What to do if your dog is choking

If your dog is choking and still awake, give up to 5 firm back blows over the back of the rib cage, beside the spine. If the object stays stuck, hold the head lower than the body or try thrusts, then back blows again. Keep your fingers out of the mouth. If your dog collapses, start CPR.

Written by Justin Alcalde, AHA and American Red Cross instructor, CPR West Covina · Reviewed September 27, 2026

Read the video transcript

What to do if your dog is choking. Step 1. Silent breaths, pawing, blue gums: that is choking. Step 2. Up to 5 back blows beside the spine, then head down. Step 3. Goes limp: 30 compressions, then look in the mouth.

Silent breaths, pawing, blue gums: that is choking.
Up to 5 back blows beside the spine, then head down.
Goes limp: 30 compressions, then look in the mouth.

Is my dog choking or just coughing?

Many loud, scary throat noises turn out not to be choking. A quick clue is which way the air moves. Coughing and gagging push air out. A dog that is choking struggles to pull air in.

What it is	What you hear	What you see	What to do
Choking, a real blockage	Silence, or a high squeak on each breath in	Pawing at the mouth, neck stretched out, drooling, pale or blue gums	First aid now, steps below
Coughing, kennel-cough-like	Spasms of harsh, dry coughing, often ending in a retch or gag	Often few other signs between coughing fits	Book a vet visit, sooner if breathing looks hard
Reverse sneezing	Loud snorts pulled in through the nose	Stands still, head and neck stretched, over within a minute or so	Stroke the neck, offer a lick or a drink
Gagging	Retching, with air still moving	Heaves, may bring something up, then breathes easily	Watch closely. Call the vet if it keeps happening

Choking signs follow the RECOVER First Aid Guidelines 2026. Reverse sneezing per VCA, cough per the Merck Veterinary Manual.

What are the signs a dog is choking?

Three signs most often point to a real blockage. Breathing that is silent or squeaky. Pawing at the mouth or face. Gums turning pale or blue.

A choking dog may also look frantic, drool, and try to cough with little sound coming out. Not every dog shows every sign, and other airway problems can look alike. The 2026 guidelines say to act when these signs appear, especially silent or squeaky breaths.

How do I do the Heimlich on a dog?

Check it is safe
Help only if a panicked dog is unlikely to bite you.
Give up to 5 back blows
Firm blows over the back part of the rib cage.
Aim beside the spine
Hit one or both sides of the spine, never the spine itself.
Try head down next
Lift the back end so the head hangs lower than the body.
Or try thrusts
Belly thrusts just behind the ribs or chest thrusts, gently in small dogs.
Go back to back blows
Keep cycling through the steps while your dog stays awake.
Stay out of the mouth
Fingers in an awake dog's mouth can push the object deeper.
Drive to the vet
Go now, even when the object is out and your dog seems fine.

A dog's spine can stand out more than a person's, so a blow straight onto it can cause injury. Land the blows on the ribs to either side, toward the back half of the chest.

How do I help a small dog or a large dog that is choking?

Your dog	Back blows	Head-down position	Thrusts
Small, easy to lift	Hold the dog against your body, blows beside the spine	Hold by the hips and thighs, head hanging down, then more back blows	Go gently. Belly thrusts can injure small or thin dogs
Large, too heavy to lift	Dog standing, you at its side	Wheelbarrow: lift the hind legs so the head points down	Stand behind, fist just under the ribs, thrust in and up
Lying down	Blows on the upper side of the chest, beside the spine	Raise the hips if you can	One hand on the back, the other presses the belly in and up

Order per RECOVER 2026. Holds and hand positions per PetMD.

Some older guides tell you to swing a small dog from side to side. The 2026 guidelines describe holding the head lower than the body, with more back blows. They do not describe swinging.

What if my dog passes out while choking?

Start CPR straight away. Chest compressions can push the object out on their own, possibly more reliably than fingers. That is why they come before any look in the mouth.

Lay them on their side
Firm, flat ground, or on the back for a flat-chested breed.
Give 30 compressions
Push hard at 100 to 120 a minute, which can shift the object.
Look in the mouth
Pause under 10 seconds and pull out only what you can see.
No blind finger sweep
Hooking around blindly can shove the object deeper.
Give 2 breaths
Mouth held shut, breathe into the nose, both in under 5 seconds.
Repeat the cycle
Once it is out, continue CPR until breathing returns or the vet takes over.

Hand position and push depth change with chest shape. Our dog CPR guide has the full table.

Does my dog need a vet after choking?

Yes. The RECOVER guidelines recommend a vet check as soon as possible for any dog that needed back blows or thrusts, even if it now seems fine. Problems from the blockage, and from the rescue itself, happen often enough to check.

The throat can be scraped or irritated. Thrusts can hurt the organs under the ribs. Food or vomit breathed in can lead to aspiration pneumonia, and its signs can show up days later. Watch for coughing, fast or hard breathing, low energy, or a poor appetite.

Get to the vet now if

Your dog needed back blows or thrusts, passed out, still breathes noisily or with effort, keeps gagging, or has pale or blue gums. Go too if you think a piece is still stuck.

What do dogs commonly choke on?

Item	Why it catches	Safer habit
Balls too small for the dog	Can wedge at the back of the throat	Pick a ball too big to fit in the back of the throat
Bully sticks	The short end piece can lodge at the back of the throat	Take it away once it gets small
Rawhide	Gulped chunks and broken-off knots	Skip it for dogs that bite off big pieces
Cooked bones	Brittle, they splinter into sharp pieces	Keep them out of reach, trash lid closed
Corn cobs	Can stick on the way down, more so in smaller breeds	Bin cobs where the dog cannot get them

Per PetMD, Preventive Vet and VEG ER for Pets.

What changed in the 2026 choking guidelines?

Many popular choking guides still lead with a finger sweep and abdominal thrusts, and some aim back blows between the shoulder blades. The 2026 RECOVER First Aid Guidelines put up to 5 back blows first, beside the spine toward the back of the ribs.

The reason is plain. In the one human study that compared them, back blows worked about twice as often as abdominal thrusts. Abdominal thrusts also carry a known injury risk, which may be higher in small dogs.

Our online pet first aid course follows the American Red Cross curriculum and covers the fundamentals. Check the current course for its exact choking sequence.

Learn it properly

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

Start the course

Keep the steps on your phone

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

Get PetAid

People choke too. Our in-person Heartsaver class teaches the adult and child choking response: Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED.

Questions people ask

My dog is choking but still breathing. What do I do?

If air is moving and your dog is coughing hard, let it cough and stay close. Step in with back blows once the cough turns weak or silent, or the gums change color. Either way, call your vet for advice.

What if I am alone with my dog?

Do the first aid first, then call. Once your dog is breathing, phone the emergency vet on speaker as you drive. If your dog is limp, the 2026 guidelines say to start compressions first even as a single rescuer. If you would rather not rely on memory, the same steps are in PetAid, our free pet first aid app.

Can I use a human anti-choking suction device on my dog?

Nobody knows yet whether they work on dogs. The RECOVER guidelines list adapting them for animals as a research gap. Stick with back blows and the steps above.

My dog keeps gagging after the object came out. Is that normal?

Scrapes and irritation in the throat can linger after an object comes out, and that is a reason for the vet check. Keep your dog calm and quiet on the drive in.

Is it the same for a cat?

Not quite. RECOVER calls a true airway blockage occasional in dogs and uncommon in cats, and the cat choking guide covers what else cat gagging can be.

More pet first aid

This is first aid, not veterinary care. Get to a vet or an emergency animal hospital as soon as the steps are done.

Sources