Shocking moment caught on video: Dog owner helps choking pet as doctor gives Heimlich tips

A dog was spotted choking in a dramatic video before its owner jumped in to perform the Heimlich maneuver. 

In footage obtained by CCTV, a woman in Bangkok, Thailand, was seen making food in the kitchen when her French bulldog began to choke. (See the video at the top of this article.)

The woman, who noticed that her pet had fallen to the ground, was on its back and was shaking, proceeded to check its mouth before performing the Heimlich maneuver. 

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Part of an apple was spit from the dog’s mouth — and the pet owner appeared to save its life. 

Fox News Digital spoke with a doctor of veterinary medicine, Dr. Nell Ostermeier of Portland, Oregon, about the instance and got her recommendation on what to do if any other pets are in this situation. 

Ostermeier said the first thing to do is to confirm your dog is choking and not actually having a seizure — as the two situations can be mistaken. 

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"First, determine if your dog is choking," she said. 

"It can be obvious if the [dog's] collar is caught on something, and you should immediately cut or remove the collar."

Ostermeier noted that the dog in the video could have had a seizure when there was an object in its mouth, but it’s "hard to say without further questioning."

The doctor told Fox News Digital that if a pet’s lips, tongue or skin is turning blue, it means the animal is choking on an object. 

"Most times, dogs will dislodge the object by coughing, but if they are turning blue, you can try the Heimlich," she recommended. 

The Heimlich maneuver is defined as a "first-aid procedure used to treat upper airway obstruction caused by a foreign body," per the National Library of Medicine.

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Although Ostermeier recommends trying to get your pet to a veterinarian, if possible, she said that there are different techniques for performing the Heimlich on dogs based on size. 

She said that medium to large dogs should be standing up before the person performing the maneuver uses their fist with the thumb on the pet’s abdomen to thrust up and forward three to five times. 

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She added, "For smaller dogs, you can pick them up and use the palm of your hand to thrust up and forward on their abdomen three to five times."

Ostermeier recommended monitoring items that may have fallen on the floor within your home — and even to monitor proper pet toys, as they could be dangerous. 

"Choking can be prevented by monitoring your dog when [it's] chewing on balls, Kongs or other chew toys. [Make] sure the balls and other objects are appropriately sized for your dog," she said. 

The doctor also suggested that pet owners always assess the situation by asking themselves if their pet was maybe eating too fast, chewing on a ball or was simply just coughing before taking Heimlich maneuver measures. 

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The NIH states that the Heimlich maneuver "can save lives and is generally safe to perform, [but] serious intra-abdominal harm can ensue if this maneuver is not performed correctly."

Ostermeier works with Figo Pet Insurance, a Chicago-based brand. 

Condoleezza Rice defends school choice, argues that it is a race issue: 'Are you for school choice or not?'

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice defended the need for school choice in the U.S., stating that the lack of school freedom primarily negatively impacts low-income minority students.

Rice, the current director of the Hoover Institute at Stanford University, addressed educational freedom at a fireside chat focused on democracy at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institution in Simi Valley, California, on June 6.

"So are you for school choice or not? We already have a choice system in education," Rice said. "If you are of means, you will move to a district where the schools are good and the houses are expensive, like Palo Alto, California." 

"If you’re really wealthy, you will send your kids to private school. So who’s stuck in failing neighborhood schools? Poor kids. A lot of them minority kids." 

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Rice argued that not having school choice negatively impacts low-income families by regulating them to underfunded school districts.

"How can you say you’re for civil rights, how can you say you’re for the poor when you’re condemning those children to not being able to read?" Rice said. "By the time they’re in third grade, they’re never going to read." 

According to the U.S. Department of Education's National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as "The Nation's Report Card," roughly one-third of American fourth graders read at or below the basic level.

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The rates are often even lower among low-income and minority students.

"If you want to say that school choice and vouchers and charter schools are destroying the public schools, fine, you write that editorial in the Washington Post," Rice said in the now-viral video. "But then don’t send your kids to Sidwell Friends [an elite Washington, D.C., private school]." 

School choice has gained popularly in recent years, with 11 states passing universal school choice.

Many states have enacted Education Savings Accounts, which enable parents to use public funds to cover a variety of education expenses, including private school tuition, instructional materials and homeschooling costs.

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The Heritage Foundation, along with other proponents of school choice, say they would provide equitable opportunity for all students, despite income levels and race, and the overall education level increases as a result.

Those who oppose school choice, like the National Education Association, say voucher programs rarely provide the entire cost for a private school and remove much-needed funding for public schools.