What to do if your pet is choking

• 01Silent or squeaky breaths: that is real choking.
• 02Dog or cat: up to 5 back blows beside the spine.
• 03Every pet sees a vet after, even if it clears.

How can I tell if my pet is really choking?

Listen for air. A pet that coughs, hacks, snorts or gags is moving air, and PDSA vets note that a coughing pet can still breathe in. A choking pet struggles to breathe at all.

For dogs and cats, the 2026 RECOVER First Aid Guidelines flag silent or squeaky breathing efforts as the sign to act on. Pawing at the mouth, a stretched neck, drooling and pale or blue gums can come with it. Not every pet shows every sign.

What to do if your pet is choking

1. 01

   Listen for moving air

   Loud coughing or gagging means air is getting through. Stay close.

2. 02

   Look for real choking

   Silent or squeaky breaths, a paw at the mouth, pale or blue gums.

3. 03

   Protect your hands

   A scared animal may bite. Wrap a small pet loosely in a towel.

4. 04

   Keep fingers out

   Do not reach into the mouth of a pet that is awake.

5. 05

   Dog or cat: back blows

   Up to 5 firm blows on the rear ribs, beside the spine.

6. 06

   Rabbit, bird, small pet: go

   Keep it calm in a carrier and drive to a vet who treats it.

7. 07

   Limp dog or cat: compressions

   Push 30 times, 100 to 120 a minute, then look for the object.

8. 08

   See a vet either way

   Even when the object comes out and your pet seems fine.

Pain and fear can make any animal bite. For dogs and cats, RECOVER recommends no first aid at all if helping puts you at high risk. A pet that fights you goes into a carrier, and you drive.

What does choking look like in each animal?

How do I help a choking dog or cat?

RECOVER puts back blows first: up to 5 firm blows on the back part of the rib cage, beside the spine on either side or both, never on it. If 5 do not work, try another method, such as tipping the head lower than the body, then go back to back blows.

Go gently with belly thrusts, which RECOVER warns may injure small or thin animals. If a dog or cat goes limp, start chest compressions: 30 at 100 to 120 a minute, since compressions alone can push an object out.

Then look in the mouth for under 10 seconds and take out only what you can see. Never sweep blindly with a finger. Give 2 breaths into the nose, then repeat the cycle until the object is out or you can get to the nearest open vet.

Holds for big and small dogs are in our dog choking guide, and hairballs, asthma and string are in our cat choking guide. To practice on a calm day, our online Red Cross course in cat and dog first aid covers choking in both. It follows the Red Cross curriculum, so check it for its exact order of steps.

Can a rabbit choke, and what do I do?

Rabbits are obligate nose breathers, so a rabbit breathing through its mouth is an emergency with a guarded outlook, according to the Manual of Exotic Pet Practice. Rabbits also cannot vomit, Merck notes.

We found no veterinary source that teaches owners a rabbit choking technique. Some rabbit hobby sites describe a "bunny Heimlich", but none we read cites a vet. Merck warns that a struggling rabbit can break or dislocate its lower spine.

So keep it simple. Lift your rabbit with its rump supported, never by the ears, settle it in a carrier and drive to a rabbit-savvy vet. Our rabbit handling guide shows the hold, and the rabbit page covers normal breathing.

What do I do if my bird is choking?

Bird airways are built differently. The opening of a bird's windpipe is not covered by an epiglottis as it is in mammals, the textbook Clinical Avian Medicine notes. It lists inhaled seed husks and cage litter among the causes of sudden breathing trouble in a healthy bird.

Baby birds are the other risk. Merck says hand-fed chicks can breathe in formula, especially when fed large amounts or by someone inexperienced, and the outlook is guarded. A chick that struggles to breathe at feeding time needs an avian vet.

Do not press or squeeze the body: Merck warns that pressure on a bird's chest makes it hard to breathe. The safest home step is to keep the bird calm, warm and dark in a carrier, and get to an avian vet immediately.

The AAV suggests gentle heat and a quiet, semi-dark carrier for a sick bird. At the clinic, MSPCA-Angell avian vets start with oxygen, and may place a small tube into an air sac before removing an inhaled seed. See the bird page for normal breathing.

Can ferrets, guinea pigs or hamsters choke?

Evidence is thin here. Merck lists choking in ferrets as a reason to see a vet immediately. It adds that a ferret with a gut blockage may cough or choke as it stops eating and passing droppings.

For guinea pigs, Merck says any breathing difficulty needs a vet immediately. We found no veterinary choking method for ferrets, guinea pigs, hamsters or rats, so the plan is the vet, fast.

Not every 24 hour clinic sees birds or other exotic pets, the Association of Avian Veterinarians warns. Ask your vet today whom to call after hours. Save that number next to PetAid, so the first aid steps for your dog, cat, rabbit or bird sit on the same phone.

Why does my pet need a vet if the object came out?

Problems from the blockage, and from the first aid itself, happen often enough that RECOVER wants a vet to check every dog and cat that needed airway help, even when it cleared.

A bird can breathe a seed husk into its windpipe, and Clinical Avian Medicine describes finding it with a scope exam at the clinic. So a bird that had sudden breathing trouble goes in even if it settles. With a rabbit, ferret or guinea pig, the vet trip is the first aid.

Learn it properly

American Red Cross Cat and Dog First Aid, online at your own pace. $50, certificate when you finish.

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Keep the steps on your phone

PetAid for iPhone, for dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, fish and reptiles. Free on the App Store.

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The back blows advice for pets borrows from human choking research. Learn choking first aid for adults and children in person at our West Covina classroom: Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED.