I am not a veterinarian or veterinary professional. This article shares our personal experience and what I learned by researching current pet first-aid guidance. It is not a replacement for hands-on pet CPR/first-aid training or veterinary care. If your dog is having a medical emergency, seek emergency veterinary help immediately.

There are some things you don’t realize you don’t know until suddenly you really need to know them.

For me, that was what to do when my French Bulldog started choking.

I have obviously learned CPR and first aid for my own child. I know that choking emergencies happen. I know why those skills matter.

But somehow, despite having two French Bulldogs who eat like every meal is a competitive sport, it had never occurred to me that I should know the dog version too.

Then Electra choked on a treat.

And suddenly I had one terrifying thought:

What do I do if my Frenchie can’t breathe?

If Your Dog Is Choking Right Now

The newest 2026 RECOVER veterinary first-aid guidelines recommend starting with up to five firm back blows for a conscious dog suspected of choking. The blows are given to the back of the chest, beside the spine rather than directly on it. If that doesn’t clear the airway, another airway-clearing technique may be tried.

If the dog becomes unconscious, RECOVER recommends beginning CPR rather than continuing to perform abdominal thrusts.

Here is the basic sequence I learned:

1. Recognize actual choking. A choking dog may become frantic, paw at the mouth, gasp or struggle to breathe, make unusual or very little breathing noise, stop breathing, or develop pale, blue or white gums. Not every choking dog will show every sign.
2. If the dog is conscious, give up to five firm back blows. Current RECOVER guidance recommends blows over the back portion of the chest, to either side of the spine—not directly onto the spine. Positioning the dog’s head lower than the body may also be considered.
3. If the object doesn’t come out, try another airway-clearing maneuver. RECOVER lists options including chest thrusts or abdominal thrusts, but notes that abdominal thrusts may pose a greater injury risk in some dogs, especially smaller animals. Then return to back blows if necessary while the dog remains conscious.
4. Don’t blindly reach into a conscious dog’s mouth. The current RECOVER guidelines specifically advise against this because of the bite risk. If a dog becomes unconscious, don’t perform a blind finger sweep either—you should only attempt to remove an object you can actually see.
5. If your dog becomes unconscious, begin CPR. RECOVER recommends 30 chest compressions at a rate of 100–120 per minute, followed by a quick airway check if needed and two rescue breaths, repeating the cycle while getting the dog to emergency veterinary care.
6. Have your dog examined by a veterinarian even if the object comes out. Both RECOVER and the American Red Cross recommend veterinary evaluation after a choking incident requiring first aid because complications can occur afterward.

And yes, when I read that first step, I immediately thought about what our trainer had told me.

It really does sound a lot like what you learn for a choking child.

The Night Electra Scared Us Half to Death

This all started with the Hungry Hippo-style puzzle toy we bought for Zeus and Electra.

If you’ve read that story, you already know that Zeus eventually figured the toy out and became absolutely obsessed with smacking the paw mechanism to release treats.

Electra?

She came up with a more efficient system.

Let Zeus do the work and steal his treats.

Which is extremely on-brand for her.

The problem is that these dogs do not eat food at what I would describe as a reasonable speed.

We have never had dogs who eat at the speed of light quite like Zeus and Electra.

There is no savoring.

No thoughtful chewing.

No stopping to appreciate the delicate flavor notes of a dog treat.

It’s more like:

FOOD. GO. NOW.

And because Electra was trying to grab the treats coming out of the toy before Zeus could get them, she was eating even faster than usual.

Then I heard her.

This Wasn’t Her Normal Frenchie Noise

French Bulldogs make noises.

Lots of noises.

Snorting.

Coughing.

Gagging.

Reverse sneezing.

Random sounds that make you look across the room and ask, “Are you okay?”

This was different.

Electra was in actual distress.

I realized she had swallowed a treat wrong and something appeared to be stuck.

And my brain immediately went to:

My dog is choking.

Followed very quickly by:

I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO.

That realization scared me almost as much as seeing Electra struggle.

I grabbed her and ran toward my husband yelling for help.

Somewhere in the process of grabbing and carrying her, I apparently put enough pressure on her abdomen that she vomited.

Everywhere.

And there it was.

The treat.

Out.

Electra could breathe.

She was okay.

And I have never been happier to see dog vomit in my life.

What Happened With Electra Is NOT My Choking Advice

This part is really important.

I’m telling you what happened because it’s part of Electra’s story.

