My Lab Was Choking On Rawhide - Reading The Posts Here May Have Helped Me To Save Her!

by Marie
(Whidbey Island, WA)

I was looking at some of these online posts, and read about a lab choking on the "knot" of a rawhide dog chew.

Reading that post may have saved my dog from choking. The blogger noticed a strange behavior in his dog, realized it was choking and reached reached down the dog's throat to retrieve a chunk of rawhide.

Just minutes before that I had given my lab/retriever mix a rawhide strip. These are thin strips, about 8" long X 2" wide. I've always been afraid of the "knot" in the twists, and thought the strips would be safe. I got "Priority" brand at Safeway.

While I was sitting here, my dog came in from outside and up to my side, in obvious trouble. She was pacing, shaking her head,chewing madly and twisting her tongue and quite agitated. It was clear she was gagging, and I suspected that she had a piece of the rawhide in her throat.

I reached down her throat and pulled out a 2" x 2" strip. That previous post probably made me more alert to the situation and prompted me to quick action.

I hope no-one else has this experience, but if they do, I hope it alerts others to the dangers of rawhide dog chews.