How to Do CPR and Provide First Aid Care – Do Not Wait Until You Need It

It’s every pet owner’s nightmare. Your dog collapses and you are not sure if he’s breathing. Luckily when this happened to me with my dog Max, I was at the vet’s office but if you are not lucky enough to be with your vet, then you should be prepared with the knowledge of how to perform CPR and give proper first aid care for your dog.

Heimlich Maneuver

Cindy Zaban, an EMT worker in the video shown here, explains that we should first look for signs that our dog is in fact not breathing. The most visible sign is if your dog can cough. If he can then he is in fact breathing. If your dog is pawing at his mouth, his eyes are bulging and he is opening his mouth wide, chances are he is having trouble getting air in.

If you find your dog is choking, give him 5 thrusts on his back between his shoulder blades to see if you could dislodge whatever is blocking his airway. If that doesn’t work and your dog is small enough for you to pick up, lay his back against you and thrust into the stomach 5 times the way you would with a human. If your dog is too large, lay him against a hard surface like the floor and thrust that way.

Pulse Points

Similar to an emergency with a human, Elaine Acker, CEO of Pets America in another Youtube video, suggests checking for your dogs pulse before beginning CPR. Pulse points are located in the front two paws just behind his wrists and in the same location on the back paws. Another location is the femoral artery. If you lay your dog on his right side and touch his knee and follow that around to the inside, the femoral artery is there.

If you find your dog is not breathing and you are unable to find a pulse, lay your dog on his right side. This way, says Acker, his heart is facing up. Bend his front paw back and touch his rib cage with his elbow. That is the location where you will need to compress. Be careful of his ribs. You want to compress below the rib line.

Close your dog’s mouth and tilt his head up. Bring your mouth to his nose and cover your dog’s nose completely with your mouth. Blow forcefully into his nose watching for his chest to rise. Blow 4-5 times then perform 15 compressions counting aloud. After the 15 compressions, give the abdominal a squeeze to circulate the blood back to the heart.

If someone is with you, have them dial your vet while you are performing CPR and once you get your dog breathing again, make sure to have him thoroughly checked by his doctor.

Preparation is the best remedy

While thinking of your constant companion not breathing is upsetting, what would be more upsetting is to be in the situation with no knowledge of how to save him. Many animal shelters offer emergency preparedness classes such as Pet First Aid and Pet CPR. If you don’t have the time to attend a class in person, I urge you to watch the videos posted here and take notes.
While focusing on the what if’s is never a good thing, being prepared for them just in case is always smart.