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ForumsGerman Shepherd Dog > My GSD scary story (today) (21 replies)
My GSD scary story (today) by Farvos Mom on 07 June 2012 - 13:22 |
| Hello Everyone, I have a rather scary story to tell everyone who reads. My dog was very close to losing his life today. My dogs name is "Farvo" he has been my pal for 5 years now and he was very close to losing his life today. He is highly driven for the ball, I always have his ball ready for him when he does good with his training. Today at training was like any other day, or so I thought. With the energy that Farvo has I always throw his ball long distances for him to run off a little steam. Today I threw his ball, he got to the ball and started pawing at his mouth roughly and was gagging, I knew right away what was happening. I ran as fast as I could to my dog and sure enough, the ball is lodged in his throat. When I reached Farvo he had his mouth wide open and pawing at his mouth. I grabbed farvos mouth and saw that about 3 inches of the balls string luckly was in his mouth and I grabbed the string, as Farvo next gagging motion happened I carefully pulled on the string and the ball came out. He took awile to catch his breath, but moments after the ball was pulled out Farvo gave me many many many kisses. It's weird, it's like he knew I saved his life and I was his hero.  This is very similar to the ball that I have for farvo. The string is not near as long though, It's about 5-6 inches long but the ball size is right on, even the "bumps" are exact (on the ball). Farvo below barking for his ball Just thought I could share me and farvos scary story, I feel Farvo is a lucky man. Make sure to watch your dogs carefully when playing with toys. |
Farvos Mom by Kaffirdog on 07 June 2012 - 13:24 |
| That's why I play with rings and not balls. Glad your dog is ok and you were able to act so quickly. Margaret N-J |
Kaffirdog by Conspicuous on 07 June 2012 - 13:27 |
| How frightening! I'm glad you got to him in time, thanks for sharing your story. |
Conspicuous by Ruger1 on 07 June 2012 - 13:28 |
| WoW,,glad things turned out well for you and Farvo..:) Such a scary thing to happen.. I worry about that too so I use softballs .Prince doesn't seem to mind.. |
Ruger1 by ggturner on 07 June 2012 - 13:31 |
Definitely a scary experience. Glad your dog is ok. We use larger sized balls because of this. Here are the ones we find last the longest that our gsds love:.jpg) Starmark everlasting fun ball--large size (can buy online or at many pet stores) Jolly ball (can buy online)--large size:  |
ggturner by Farvos Mom on 07 June 2012 - 13:37 |
| Trust me we have already gotton rid of these kind of balls, we had like 3 or 4, they obviously are not good for this breed. We do have many large balls that we will be using from now on. btw cute pup ggturner |
by Vixen on 07 June 2012 - 13:44 |
| Hello Farvosmom, You must be so RELIEVED (and most probably still feeling shaken by what happened - and what might have happened)! Thankfully, you acted fast, kept your cool, and helped Farvo. Ball catching and stick throwing are known potential dangers. Is it possible that you could buy a ball that would be just too big to be able to pass to his throat? Or what about an extra large sized Kong - when you throw it, it will also bounce in various unexpected directions! (Although not sure if a Kong is usable instead of a ball for training - as I personally do not train with toys). A bigger ball may be safer. Just want to say again, Well Done, for bringing a good ending to this scary situation. Thank you for sharing it, as a helpful reminder of dangers. I am sure that Farvos is fully recovered, and hopefully you are too after such a shock. With Kindest Regards, Vixen |
by beetree on 07 June 2012 - 13:48 |
| I'm sure you were terrified while it was happening, but the adreniline kicked in! Thank goodness you acted so quickly to save your dog. Farvo knew you saved him, I am sure of it! Yes, I have heard other scary stories like yours, so we also love our Jolly balls, and rings. |
beetree by TonyCronin on 07 June 2012 - 14:03 |
