There you are, walking along with your dog when suddenly he slips and falls
into the river and drowns. Would you know what to do?
Or maybe you come upon a dog having just been injured in a canine vs. car
accident and you want desperately to help. Would you know what to do?
There are approximately *68 million dogs and 73 million cats residing with
American families. The majority of people with companion animals polled said
that they consider their dog or cat a member of the family. Dogs and cats may
find themselves in the water and unable to rescue themselves. They may be
victims of a car vs. animal mishap or toxicity, suffocation or other injury,
accidental or intentional. Pet CPR classes and workshops are now being
offered around the country to help save the lives of the four-footed family
members in their time of need.
Here is a brief primer on the A,B,C's of CPR for your dog or cat. Keep in
mind that the following basic instruction is not intended to take the place of
a visit to your veterinary clinic or pet emergency hospital, which should
always be your first plan in an emergency. However, if treatment can be
started on the scene or en route to an emergency veterinarian, a life may very
well be saved.
Any animal, no matter how docile and sweet, can become fiercely protective of
himself when in pain so your safety should be your first concern. Do not
attempt CPR unless the animal is unconscious, both for safety and for the
health of the animal. CPR should never be performed on a conscience,
combative animal.
Airway: First: Call your pet's name to see if there is any response. If no
response, carefully lean down close and look, feel and listen.
Look at the chest to see if there is a rise and fall, feel on your cheek or
the back of your hand for breath coming from the nose or mouth, listen for
breath sounds.
Breathing: If the animal is not breathing, pull the tongue out just a little,
close the mouth and tilt their head back slightly to open the airway.
Administer 4-5 breaths mouth to snout. That is, close their mouth and breathe
into their snout through your mouth. If squeamish about this, cover the nose
with a light tissue, gauze or other flimsy material. You want to breath out
just enough to make the chest rise. Larger dogs will need more breath, little
dogs and felines will need much less. Don't give too much or you will injure
the lungs.
Circulation: Check to see if their heart is beating. Check for a heartbeat
(pulse). The pulse points on a dog is on the inside of the rear leg, towards
the top of the leg. This is the femoral pulse. For cats, the pulse point is
on the outside of the left front leg, just behind the shoulder, this is the
apical pulse.
If there is a pulse but no breathing, continue to perform mouth to snout
resuscitation at the rate of 1 breath every 3 seconds. For small dogs or cats
give 1 breath every two seconds. If there is no pulse, begin CPR.
For a dog, place the dog on the ground or other hard surface with his right
side down. Bend the left front leg at the elbow, pushing the shoulder back.
The point on the rib cage where the elbow touches the body is where you place
your hands for compression. Place one hand over the other and clasp fingers
together. Lock your elbows and perform compressions approximately 2-3 inches
deep. Do compressions first, then a breath at the following rates:
Giant Dogs: 1 breath for every ten compressions, check for pulse
Small, medium and large dogs: 1 breath for every five compressions, check for
pulse
For cats or toy breed dogs, the technique is a little different. Place the
animal flat on the ground but place your hands on either side of the chest
directly behind the shoulder blades. Your palms should be over the heart,
sandwiching the animals' chest between both hands. Begin compressions at only
½-1 inch deep and give one breath for every three compressions, check for
pulse.
For more information on pet cpr and first aid, visit www.animals101.com and
follow the links for CPR or register for a cpr workshop.
* American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA) 2001-2002 National
Pet Owners Survey.