Songpyeon (Korean half-moon rice cake)

With songpyeon the urgent hazard is physical, not chemical. Rice dough kneaded with hot water is sticky and elastic, so it holds together as one mass and adheres to the throat or esophagus. Dogs are worse off than people here because they crunch two or three times and swallow. The bite-sized shape makes it worse, not better: for a small dog, a single songpyeon is close to airway-sized going down whole. A blocked airway is decided in minutes. The AKC lists the signs as a braced tripod stance, gushing drool, pawing at the mouth, high-pitched noise on inhalation, blue-tinged gums, and lethargy or collapse. The thing not to do is a blind finger sweep, which the AKC warns "can easily push an object further down, worsening the blockage." If you can see it and grip it, take it out carefully; if no air is moving, apply inward chest thrusts behind the front legs and get to a clinic. Even after an apparent self-rescue, the AKC still recommends a veterinary evaluation. If your dog is breathing but drooling, unable to swallow and retching without producing anything, the piece is likely lodged in the esophagus -- also an emergency, usually endoscopy. A piece that reaches the intestine can obstruct; Merck advises surgical removal if a foreign body fails to pass within 36-48 hours or stops moving on serial radiographs. Repeated vomiting, a guarded belly, no stool and lethargy are the signs at that point. The filling and coating matter as well. Sesame filling is ground sesame with sugar or honey, red bean filling is heavily sweetened, and chestnut and bean fillings are also high in sugar. The outside is brushed with sesame oil so the cakes do not stick together. That is a lot of sugar and fat compressed into a small object -- and VCA's guidance is that treats should be no more than 10% of a dog's daily calorie intake, a line one songpyeon clears easily for a small dog. Pull off any pine needles clinging to the surface; they are indigestible. Refrigerated or frozen songpyeon goes rock-hard and is dense enough to fracture a tooth. Note how many, when, and your dog's weight, and call your veterinarian or an emergency clinic. Do not induce vomiting -- a sticky mass can block the airway coming back up. During Chuseok, the reliable prevention is keeping the holiday table and the gift boxes somewhere the dog cannot reach.