| Lucky you had the rope showing eh!! Many years ago I trained a long coat Gsd bitch for a family. When I went out to them to do a follow up and the children were throwing, of all things, a golf ball, the bitch jumped in the air and caught the ball and it lodged right in the back of her throat, I was bitten quite badly on my hands trying to get it out, sadly she died infront of us, the vet managed to get it out in seconds with a large forceps but it was to late for her, it was so smooth and slimmy I could not get a grip on it at all. Over the years I have often seen people smacking golf balls into the distance with a golf club just for the dog to retrieve the ball for them, most are shocked when i tell them the story but some idiots just shrug and carry on... believing it wont happen to them. TC |
by k9gsd78 on 07 June 2012 - 14:24 |
| So sorry to hear about your scary situation, Farvo's mom. So sorry for your loss, TC. I had a similar experience. Thankfully, being a dog trainer/groomer, I had taken a pet first aid course and was able to have a happy ending. My husband's GSD got ahold of one of the smaller puppy balls that I had missed picking up. It was the perfect size to fit in his throat and before I noticed he had it, I saw him choking. I tried to get ahold of it, but it was also too slick and slimy to get ahold of and I was getting bit pretty good. I remembered how to do the Heimlich maneuver on a large dog by holding his back feet up with his head pointed to the ground, grasp the dog around the waist and thrust down towards his head, under the rib cage. Thankfully, the maneuver worked and I was able to save the dog's life. If there is a Pet First Aid course that anyone reading this can attend, it is well worth the time and money to go. You never know what situations you may encounter down the road. |
k9gsd78 by DebiSue on 07 June 2012 - 16:17 |
| Very scary! Glad you and your dog survived it. Sorry to read the other scary stories and the not so happy endings. Thank for the refresher course on the heimlich manuver. Good thread. People need to use their heads. |
DebiSue by Ruger1 on 07 June 2012 - 16:48 |
| Here is a video I found on Youtube.. |
by Sunsilver on 07 June 2012 - 17:34 |
| Tennis balls are probably the #1 choking hazard with large dogs like GSDs and goldens. Going for the ball through the mouth rarely works. If you don't have the strength to do the Heimlich, it is sometimes possible to dislodge the ball by pressing on the underside of the jaw, and pushing the ball out that way. If you are ever in this situation, do everything you can to get it out. By the time you get to the vet's office, it will be MUCH too late! And DON'T let your GSD play with tennis balls, or any ball small enough to lodge in the throat! I use Bad Cuz toys instead of balls, as they are large enough not to be a hazard. |
Sunsilver by Blitzen on 07 June 2012 - 17:38 |
| I've heard this before. Threw away the regulation sized tennis balls and bought those big ones. |
Blitzen by Farvos Mom on 09 June 2012 - 03:19 |
| Yeah, we have many of them cuz balls. They are the best ever, we have thrown away all of the ones we have that he choked on |
by Moobli on 20 June 2012 - 09:07 |
| That is so scary. I have heard stories of dogs before that have choked to death on a ball lodged in their throat. I have used tennis balls in the past for dogs to retrieve in water, but no longer use them. I now use a fabulous hard foam ball which is on a rope and way too big for a dog to swallow. I don't leave toys down for my dogs to chew - other than Kongs, so there is no worry of them chewing off chunks and them festering in the intestines. I am so happy Farvo was ok - and I am sure he appreciates that you saved his life. He is a gorgeous looking boy. Here is the ball I use. http://www.traininglines.co.uk/fantastic-foam-ball-on-a-rope.html |
by djc on 20 June 2012 - 15:31 |
| Just so you know, some of my dogs chew up and destroy kongs! Debby |
djc by Sunsilver on 20 June 2012 - 16:05 |
| Mine too! Even the bad cuz toys eventually get destroyed! |
by Mcap on 20 June 2012 - 16:39 |
| I am so glad that you were able to get the ball out. You must have been jumping out of your skin. Mike |
Mcap by DebiSue on 20 June 2012 - 16:49 |
| My girl also bites chunks out of kongs, even the hard black ones. The only ball she hasn't purposely tried to destroy is her gappay ball on a string. Not sure why but she really enjoys just mouthing those and chomping on them rather than go into destroy mode. |
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