09/24/2025
This happened two years ago today. Sharing again. I stopped giving these types of treats at my visits after this happened.
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I had a terrifying experience last night. I'm so thankful that I have so much training and that one of my certications is pet first aid and emergencies.
Long story short, I had to pull this bully stick treat out of Tank the pit bull's throat. His treat got lodged sideways in his throat and he couldn't get it out. It's about 2.5 inches long.
I tried the pet heimlich first (he was able to breathe the entire time but was becoming very anxious and scared, of course) but then had to just put my entire hand in his mouth and coax the stick out of his throat. It was wedged in there pretty tight. You can see from the photo below that the stick which used to be pure white has a tinge of blood on it. I'm guessing there is a minor throat abrasion.
In order to be able to see what I was doing and control his mouth and bite reflex more, I used a big spoon from the kitchen as a tongue depressor which worked great. I stood over him facing his head, using my knees near his his neck to help control him. He was so scared and just wanted help so he stood there like a good boy the entire time and let me do what I needed to do.
The terrifying part was that he is very strong and has a full set of very sharp teeth. I do know this pup very well and know he'd never bite me on purpose, but when he's in pain and scared and nervous, sticking my entire fist in his mouth seems a bit unnerving.
Once the event was over and he calmed down, he climbed up on the couch with me (which he's never done) to lay his head in my lap and give me kisses. His way of saying thank you to me.
I did, of course, notify his mama once the situation calmed down. I made sure Tank's throat was clear of anything else, he was able to eat and drink and he was playing with his sister Zoey almost right after.
His mama was very grateful that I knew how to handle the situation and that her baby was OK.
As a reminder, please never leave your pet unattended with bully sticks, pigs ears and such! This is the third time I've had to pull something out of a dog's mouth because they were choking. This was the worst since it was lodged so tightly in there.