I am not telling you to grab your choking French Bulldog and run around squeezing them until they throw up.

What happened with Electra was accidental.

Afterward, I wanted to know what I actually should have done.

That’s when I started asking questions and researching dog first aid.

Our dog trainer told me that helping a choking dog can involve positioning them downward and using firm blows with the heel of your hand to help dislodge the object.

At first I remember thinking:

Wait. Like when a baby is choking?!

And surprisingly, there are similarities.

The newest RECOVER veterinary guidelines specifically recommend back blows as the first maneuver in a conscious choking dog, although the exact positioning and technique are adapted for a dog’s anatomy.

That was one of those pieces of information that instantly made me think:

Why didn’t I learn this years ago?

What About the Dog Version of the Heimlich Maneuver?

This is where researching current information really matters.

You will still find plenty of instructions online—including from reputable organizations—that recommend abdominal thrusts for a choking dog.

The American Red Cross, for example, describes rapid inward-and-upward abdominal thrusts as part of its dog-choking procedure.

But the new 2026 RECOVER veterinary guidelines now recommend trying back blows first.

Why?

The guideline authors found that back blows appeared at least as effective and potentially safer, while abdominal thrusts can cause injuries. Because dogs come in wildly different shapes and sizes, RECOVER doesn’t recommend abdominal thrusts as the universal first maneuver for every choking dog.

That doesn’t mean abdominal thrusts have disappeared entirely. They remain one of the alternative techniques that may be considered if back blows don’t work.

But if I’m ever faced with this again, the current guidance I’m going to remember first is: five firm back blows.

And hopefully I never need to use them.

French Bulldog CPR Is a Little Different Too

Of course I went down the rabbit hole after this and started wondering:

Okay, but what if Electra had stopped breathing completely?

That’s where CPR comes in.

And because French Bulldogs are built like little barrels with legs, their CPR positioning is different from some other dogs.

The American Red Cross specifically places French Bulldogs, Pugs, Boston Terriers and English Bulldogs in its barrel/flat-chested category.

For CPR, their guidance says to place a barrel-chested dog on their back, put one hand over the other over the highest part of the sternum, and compress about one-third to one-half of the chest width. Compressions should be performed at 100–120 per minute, using cycles of 30 compressions and two rescue breaths.

That was another thing I had absolutely never thought about before.

Apparently having a potato-shaped dog even affects CPR.

Of course it does.

The Biggest Lesson Electra Taught Me

Electra ended up being okay.

The treat came out.

She recovered.

And once the panic passed, I realized how lucky we had been.

Because my plan during the emergency was essentially:

Grab Electra. Scream for husband. Hope something works.

Not exactly the level of emergency preparedness I would like to have for two animals I love this much.

I know CPR and choking first aid for my child because I understood that someday those skills might matter.

Why wouldn’t I learn the same thing for Zeus and Electra?

So that’s my biggest takeaway from this entire experience:

Dog first aid is something I think every dog owner should at least familiarize themselves with before they need it.

Not while their dog is choking.

Not while they’re panicking.

Before.

The American Red Cross offers pet first-aid resources and training, including dog and cat first-aid instruction, and after what happened with Electra, that’s the kind of information I want available in my own emergency toolbox.

And Yes, We Still Use the Hungry Hippo Toy

Before anyone blames Zeus’s beloved Hungry Hippo toy…

We still love it.

This wasn’t a toy malfunction.

The problem was an extremely enthusiastic French Bulldog named Electra trying to inhale a treat before her brother could get it.

The incident just reminded me that treat toys still involve food, and excited dogs can eat too quickly.

So we supervise them.

Zeus continues to happily smack the paw button like he’s operating a doggy slot machine.

Electra continues to believe Zeus should earn the treats and she should collect them.

And I now pay a whole lot more attention to how quickly they’re eating.

Final Thoughts

I hope I never have to perform choking first aid or CPR on either of my dogs.

But after watching Electra struggle to breathe and realizing that I didn’t know what to do, I don’t want to rely on luck a second time.

The first thing I want burned into my brain is:

Conscious dog choking? Current veterinary guidance says start with up to five firm back blows beside the spine.

And if the situation progresses to unconsciousness, CPR and immediate emergency veterinary care become critical.

Electra taught me that lesson in a much scarier way than I would have preferred.

But if sharing her story convinces even one other dog owner to learn pet first aid before they need it?

Then at least something good came out of the world’s most terrifying dog treat.

And yes.

Zeus still thinks the treats were worth it.