How To Give Your Pet CPR
Just like humans, dogs can end up in emergency situations, where quality of care could literally mean life or death. Most of us know that dog emergencies do happen, but we might not know about pet CPR. Short for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, this emergency medical procedure is common in people whose breathing has stopped or whose hearts are no longer beating. However, most of us aren’t aware that we can do the same things for our dogs under emergency circumstances. CPR works almost the same way in dogs as it does in humans.
It’s a good idea to learn how to do pet CPR if you’re a dog owner. After all, you want to be able to save your beloved pet in the event of an emergency. CPR provides artificial circulation of blood and artificial breathing for animals and people who can’t do it themselves. It uses lung ventilation and chest compression to keep the life processes going until the patient can begin breathing and circulating blood again by themselves. It doesn’t take long, can be done by almost anyone, and can make a huge difference in whether an animal lives or dies.
In dogs, the most common use of CPR is in response to choking. Pets can choke on food, water, and other substances just like people can. While it’s a little harder for dogs to choke, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. And when it does, it can be life threatening. That’s why we should all know how to perform CPR on our dogs. Here’s a look at what you should do in case an emergency arises.
Canine CPR Steps
CPR should be performed if your dog has no pulse and is not breathing. You’ll need to learn to take a dog’s pulse, as well as how to perform CPR. The pulse can be taken in a number of areas on your dog’s body. You may be able to place your hands over the heart and determine a pulse. You can also check high on the inside of the thigh, at the femoral artery. The location is close to wear the leg joins onto the body. Use your fingers to find the pulse, not your thumb, because you may feel your own heartbeat, rather than your pet’s.
A normal pulse rate for dogs is between seventy and a hundred and eighty beats per minute, with puppies coming in as high as two hundred and twenty. The larger the dog is, the slower a natural pulse will be. It’s not always steady, either. It may be faster when your dog breathes in and slower when your pet breathes out. This is normal, and not a cause for alarm.
The steps for CPR are different for different sizes of animal, so make sure you know what to do with smaller dogs and puppies, as well as for larger ones. The wrong procedure could cause serious damage.
The first step for dogs of all sizes is to lay the dog on its right side. A dog’s heart is in the chest, a little behind the points of the front elbows. For dogs under thirty pounds, as well as puppies, place your cupped hand over the heart, on either side of the chest. Use your thumb on one side of the chest in puppies, and your fingers on the other. You won’t need as much force to perform CPR on these very small animals.
In larger dogs, use both hands on the same side of the chest. Kneel behind the animal’s back, placing the heel of your hand over the widest part of the rib cage. Put your other hand over it. This is very similar to performing chest compressions on humans. Don’t put your hands directly over the heart, as this can cause damage, and may not be quite as effective.
One hand will be between the dog’s body and the floor, and the other will be on top of the body. Compress the body one inch to an inch and a half, count to one, then release. The rate you use should be about a hundred compressions a minute. Make sure your elbows are straight and push down harder for larger dogs. The chest should compress two to three inches in these bigger animals, and your rate should be one and a half to two times each second – similar to that for small dogs.
If someone else is present to assist you, you can also provide mouth to nose breathing every two to three compressions. However, you may be alone. In that case, stick to one breath per five compressions. CPR must continue until the dog has a steady pulse, and has begun breathing on his or her own. However, if a dog doesn’t respond to CPR in the first ten minutes, it’s unlikely that things will get better. Most of these dogs can’t be saved in the end.
Once a dog has started breathing on his or her own, and has regained consciousness, treatment doesn’t stop. Get your dog to a vet or emergency vet hospital right away! You need to make sure that nothing else is wrong, and that no ribs were broken while you were performing CPR. Only a qualified vet can tell you for sure if things are alright.
Take the time to learn about CPR for your dog, and consider taking a course. It could make a huge difference in whether or not your pet survives a choking incident or other emergency. It might seem a little strange at first, but knowing how to save your pet is a smart idea. Every dog owner should know what to do in an emergency.
