s nothing you can do in this case; your dog isn't in pain, but it is exhausting for them. Wait a few minutes and everything will go back to normal: I know, it’s terrifying!!!
The first precaution to take is not to scoop them up as soon as they 'wake up', because our little friends are very emotional and happy to see us; they get overexcited, which triggers this type of episode...
If an episode happens anyway, don't pick them up. The first technique is to press lightly on the back of the neck with your left hand and lift the chin upwards with your right: this clears the airways, and after a few seconds, the dog can breathe again.
The second technique is simpler: put your fingers on the lower jaw and open their mouth (ask your vet to show you how if you aren't used to dogs); this forces them to breathe through their mouth, so the soft palate drops and the air can get through again.
You could also try getting a slow feeder bowl, the kind with the little gaps for dogs that eat too quickly. I’d also recommend getting some larger dry food; that’s what I do with my dog so she actually has to chew it properly. When I get the ones meant for her size, she just swallows them whole and then tends to be sick afterwards.
So glad you were all here!
A free tip to get a greedy dog to eat more slowly: a fairly deep bowl with a heavy ball (like a pétanque ball or a large smooth stone) in the middle of the dry food. They won't be able to pick it up or nudge it out of the bowl, and it’ll stop them from gulping down huge mouthfuls at once.
Something you have to pay for but that’s a bit of fun: a Pipolino food dispenser. You can open one or more holes and the dog has to push or pull the toy around to get the dry food to drop out one by one or a few at a time. The only downside: the floor is covered in dog slobber after mealtime... ;)
I’m fairly sure that for flat-faced breeds like pugs or bulldogs, you should give them their dry food in a raised bowl, or on a stand. You should never let them free-feed either, precisely so you can keep an eye on them while they’re eating, as it’s not uncommon for these breeds to choke.
That said, it’s true that it’s better to go for larger pieces than smaller ones, but if it’s pug-specific, it should be fine.
Does he usually wolf down his dry food or does he chew it properly?
