Yorkie heimlich*
 

YORKIE HEIMLICH*

*Please Note:

The Heimlich maneuver is different in the way it is done for large and small dogs. For small dogs (my Yorkie is 3.5lbs) I know this first hand, as I just finished doing it to her!! Here it it:

• Hold your Yorkie upside down, tail toward your face, squeezing lower abdomen with both hands for 30 seconds while gently swaying upper body.

• If that doesn't work place Yorkie on its side on a hard surface with a pillow or rolled towel to raise the back legs. Support back with one hand. With other hand grasp base of rib cage and thrust in and up 5 times. Do this firmly, but not hard enough to cause internal injuries.

• In an extreme emergency there will be no time to go for a pillow. Just kneel behind the choking dog to grasp the bottom of his rib cage and apply firm, quick pressure 2-5 times.

Hope this will help if (God forbid) you are ever in this situation.

Good to know. Thanks for sharing:)

Thank you for sharing this information.
I hope your little girl is ok.

Thanks for asking. My little Nutmeg is doing fine (this time). I hope people will read & print out the Yorkie Heimlich. I wished I would have know about it......

2 yrs. ago Nutmeg had a treat lodged in her throat. I tried to swipe it out of her little throat but she's so small- 3 1/2lbs. I couldn't get it. Next I tried pushing it down, but it wouldn't go down either. Tried to pick it out again, then blew hard into her mouth, hitting her on the back, whatever I could think of. Seconds seemed like hours! Finally she quit breathing. I carried her around telling her "she couldn't die". I put her lifeless body on the kitchen counter & with much force, went as far back in the throat as I could get. Along with blood, tissue, etc. I finally got it out. After a minute or so SHE MOVED! My neighbor rushed me to the vet & they weren't too hopeful about her recovery. I saved her life, but ripped her esophagus. She had subcutaneous air between her skull & skin which sounded like "Rice Krispies". They figured she quit breathing for about 2 mins. & didn't know if there would be brain damage,etc. Also, if the air went into her lungs she would die instantly. After a couple of days, scared to death, I brought her home. I've been so careful, but now, 2 yrs. later, while eating a "Greenie" it happened again. I knew what to do this time, thank goodness! It's so important to know these life saving techniques!!

Nut and Lex, thank goodness your little one is okay. I appreciate the information and advice from your experience; we had a choking episode recently, nothing near as bad, but I worried that I had done damage to Max' throat.

As you wrote, heimlich on a small dog is much different than on a large dog. I had a much easier time with my 85 pound Airedale, which was almost like heimliching a human, than I did my 8 pound Yorkie.