CPR May Save Your Pet’s Life!
Dear Drs. Jaffe, How do you perform CPR on a dog?
You're probably familiar with cardiopulmonary resuscitation, CPR, a lifesaving technique used with people whose breathing or heart has stopped.
When someone stops breathing, or a heart stops beating, the oxygen level in the blood rapidly drops. Organs and tissues, such as the brain, heart, kidneys, and liver, won't get enough oxygen and become damaged, often irreversibly. In such emergencies, CPR provides artificial breathing and chest compressions to stimulate the heart to circulate blood.
CPR is also done with four-legged animals. Veterinary hospitals have the trained staff, equipment, and medications necessary to perform CPR. However, you never know when you will find yourself in an emergency and must attempt basic lifesaving resuscitation on a dog or cat at home.
When might you need to perform CPR on your furry family member? If your pet is unconscious, stops breathing, and their heart stops beating. CPR won't likely be helpful if an animal has severe trauma especially involving the head, is terminally ill, or more than 15 minutes have passed since its last breath or heartbeat.
What should you do if your dog suddenly stops breathing and its heart isn't beating? Stay calm and try to find someone to assist you. CPR is hard work; you'll need a partner or two to help.
If you find a dog or cat that appears to have lost consciousness, check to see if it's breathing by watching if the chest rises and falls. If you are uncertain, put your hand or face in front of your dog's nose and see if you can feel an airflow.
If your pet isn't breathing, open its mouth, pull the tongue forward, and check to ensure nothing is blocking the airway. You can use your finger to sweep the back of the throat to ensure there isn't a foreign object obstructing airflow. Be careful not to get your hand bitten. Some animals with agonal breathing may accidentally chomp down on your fingers. Use the Heimlich maneuver if something is too deeply stuck in the throat to dislodge it with your fingers. Put your hands on both sides of the abdomen just behind the last ribs with the dog sitting up, and give a forceful push to dislodge the item blocking the airway.
Next, put your hand over the dog's chest to check for a heartbeat. You can also place your fingers on the inside of the thigh near the groin to feel for a pulse.
If your dog isn't breathing and you can't feel a pulse or heartbeat, it's time to start CPR with rapid, forceful chest compressions. Place the dog on its side with the neck extended and the nose aligned with the spine. For a medium or large dog, stand or kneel by the dog's back, and place the heel of one hand on top of the widest portion of the chest. Put the palm of your other hand on top of the hand on the chest. Keep your arms straight as you lean over the dog and firmly compress the chest to 1/3-1/2 of its regular width.
Let the chest expand again between compressions. Your goal is to provide rapid, forceful chest compressions at a rate of 100120 compressions per minute.
If you are doing CPR on a cat, a small dog, or a dog with a narrow chest, like a greyhound or Doberman Pincher, center your compressions directly over the heart. It's challenging to locate the position of a heart that isn't beating. Find the heart by bending the animal's elbow back towards the side of its chest and center your compressions on the site where the elbow touches the chest.
If you attempt chest compressions on a dog with a flatshaped chest, such as a bulldog, pug, or Boston terrier, lay the dog on its back instead of its side. Center your compressions on the sternum or breast bone at the widest part of the chest. In a tiny dog or cat, you can also try a single-handed technique and compress the chest by clasping one hand around the chest's sternum directly over the heart and compress the chest with your fingers together if your hand is large enough.
For CPR, you will do cycles of thirty chest compressions followed by two rapid breaths until the animal starts to breathe and the heart beats, or you have arrived at a veterinary clinic. Every two minutes, check the dog for breathing and a heartbeat.
To provide breaths to a small dog or cat, tip the animal's chin and nose back to open the airway. Put your mouth over the animal's mouth and nose and quickly blow air so that you see the chest rise, then move your mouth slightly away so the air can escape. In a larger dog, perform “mouth-to-snout” breathing. Hold the mouth closed with one hand and place your mouth over both nostrils to create a tight seal as you blow air into the pet's nose.
Your assistant will start chest compressions to stimulate the heart to pump blood as you supply breaths. The goal is to give 100-120 chest compressions each minute. Delivering rapid, forceful chest compressions is tiring, so plan to trade off jobs with a partner every two minutes.
We hope you never have an emergency with your pet where breathing or circulatory support is needed. Performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation can save lives. The sooner it is initiated, the more favorable the outcome. Just jump in and attempt CPR should the emergency arise. Remember to stay calm and provide rapid, forceful chest compressions. Consider practicing checking your pet's respiratory rate, heartbeat, and pulse, so you're familiar with how to monitor it in an emergency.
It's nice to hear from our readers. Feel free to email questions or topics you'd like us to address in our monthly “Ask the Vets” column. If you don't see a column, we haven't received a question for the month! This publication provides general information, and we encourage you to contact your regular veterinarian should you have specific questions about your pet's medical care. We hope to hear from you soon! Hail State!
Tracy Jaffe, DVM
Michael Jaffe, DVM, MS, CCRP, DACVS Askthevets39762@gmail.com