A South Carolina vet saved a dog’s life by choking it. The moment was caught on video.
Clyde’s 5-year-old German Shepherd owners rushed Clyde to a vet clinic as soon as the dog started choking after choking on his rubber Kong toy.
Dr. Margaret Hunt did not waste any time in climbing up on top of this animal. She used another technique, which isn’t the Heimlich method but achieves the same result. Right away, the toy popped out of the dog’s mouth.
“We all kind of rejoiced,” Hunt tells Inside Edition. “We were all pretty excited about it.”
External extraction technique is the name of the technique Hunt used in order to rescue Clyde.
“The toy just popped right on out,” Hunt says. “It worked really well and so we’re all really pleased about that.”
The Heimlich maneuver may work to relieve a dog’s choking in certain cases. Other options include removing the item using forceps or performing a finger swipe, and rescue breathing.Veterinary Information Network, Inc. The XXT label states that it is “indicated for obstructions of airways caused by balls or objects similar to these in unconscious patients.”
The dog should be placed with its back against the ground. Veterinary Information Network advises to “Straddle your dog and adjust yourself based upon the size of the animal.” “Position the head in ‘in-line position’ with the airway parallel to the floor.”
Then identify the “landmarks” on your dog—the trachea, which is a ringed tube, the location of the ball, and the dog’s mandible, which is the V-shaped jawbone.
“Make an open diamond shape with your hands. Placing your thumbs at either end of the trachea, below the ball/object. Grip the “V” of the jaw using lip/cheek to protect fingers,” Veterinary Information Network writes. “Push with a J-stroke down and out against the ball until it ejects from the mouth.”
Two rescue breaths are then required. If the dog doesn’t respond, then begin CPR, writes the Veterinary Information Network, which notes its information is for general purposes only and does not substitute advice from one’s own veterinarian.
Clyde isn’t the first dog to be seen on camera receiving the XXT technique, which is performed by vets across the country. According to one estimate, over 200,000 dog choke each year.