Successful management of upper airway obstruction using an external manual removal technique in a dog: Implications for pre‐hospital and hospital emergent interventions and post‐procedural care

Abstract A 2‐year‐old, female, spayed German shepherd dog presented to the University of Illinois Small Animal Emergency Room for an upper airway obstruction caused by a ball. The event was observed by the owner and presentation was immediate. The patient was stridorous and cyanotic with a markedly increased respiratory rate. An external manual removal technique, colloquially known as a J‐hook, was used to clear the laryngopharyngeal obstruction. Following airway clearance, the patient was apnoeic requiring brief intubation and mechanical ventilation for less than 10 minutes. Post‐procedure hyperthermia was treated with active cooling measures. The patient was hospitalised in the intensive care unit for 24 hours with no apparent sequelae to upper airway obstruction. This case report describes the emergent management of an upper airway obstruction, including an external manual removal technique not previously described in the veterinary literature.