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by quenna on 21 December 2011 - 12:12
I posted this message below a fews years back and want to remind all dog owners, as I have recently been told about another dog who died of this.. please read and pass on this message..
Our 12 month old German shepherd dog nearly lost his life today. Phill and I were playing with our two shepherds in the field next to where we live. They love to run and play especially with a ball on a rope. How fun can turn so quickly into panic and devastation. Saffie ran for the rope ball then brought it back for a tug of war, before releasing it. When suddenly! the ball detached from the rope which made it catapult straight to the back of his throat. I began to lift Saffie’s back legs in the air, whilst Phill tried to reach for the ball. The more he tried, the further it went down Saffie’s throat. He was now choking badly. We needed to get to a vet very quickly; I rushed home with our other dog Quenna, and got the car. We drove immediately to our vet which was 15 minutes away. It was Saturday they were closed at 1.00pm the time was 3.00pm. I flagged a stranger down on the road and asked if we could use his phone, we had rushed out without one. We phoned the emergency vet who said come straight away, this was another 15 min drive, by this time Saffie’s breathing was slow, he was choking to death with lots of white froth, coming out of his mouth. We arrived at the vets, Phill carried him in and placed him on the vets table, he was so good his tail wagging, for all the attention, he was getting from the staff. They told us to wait in the waiting room, while they operated on him. They did a two pronged attack, they squeezed the throat behind the ball and at the same time they pulled it out.
The vet gave us the ball, you know what we did with it, yes BINNED IT. The vet said we were very lucky because the ball had holes through it for the rope to thread; this is what kept Saffie alive. If it were an ordinary ball (tennis ball) he would have died. We waited an hour whilst Saffie came out of his anaesthetic and was able to take home.
I am asking everyone to think before playing with your dog, do not use a ball, do not play with sticks, which I have never done. I thought I was safe with a rope ball but will never purchase one again. I will stick with our knotted ropes. Please spread this awareness to people with dogs. I would not want any dog owner to go through what we experienced.
Next day Saffie was back to his self, playing with his mum as if it never happened.
thanks Linda
Our 12 month old German shepherd dog nearly lost his life today. Phill and I were playing with our two shepherds in the field next to where we live. They love to run and play especially with a ball on a rope. How fun can turn so quickly into panic and devastation. Saffie ran for the rope ball then brought it back for a tug of war, before releasing it. When suddenly! the ball detached from the rope which made it catapult straight to the back of his throat. I began to lift Saffie’s back legs in the air, whilst Phill tried to reach for the ball. The more he tried, the further it went down Saffie’s throat. He was now choking badly. We needed to get to a vet very quickly; I rushed home with our other dog Quenna, and got the car. We drove immediately to our vet which was 15 minutes away. It was Saturday they were closed at 1.00pm the time was 3.00pm. I flagged a stranger down on the road and asked if we could use his phone, we had rushed out without one. We phoned the emergency vet who said come straight away, this was another 15 min drive, by this time Saffie’s breathing was slow, he was choking to death with lots of white froth, coming out of his mouth. We arrived at the vets, Phill carried him in and placed him on the vets table, he was so good his tail wagging, for all the attention, he was getting from the staff. They told us to wait in the waiting room, while they operated on him. They did a two pronged attack, they squeezed the throat behind the ball and at the same time they pulled it out.
The vet gave us the ball, you know what we did with it, yes BINNED IT. The vet said we were very lucky because the ball had holes through it for the rope to thread; this is what kept Saffie alive. If it were an ordinary ball (tennis ball) he would have died. We waited an hour whilst Saffie came out of his anaesthetic and was able to take home.
I am asking everyone to think before playing with your dog, do not use a ball, do not play with sticks, which I have never done. I thought I was safe with a rope ball but will never purchase one again. I will stick with our knotted ropes. Please spread this awareness to people with dogs. I would not want any dog owner to go through what we experienced.
Next day Saffie was back to his self, playing with his mum as if it never happened.
thanks Linda
by ronin on 21 December 2011 - 13:12
Also to remind people there is absolutely nothing wrong with training with balls but you must have the correct sizing for the dog, you must monitor it's condition especially the rope, buy proper dog training balls like GAPPAY.
