Dog Owners Beware

We almost lost this precious little guy pictured above a couple of days ago.  Oliver had been chewing on a rawhide bone.  The kind with the knots at the end.  At first, I thought he was going to throw up and was getting ready to take him outside when I realized he was choking.  He had a piece of rawhide lodged in his throat he apparently tried to swallow.  I tried to do the Heimlich maneuver on him with no results which was also hard to do because Oliver is so small.  I also tried to dislodge it with my fingers but it was too deep.

“Oliver is chocking!”  I yelled out. 

My husband kept trying the Heimlich for a couple of minutes with no success.  Time was ticking away and I was afraid Oliver was going to die.  You could literally see his eyes bulging out of his head.  I cried out loud to Jesus for help, then immediately we could hear Oliver barely begin to breath, it was more of a wheezing, but nothing that could be called a breath.  My husband continued with the Heimlich.  I was terrified thinking our poor little guy was going to die.  About four minutes had gone by since I realized he was choking.

Jesus, help us.  Help Oliver!”  I called out again in desperation.

Just then a piece of rawhide larger than a quarter popped out of Oliver’s mouth.  His passages were finally clear.  We hugged him, and put him on the floor to see how he would react.  He just stood there like a statue, not moving at all.  I wondered if he had brain damage.  I believe Oliver was in shock.  I noticed one of his eyes had a huge blood blister on the side from the trauma. The rest of the night he was very quiet, and though he normally devours his food in the morning he didn’t want to eat the next day until after noon sometime. He probably had a sore throat.

He seems fine now, but I wanted to put this out as a warning to anyone with a dog.  I believe had we not been home we would have come home and found Oliver gone with no clue as to what happened.   From now on I am only buying the rawhide bones that are one piece.  Funny thing is that I buy the extra large bones, the one for large breed dogs, because I thought its size would keep Oliver from choking.  I believe a piece of the knot broke off and Oliver tried to swallow it.  Oliver loves those bones and has chewed on them for years.  We are definitely going to watch him very carefully from now on when he has one of those to make sure there are no pieces he can choke on, and we will only let him chew on one for a bit and put it away, especially before we leave the house.

Oliver is a sweet little dog I have had for almost nine years.  He is also a funny little guy with a lot of personality.  Had something happened to him my husband and I would have been crushed because he brings us a lot of joy.

God gave us little comforters in warm furry bodies to encourage us.  Oliver has been a wonderful companion, friend, and silly guy.  He is always there for me, no matter how bad the world feels at the moment.

A BIG THANK YOU TO JESUS FOR CARING FOR A LITTLE DOG’S LIFE!  OUR FAMILY IS VERY THANKFUL!

By ~ Elizabeth Yalian 2013 ©http://hiseyeisonthissparrow.com.