Dog lover saved her French bulldog’s life by performing the Heimlich manoeuvre

Dog lover saved her French bulldog’s life by performing the Heimlich manoeuvre on him when he started choking on a piece of sofa

  • Louise Davies leaped into action after Angus the bulldog started choking
  • The Heimlich technique was fresh in her mind after a first aid course at work
  • The 48-year-old said her ‘heart was in my mouth’ as she came to the dog’s rescue

A dog lover saved her pet’s life with the Heimlich manoeuvre after he started choking on a piece of sofa.  

Louise Davies leaped into action after Angus the French bulldog started making a retching noise, losing the colour in his face and leaning sideways as if losing consciousness.  

Luckily, Ms Davies had just done a first aid course at work and the life-saving technique was fresh in her mind – meaning she could save Angus’s life. 

The 48-year-old church administrator, from Congleton, Cheshire, said her ‘heart was in my mouth’ as she came to the animal’s rescue.  

Saviour: Louise Davies with the family’s French bulldog Angus – whose life she saved with the Heimlich manoeuvre after he started choking on a piece of sofa

Hobby: Angus’s owner believes the three-year-old dog must have choked on part of the sofa during the alarming incident last month, explaining that it was his favourite thing to chew

‘I knew straight away that Angus must be choking – it was horrifying to see, he could not breathe at all,’ she said. 

‘My heart was in my mouth at first but my training kicked in, allowing me to keep calm.

‘I looked in Angus’ mouth and, when I couldn’t see anything, I picked him up from behind and pulled into his belly.

‘Nothing happened the first time so I had to do it again, and this time he started breathing again.’

The mother-of-two said nothing had flown out of Angus’s mouth, suggesting that whatever had been stuck must have gone down. 

She believes the three-year-old dog must have choked on part of the sofa during the alarming incident last month, explaining that it was his favourite thing to chew.  

The family are currently on their fourth sofa in the kitchen because little Angus has a fondness for eating them.

Happy ending: Ms Davies had just done a first aid course at work and the life-saving technique was fresh in her mind - meaning she could save Angus's life

Happy ending: Ms Davies had just done a first aid course at work and the life-saving technique was fresh in her mind – meaning she could save Angus’s life

Rescue: The 48-year-old church administrator, from Congleton, Cheshire, said her 'heart was in my mouth' as she came to the animal's rescue

Rescue: The 48-year-old church administrator, from Congleton, Cheshire, said her ‘heart was in my mouth’ as she came to the animal’s rescue

Louise said: ‘We would never let him in our living room with the posh sofa otherwise it would be destroyed, luckily these sofas have either been second hand or fairly cheap but it’s still not great he ruins them all.

‘He’s a cheeky little thing, he’s such a whirlwind, he snaffles everything.’

Angus, who was bought as a present for Ms Davies’ daughter Jessica for her 18th birthday, was taken to the vet afterwards where he was given the all-clear.

Relieved Louise said: ‘I am so grateful I had done a first aid course, it just goes to show that first aid knowledge of any kind is worth knowing.

‘I never thought I would be saving the life of my dog when I did that course but I am so happy I did.

‘This could have been a very different story.’

Louise Davies leaped into action after Angus the French bulldog started making a retching noise, losing the colour in his face and leaning sideways as if losing consciousness

Louise Davies leaped into action after Angus the French bulldog started making a retching noise, losing the colour in his face and leaning sideways as if losing consciousness

Animal experts say knowing emergency procedures such as CPR and the Heimlich manoeuvre is ‘critical to saving lives’.  

Advice on the website petheirs.com says: ‘Only use the Heimlich manoeuvre if you are certain your dog is choking on a foreign object, as performing the manoeuvre can cause additional injury.

‘Be careful when using this method, as you could potentially cause damage to a dog’s internal organs if you apply too much force.

‘Also, canine ribs are more flexible than human ones and thrusting can cause the lungs to flail, which may not create enough pressure to expel the foreign object.

‘The technique is basically the same as for a human.’ 

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