If the ball gets stuck YOU DO NOT TRY AND REMOVE IT FROM THE MOUTH unless you have strong pliers/leatherman, you put you fingers on the throat and push the ball from behind and prevent it travelling further into the mouth as the dog gags and swallows.
The Heimlich Manouvre works on dogs, if it gets desperate then its a TRACHEOSTOMY there and then.
Useful link to Emergency Treatment; knowledge is power
http://www.uspcak9.com/medical/emergency.pdf
1 x Mins Cartoon of Human Tracheostomy; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_5eKkwnIRs
Ronin
If the ball gets stuck YOU DO NOT TRY AND REMOVE IT FROM THE MOUTH unless you have strong pliers/leatherman, you put you fingers on the throat and push the ball from behind and prevent it travelling further into the mouth as the dog gags and swallows.
The Heimlich Manouvre works on dogs, if it gets desperate then its a TRACHEOSTOMY there and then.
Useful link to Emergency Treatment; knowledge is power
http://www.uspcak9.com/medical/emergency.pdf
1 x Mins Cartoon of Human Tracheostomy; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_5eKkwnIRs
Ronin
by ggturner on 21 December 2011 - 14:12
Thanks for posting and informing us!
by judron55 on 21 December 2011 - 14:12
If the ball gets stuck YOU DO NOT TRY AND REMOVE IT FROM THE MOUTH unless you have strong pliers/leatherman, you put you fingers on the throat and push the ball from behind and prevent it travelling further into the mouth as the dog gags and swallows.
The Heimlich Manouvre works on dogs,
THOUGHT I'D POST THIS AGAIN....EXCELLENT ADVISE UNDER THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES....THANKS RONIN!
The Heimlich Manouvre works on dogs,
THOUGHT I'D POST THIS AGAIN....EXCELLENT ADVISE UNDER THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES....THANKS RONIN!
by Emoore on 21 December 2011 - 15:12
My dog passed away almost two years ago when his Kong ball went down his throat. It was horrible. I still play ball, but now I only use balls that are big enough they can't go anywhere near the back of the dog's throat. The ball that killed my German Shepherd was the same size as a tennis ball. If you're playing with your German Shepherd and using tennis balls, this can happen to you.
by Berniemac on 22 December 2011 - 03:12
Oh my God, this is horrible. I'm so happy it turned out well in the end. Thanks for warning us.
by jcmann01 on 22 December 2011 - 05:12
It's hard to image that something as big as a tennis ball can get down their throats, but I will keep this in mind. I guess we should use balls as large or larger than a soft ball? Glad your dog is okay now.
By the way, my lab almost choked on a compressed rawhide bone that the dummy was trying to swallow. He started gagging really bad because it was half way down his throat. Thank God I have long fingers and I was able to grasp it and pull it out. It was a pretty disgusting ordeal, but it saved his life.
by Emoore on 22 December 2011 - 15:12
"It's hard to image that something as big as a tennis ball can get down their throats, but I will keep this in mind. I guess we should use balls as large or larger than a soft ball?"
--- yes, after my dog died from his tennis ball sized Kong going down his throat, I got rid of all the balls that size and bought the large Kong balls, which are roughly the size of a softball. It can't get past their back teeth so there's no way it can go down their throat.
--- yes, after my dog died from his tennis ball sized Kong going down his throat, I got rid of all the balls that size and bought the large Kong balls, which are roughly the size of a softball. It can't get past their back teeth so there's no way it can go down their throat.
by ggturner on 23 December 2011 - 00:12
The only balls I buy for my dogs are the Starmark everlasting fun balls--large size. They are too large to fit in their throats, last a really long time with constant abuse, and bounce really well.
by Penny on 23 December 2011 - 16:12
ggturner - where do you buy them from? I agree correct size ball for the dog - and always on a rope not loose, but you have success with the above type and I would like to know more about them. Thanks Mo
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