Tonight Mona had a semi-serious but very scary choking incident. She'd just wolfed down a 9 ounce chunk of pork in rapid time (she was incredibly hungry), and hobbled away from her feeding towel in a very unusual posture, with her sides sucked in, her back arched, and her neck stiff. She sounded like she was going to puke, so I interpreted her odd behavior as the reaction of her eating too quickly and guided her back to the towel (to save my carpet, of course!). But she didn't puke, and stayed hunched over in that stiff position, quiet as can be. I rubbed her back and noticed her throat was bulging... Feeling her throat, I could feel the giant chunk of pork lodged there, and realized what was actually happening. And I was helpless. I watched her strain, and thankfully she eventually horked it back up. She shook it off and was fine.
But the guilt I feel is something I can't shake off. I feel like a failure as a [raw feeding] pet owner. My dog was choking, yet I couldn't identify the symptoms. I imagined choking would involve loud horking noises, violent wretching, etc. Maybe that's what a more serious choking incident would looks/sounds like. But I realize now it might not always be so dramatic. When I finally realized what was happening, I didn't know what to do. I feel terrible about it. I've done all this research on feeding my dog the best possible diet for her, yet I don't know basic pet safety tips. Obviously, I'll be researching what to do when a dog chokes, to be better prepared should this happen again.
...For the record, I believe this accident was probably my fault. I knew Mona was really hungry, and I'd forgotten to thaw her food. In a rush, I served her pork half-frozen. Well, my incredibly hungry dog was too hungry to take the time to work on a half-frozen piece of pork. So she swallowed it whole. While she has eaten half-frozen food before, the pieces have been larger, and she has not been quite so hungry. It was a poor choice of food to give her tonight, I think.
