Unlike cats, when you put food in the dog's bowl it usually disappears in about 3 or 4 minutes because they are potential eaters.
Faced with such a rapid intake of food, it is common for our pet to choke and the most worrying of all is that it leads to a serious he alth problem. For that reason, in this article on our site we help you with some basic tips that will improve digestion and prevent choking.
Keep reading to find out what you should do when a dog chokes on food.
Assess if the type of power supply is adequate
There are different types of food for dogs and among them we find dry food, wet food and homemade diets. All of them have different qualities and it is essential that you start to investigate if the one you offer is the right one.
If, for example, we have decided to start our dog on a type of homemade diet such as the barf diet, known for offering raw food and bones, you should bear in mind that if you are not used to it, your dog may choke with some bone.
Tips to improve the assimilation of your diet:
Distribute the intake of food in two doses, one at noon and the other in the evening, this way your dog will be able to digest better and slower the food, it also helps you not to eat too fast
Adding water or chicken broth (without s alt) to our dog's dry food can also improve its assimilation by not forming a compact mass in its throat, it is ideal for dogs with little salivation
The wet diet, as it is made up of water (between 50% and 70%) is very difficult to cause choking, you can offer a daily portion of a wet diet and another of feed (and even mix both)
Some foods that are included in homemade diets can make a "ball" such as rice if it has more presence than other foods
Remember to pay special attention to prohibited foods for dogs, onions, chocolate or other toxic products can cause choking.
To find out exactly what makes our dog choke, observation is essential: stay by his side while he eats and watch what he does choke on.
Appreciate the moment you give him food
Once we have reviewed the dog's diet, we must be clear about when we should feed him and when not, and the fact that that the dog chokes will also depend on it:
Avoid feeding him just after or before exercising, in addition to making him choke and making food feel bad, it can lead to possible gastric torsion
Do not offer him large quantities of food at night, it is preferable that if he is given a single feeding, it should be at noon
Choose the times when the dog is relaxed, if on the contrary he is excited he can choke more easily
As paying attention to the type of food, it is also useful to pay attention to the moment in which we offer it. Keep these tips in mind for better digestion.
Assess possible diseases
Finally, If your dog continues to choke after following the advice on our site, we recommend that yougo to the vet as soon as possible. There are a large number of diseases that can influence a dog's digestion.
Doing an ultrasound is the most effective method that our veterinarian has to diagnose any type of disease that develops in the digestive system and even in the dog's heart (which can affect the abdomen), if you notice a worsening, do not hesitate and go as soon as possible to treat your best friend, he will thank you.
