How to Perform Dog CPR At Home in Emergency: A Step By Step Guide

Outline:

Dog CPR: What It Is and Why Every Pet Owner Should Know It
Why Learning Dog CPR Could Save Your Best Friend’s Life
When to Act: Key Signs Your Dog Needs CPR
How to Prepare for Dog CPR: What You Need Before You Start
How to Perform Dog CPR: A Step-by-Step Life-Saving Guide
Key Considerations for Safe and Effective Dog CPR
Dog CPR Classes and Certification: Where to Learn and Get Certified

It important to be prepared for emergencies as a responsible dog owner. One of the most important things you can learn is how to do dog CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). While we hope you never have to use it, understanding how to perform CPR can mean the difference between life and death in an emergency. This step by step guide will bring you through the steps of performing CPR on your dog, ensuring you are prepared to face such an emergency.

Dog CPR: What It Is and Why Every Pet Owner Should Know It

CPR refers to cardiopulmonary resuscitation. You’ve probably seen or been trained to conduct CPR on humans. Dog CPR uses concepts similar to those used on humans, but the specific techniques are adapted to fit the anatomy of a dog.

Dog CPR consists of two key components:

Chest Compressions
Resuscitation

Resuscitation is the process of restoring oxygen delivery to organs, whereas chest compressions are the means of resuming blood flow.

Why Learning Dog CPR Could Save Your Best Friend’s Life

Dog CPR is important because when a dog’s breathing or heartbeat ceases, oxygen levels in the bloodstream drop rapidly. A lack of oxygen to the cells can swiftly damage essential organs. If enough time passes before oxygen flow returns, the heart will go into cardiac arrest, brain cells will die, causing irreversible damage, and the kidneys, liver, and other organs will cease to operate normally. The faster you can get oxygen back into the dog’s blood, the better chance it has of getting better.

When to Act: Key Signs Your Dog Needs CPR

In case your dog is unconscious, it could be a medical emergency that needs to be attended to using dog CPR.

Signs to look for are:

No Pulse: Placing two fingers on the dog’s femoral artery, located inside the hind leg, will allow you to check for a pulse.
No Breathing: Check for breath by examining how the dog’s chest rises and falls, or place a palm near their nose to sense airflow.
Blue/Pale Gums: These indications could suggest a shortage of oxygen in the bloodstream.

It’s important to remember that just because a dog isn’t breathing does not mean that it is asleep. CPR is not necessary if your dog is unconscious but still breathing; you can take them right away to the emergency veterinarian.

How to Prepare for Dog CPR: What You Need Before You Start

Safety First: Make sure that the environment is suitable for both you and your dog. If the source of the emergency persists (for example, an electrical hazard or an ongoing attack), relocate your dog to a safer location.

Check for Breathing and Pulse: Before performing dog CPR, ensure that your dog is not breathing and has no pulse. A pulse can be detected by feeling the femoral artery on the inside of the rear leg, near the groin.

How to Perform Dog CPR: A Step-by-Step Life-Saving Guide

If you suspect your dog need CPR, contact your veterinarian or an emergency vet immediately. In an emergency, speed is of the importance, and you should begin taking your dog to the doctor as quickly as possible. If suggested by a veterinarian, doing dog CPR on the way to the vet or while waiting for assistance can save your dog’s life.

After you and your vet have confirmed that your dog needs CPR, follow these steps:

Step No. 1: Clear the Airway of Your Dog

Place your dog on his right side in a flat position. Make sure his neck and head are pulled forward to create a clear passage to his lungs. Check that his tongue is moved forward and out to prevent airflow obstruction.

Step No. 2: Start Compressions

Place your hands on your dog’s chest, one palm over the other. This is simplest if you hide behind your dog’s back. You may be able to wrap your hand around a little dog or puppy’s torso, fingers on one side and thumb on the other.

Perform fast compressions, pressing the chest in approximately ¼ to 1/3 of the way. Maintain a straight elbow position and exercise caution when applying pressure. For a large dog, 15 compressions per 10 seconds are sufficient; for a tiny dog, 17 compressions per 10 seconds may be appropriate.

Step No. 3: Start Artificial Respiration

You’ve got the blood flowing; now you need to get oxygen into your dog’s system. If you’re working alone, one breath for every 15 compressions is adequate. If you have aid, you can go up to one breath for every five compressions.

To do artificial respiration, keep your dog’s lips tightly closed. Then, with your mouth as close to your dogs nose as possible, exhale and breathe into his nose. For a little dog, the entire muzzle may be in your mouth. As you breathe into his nostrils, you should notice the chest rising. For a little dog or puppy, a gentle breath is sufficient. You may need to breathe harder for a large dog. If your dog already has a good pulse, you can time his respirations to roughly 30 per minute. Pause between breaths to let air out.

Step No. 4: Squeeze abdomen

After each round of compression, squeeze your abs and take a deep breath to promote circulation.

Step No. 5: Continue CPR

Stop after a minute or two to assess if your dog is responding. If there is no answer within 20 minutes, you are unlikely to succeed. If your dog starts fighting you over this, he no longer requires CPR assistance.

Step No. 6: Get help from a professional

CPR is frequently ineffective, even when performed by trained specialists. Your dog has to see a veterinarian right away if you gave him CPR. Even if resuscitation is successful, CPR can be harmful and painful to a dog’s organs and requires an expert assessment.

Key Considerations for Safe and Effective Dog CPR

CPR is a physically demanding treatment that, when administered, might cause further injury to your dog. These injuries might include broken ribs, pneumothorax (commonly known as a collapsed lung), and general stress on your dog’s body. However, because these injuries are curable by a veterinarian, you should not discontinue CPR for fear of causing further injury to your dog. If you believe you may have fractured a rib or otherwise damaged your dog, simply continue with milder compressions.

Again, CPR and artificial breathing should not be performed on a healthy dog. However, it is essential that you learn some of the fundamental techniques so that you know how to do them if your dog is in one of the life-threatening circumstances. Go ahead and practice detecting your dog’s pulse and heart location, but don’t conduct compressions! In addition, keep a directory of nearby emergency veterinarian offices in a convenient area or on your phone. Understand their positions and which would be most useful in an emergency.

Dog CPR Classes and Certification: Where to Learn and Get Certified

There are plenty of options if you’re looking for more in-depth, visual presentations or practical training for dog CPR class.

Watch a dog CPR video: there are many videos on YouTube that teach you how to perform dog CPR.

Join a dog CPR course: Many pet-related businesses provide programs to teach dog first aid and how to perform dog CPR, which includes dog CPR classes. Many online websites offer classes delivered by a trained instructor in your area that teaches a variety of first aid skills and provides dog CPR certification upon completion.

Speak with your veterinarian: At your next checkup, ask to go over your dog’s pulse points and discuss emergency best practices for your breed, size, and weight.