#1 Choking Hazard

[bullmama]

Because bulldogs love to swallow things whole we are always telling everyone to be very careful about pig ears, bully sticks and rawhide.

But there are so many things that are also a choking hazard as well. Things you would not even think of.

Dog food is many times just the right size to get lodged into the esophagus. I know many of us think these premium kibbles are too tiny but these are great because they are much too small to get stuck in most cases. Slow feed bowls can also help prevent choking.

But the number one canine choking hazard is in fact... Hot dogs. They are the perfect shape, especially when sliced, to lodge into the esophagus of most breeds. So if you ever treat your bulldog to hot dogs, (I've read many on here use them for super special occasions like nail trims) do not sliced them, but rather cut them in smaller bits first.

I had read this on the net and confirmed it with my vet today, he said most choking cases he has seen have been either dog food and especially hot dogs above all else.


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[mcraven2]

Thanks for the info! During the summer whenever we grill we always grill extra hotdogs for them as a treat! I usually cut them in half the long way then slice them, but now I'm going to make sure they are very thinly sliced and cut up tiny!

 

[Marine91]

Thank you for the reminder.

 

[Opie CHL]

Great point! I didn't even think of that when I occasionally give Chum a hot dog. I will definitely slice it up smaller in the future! I love this forum..so much great info you would never even think of! Thanks!

 

[Vikinggirl]

This is good to know. I've always known that hotdogs are the number one choking hazard for children under the age of 8, for the same reason, the shape and size of a hotdog is exactly the same size as the esophagus in young children. When my kids were young, and when my grandson eats hotdogs, I slice them in half length wise, so that they're not round anymore. I didn't know and didn't think of hotdogs being a choking hazard for dogs, but it makes sense, especially for our bullies as they have narrow breathing passages. Another choking danger for children is latex air balloons, when they pop, or when a child bites a balloon, and if they put them in their mouth or swallow them, the rubber material gets wet from saliva and then sticks to the inside of the windpipe, and coats the tissues, it sticks there and cuts off the oxygen. Many young kids have died from this, and emergency workers, doctors and parents cannot remove the balloon pieces. A safer balloon for kids are the helium foil balloons. Balloons are probably not a safe thing for dogs to ingest either. We should all remember that kids and pets are the same, they are both dependant on us for their care, and to keep them safe, and just as we kid proof our homes for our children, we should also treat our pets as our children and puppy proof our homes from dangerous objects and poisons, that can harm our babies. Thanks for sharing this information Lisa, great info and a good reminder.

 

[cali baker]

I had no idea that hot dogs were up there in the choking hazards. Good to know since I also give mine hot dogs quite often too! thanks for the info, Lisa!

 

[cali~jenn]

Interesting! Funny, I somehow never thought of it being a problem for pups. With the kids, I am overly cautious too. I don't feed them but I am sure I have before.

 

[mavsfan4life]

I had no idea that hot dogs were a potential choking hazard for dogs. Thanks so much for the helpful info!

 

[Lisabear123]

Thank you for the heads up! Always such excellent advice n info here! I love this place!

 

[2BullyMama]

WOW... so never knew that. thanks, Lisa!!

 

[Bazza]

Great to know, never knew that, Bazza gets the odd hot dog not very often, but next time I will be cutting it smaller, thanks for the advice, we have already had surgery due to obstruction to the bowel, never want to go through that again.