I never had a pet when I was a kid, because my parents couldn't afford to have one. If taken care of the properly, a pet can cost money. Because of this, I was never really a pet lover, until the family dog Daniel came into my life. A small dog, Daniel weighed about 10-15 pounds soaking wet. But, that little mutt had such a personality, that he would make people laugh wherever I took him. We bonded right away, and he went everywhere with me...the grocery store, post office, and whenever I went jogging, he came along and he loved it.
"A dog is the only thing in the world that loves you more than you love yourself." Josh Billings
One day, I was working on the computer in the middle of the afternoon, and out of the corner of my eye, I was watching a television talk show. The show was about a variety of things, but what caught my attention, was the part where the host and the guest began talking about something called the Heimlic maneuver, which is described as the following:
"An emergency technique used to eject an object, such as food from the trachea of a choking person. The technique employees a firm upward thrust just below the rib cage to force air from the lungs."
I had heard about this technique before, but I had never used it, and I had never seen it used by anyone else, either. But, what was interesting on the show, is that they were talking about how this technique, could not only be used on humans, but how it could be used on pets, too. This caught my interest and I stopped working on the computer and watched and listened to what was being said, etc.
I was hoping I would never have to use this technique on Daniel, but you never know. Dogs can be so unpredictable in their behavior. My own description of the technique is as follows: to grab a person from the backside, in a bear hug and apply pressure to the stomach area, to force the object out, and force air in. (That's as good as I can describe it) I didn't know the technique could apply to pets as well, so I learned something new. I made a few notes during the program that could come in handy in the future.
"There is no faith which has never been broken, except that of a truly faithful dog." Konrad Lornenz
When it came to walking and jogging, I had been doing it for over twenty years, about 15 miles a week. I liked to take Daniel with me, and he loved to get out in the open spaces and run! I jogged in this huge open field, and I would take Daniel off the leash and give him a little freedom. But, I would keep an eye on him. He took off after a rabbit once, crossed the highway and almost got run over by a car! Dogs don't know anything about looking both ways before they cross the street!
On this day, it was a hot August afternoon, as the sun was going down. Daniel and I were out doing a little walking and jogging. As I said earlier, I don't have a lot of experience with dogs, but it seems to me that they're always hungry, and always looking for something to eat. Even if they have just finished eating, they are still looking in the bushes for something to eat, and if they find it...they'll eat it! There are a lot of dangerous things out there, waiting for a dog to eat, like antifreeze, which will kill a pet or old sharp bones from a dead bird. etc.
"The better I get to know men...the more I find myself loving dogs." Charles de Gaulle
Instead of naming my dog Daniel, I should have named him "Hoover," because he was always sucking up everything is sight, and I had to watch him like a little baby. Anyway, we were out in the field walking and just cooling off after jogging, and Daniel was about 20 feet behind me. and I would check up on him all the time, to see if he was doing okay. AND, THEN IT HAPPENED...
I looked back to check on Daniel, and he had something in his mouth. It looked like an old piece of hamburger meat. I immediately screamed at him to DROP IT! DANIEL DROP IT, I yelled at him! But, instead of dropping the object, HE SWALLOWED IT! As I screamed at him, I raced up to him! In an instant, he was upside down, and choking and suffocating! His little legs were were going a mile a minute as he struggled to get air!
As I saw this happen, I came apart...but, there was no time for emotions! There were only seconds to act! Daniel was going to die in seconds if I didn't do something FAST! But, what could I do out in the middle of nowhere! There was NO help were we were! It was PANIC TIME, and very quickly, I remembered the television show about the Heimlic maneuver! But, how was I going to give it to Daniel...he was so small? I couldn't get him in a bear hug...that was silly! I should have thought of this before...but, I didn't!
Tears and a gallon of sweat were pouring down my face and getting in my eyes! Seconds were ticking away, and I was terrified that Daniel was going to die in my arms! All I could do is, what amounted to a version, of the Heimlic maneuver! So, I got Daniel by the fur on the back of the neck, stood him up, and punched Daniel in the stomach between the ribs! NOTHING HAPPENED...I PANICKED! Thinking I didn't hit him hard enough, I was going to have to hit him harder, even if I hurt him! Better to have a live dog with bruises and a few broken ribs, than a dead dog!
I have to say, I have never been so frightened in my life, as Daniel was dying and seconds were ticking away! This was a matter of life and death! Again...I grabbed him by the fur on the back of the neck...stood him straight up, and punched him in the stomach just below the ribs...HARD THIS TIME...and the object came flying out of his mouth, and landed about six feet away! Boy, was I relieved! I could see that Daniel could breath now, and he was going to be okay! I was exhausted...I've never been so exhausted in such a short period of time in my life!
I laid Daniel on the ground and shielded him from the sun, and let him stay there a while. With tears running down my face and drowning in sweat, I must have sweat 30 gallons in 30 seconds! I was soaking wet! I have never had to act that fast, as I had to act that day! I sat on the ground, and tried to pull myself together. Daniel lay on the ground next to me, and looked at me with those glassy big brown eyes, as if the say, "thank you." I could not express the relief I felt when I knew Daniel would be okay! Both of us were shaken as to what had just happened!
I didn't want Daniel out in the heat of the day too long, so it was time to go back to the car. I got him up on his feet, and he seemed okay. I put him over my shoulder, where he liked to ride, and we slowly headed back to the car. I have to say, that those were the most terrifying 30 seconds of my life...but it all had a happy ending after all.
"A person who has never owned a dog, has missed a wonderful part of life." Bob Barker
A few days later, I told one of my neighbors about the incident with Daniel, because, he too, owned a dog, and the story about Daniel was of interest to him. Amazingly, an incident to his dog happened to him a couple of weeks later. He told how he saved his dog, too.
The neighbor's dog must have eaten something that didn't agree with him, and the dog got violently sick! The dog lay on its side up against the wall...was throwing up and having trouble breathing! The neighbor remembered the story I told him about Daniel, so he punched the dog in the stomach just below the ribs, and the dog threw up! But, the dog was still having trouble breathing and choking on his own vomit, so the neighbor punched the dog in the stomach a second time! Again, more and more vomit came out, and now the dog could breath easier! The neighbor stayed up with the dog all night, and by morning, the dog was feeling better! This technique saved the dogs life, and it was another happy ending!
All of us know what it feels like to get hit in the stomach and get the wind knocked out of us! It's a terrible feeling for sure! But, when something awful happens to a human or a pet like this, you have to act fast! Don't worry about bruising or hurting the person or pet...it's a matter of life or death!
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