Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure that is performed to help dogs who cannot breathe and / or have no heartbeat. When a dog stops breathing, blood oxygen levels drop dramatically and without oxygen vital organs like the brain, liver and kidneys quickly stop working. Brain damage occurs no later than 3-4 minutes from the onset of respiratory failure, so it is essential to act promptly.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Assessing the Situation
Step 1. Call your vet or animal emergency center
The first thing you need to do when you see a dog that appears to be in serious trouble is to ask for help.
- Ask a passer-by or friend to call the veterinary emergency room so that you can start giving first aid immediately if you find your dog is not breathing.
- Since it will take some time before an assistance center is able to intervene, you must start taking care of the animal as soon as possible and continue until help arrives.
Step 2. Assess if the dog is breathing
A collapsed unconscious dog can still breathe, in which case CPR is not needed. Therefore, the first key thing to do is to determine if CPR is needed before starting any resuscitation procedures.
- To determine if your dog is breathing, see if his chest rises and falls slightly. A dog typically takes between 20 and 30 breaths per minute, which means that the chest moves every 2 to 3 seconds. If you can't see the movement, place your cheek near his nose and pay attention if you feel the air flow on your skin.
- If the chest is not moving and you cannot feel the movement of the air, the dog is not breathing.
Step 3. Check his heart rate
To locate the heart, have the dog lie on its side and bring its front paw close to the chest; the point where the elbow touches the chest is between the third and fifth intercostal spaces, where the heart is located.
- Pay attention to the chest wall here and see if the dog's hair moves with the rhythm of the heartbeat. If you don't see any movement, place your fingers on that same spot and apply light pressure, you should feel your heart beating against your fingertips.
- If you can't locate your heartbeat here, look for it on your wrist. Choose a foreleg, slide a finger on its back under the spur (the finger of the paw that does not touch the ground) and along its entire length. Press gently, you should find the beat.
Step 4. Verify that the airways are clear
Open his mouth and check the back of his throat for any obstructions.
A block in the back of the throat can prevent the passage of air and interfere with the resuscitation procedure; so if you find something, you must remove it before starting CPR
Part 2 of 2: Practice CPR
Step 1. Remove whatever is blocking his airway
If the dog has a heartbeat, you need to focus on breathing. Before you begin, clear any obstructions from your mouth, including any vomit, blood, mucus, or foreign material.
Step 2. Put the dog in the right position to practice artificial respiration
Pull his tongue out. Align your head with your back and tilt it a little back to facilitate the opening of the airways.
Step 3. Put your mouth on his airway
If the dog is small, put your mouth on his nose and mouth. If it is a large dog, place your mouth over its nostrils.
Keep a hand under the jaw to close it. Place the thumb of the same hand on the top of his nose to keep his mouth closed. Alternatively, put both hands around his mouth and lips (if he's a large dog). It is important to prevent air from escaping through the mouth
Step 4. Practice artificial respiration
Blow hard enough on the dog's face to lift his chest wall. If you see that it rises easily (as is likely in the case of a small dog), stop when you see that the chest has lifted gently. If you keep blowing, you risk damaging his lungs. Then release your lips to allow air to escape.
You should aim to make him take 20-30 breaths per minute or blow every 2 - 3 seconds
Step 5. Prepare to begin chest compressions
The heart pumps oxygenated blood to the organs, so if you are doing artificial respiration, but there is no heartbeat, oxygen cannot reach the vital organs, so you will have to alternate between chest compressions and insufflations.
The goal is to perform chest compressions and artificial respiration in a pattern of 1 breath every 10-12 compressions
Step 6. Find the dog's heart
Identify its position by placing the dog on its side and bringing its foreleg still to the point where the elbow meets the chest wall, i.e. where the heart is.
Step 7. Perform chest compressions
Place the palm of your hand on your heart and press gently but firmly; the pressure must be sufficient to compress the chest to one third or half of its depth. The compression must be a fast and rapid movement: compress-release, compress-release, repeat 10 - 12 times for 5 seconds.
Practice artificial respiration and then repeat the cycle
Step 8. Pause every now and then to assess the situation
Stop every 2 minutes and check if the dog has started breathing on its own again. If not, continue artificial respiration until help arrives.
Step 9. Do abdominal compressions if your dog is large in size
In the case of a large dog, abdominal compressions, which help bring blood back to the heart, may be more suitable; make sure, however, that they are not done at the expense of cardiac compression.
- To do abdominal compressions, gently squeeze or squeeze the front of the abdomen, where the large organs such as the spleen and liver are located.
- You can also add an "abdominal squeeze" to help the blood flow back to the heart. Slide your left hand under the dog's abdomen and with your right hand "squeeze" the abdomen between the two hands. Repeat this movement about once every two minutes; but if your hands are already busy with chest compressions and artificial respiration, forget about this maneuver.
