Betsy literally owes this dog her life! Had it not been for Rufus, the unimaginable would have happened. According to this report, while Betsy’s mum, Emily Gunnion was sleeping in the other room, the little girl had started choking on her own vomit.
A rescue dog, Rufus figured something wasn’t quite right about the way baby Betsy was gasping. He immediately sprinted into Emily’s room and started barking and tugging on her arms. It didn’t take too long for Emily to realise that Betsy was in trouble. The second both rushed into the room, she noticed that her 21-month-old baby had begun choking.
The child was lying on her back, throwing up and choking on her own vomit, clearly much in distress. “I was so panicked, but I quickly picked her up,” revealed Emily, who is a cafe manager. As soon as the baby was held in the vertical position, she was able to puke properly and soon felt better. “Rufus saved Betsy, he was amazing. I was so tired after being up with her and didn’t know what was going on,” confessed the 29-year-old mum, as per this report. Incidentally, she had just started fostering the mixed-breed rescue dog a few days ago.
That was no doubt a scary incident, and thankfully both the dog as well the baby’s mum reacted correctly before it was too late. Choking is a hazard scarily rampant, especially in really young children. In such an instance where the baby is choking and you are the only one around, what are the right first steps to be taken? Here are some factors to be kept in mind, in case of such an incident:
- Let him cough: If you see that the baby is gagging or trying to cough, it means that whatever it is that he is choking on, is only partially blocking the airway. Allow him to cough, as it is the most effective way to clear any blocks.
- Is he unable to cough, cry or make any noise? If so, it means that the airway has been completely blocked. Since there's absolutely no air reaching him, he will be in panic mode, may clutch his throat and may even fall unconscious.
- Avoid removing the obstruction with your hands: This may further add to the gravity of the situation. The obstruction may get further lodged or even damage the baby’s throat.
- Call emergency services: Once you are sure that the baby is choking, it’s time to provide him with some first-aid. Do it for a couple of minutes, and then call the emergency services. Continue with performing first-aid till the rescue team arrives. If the baby already has some health condition, call the emergency services before performing first-aid.
As much as we never want our babies to ever experience such horrors, it always makes sense to be equipped to deal with a situation like this. While there are quite a few videos available online, I'd suggest you consult your doctor or a specialist for some first-aid tips to be kept in mind.
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