Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, or more popularly known as CPR is readily taught to us in high school and in the work place.  But chances are you weren’t taught how to perform CPR on your pet.  It’s a scary thought and not to mention shocking if one of our pets becomes unresponsive.  But this is why it’s so important to learn the basics of what to do.

In 2012, 101 guidelines regarding CPR, were published in a free issue of The Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care.  Here are some guidelines to assist you in the event of an emergency.

Unresponsive Pet

1.  Attempt to wake up your pup.  If they won’t wake, look to see if there are chest movements or air coming out of their nose.
2. If there is no sign of breathing, quickly check to see if his airway is obstructed.  Open their mouth and pull the tongue back to view the back of the throat.
3. If there is something obstructing their airway, attempt to pull it out.  If the dog responds, they are not in cardiac arrest and should be brought to the nearest vet immediately.

Cardiac Arrest

Other than having something blocking their airways, your dog can stop breathing for a number of reasons.  They can suffer a seizure, sudden death syndrome or they can have a heart attack.  Regardless of what the reason is, the objective is to get them breathing again and to the nearest veterinary clinic.

If it seems like your dog has suffered some sort of cardiac issue, here are some steps to take:

1. Call someone to come and drive you to the veterinarian while you perform CPR.
2. Place medium and larger dogs on their side of the floor.  Then kneel behind behind their back with your knees right up against their spine.
3. Put one hand atop the other on your dog’s heart ( make sure your shoulders are directly over your hands and elbows straight). Keep your elbows locked and bend at the waist to make use of your stronger core abdominal muscles.
4. Start pushing down to compress the chest about one-third to one-half its width and compress the chest two times per second, 100 to 120 compressions per minute.
5. Give two quick breaths after every 30 chest compressions. Close your pup’s mouth and wrap your hand around it.  Extend their neck to open up the airway.  Blow over both nostrils and deliver two quick breaths. Make a seal with your mouth over both nostrils and deliver two quick breaths.
6. Continue giving CPR while someone drives you to the vet emergency clinic.

Have you ever had to perform CPR before? What was your experience?  Comment below and don’t forget to share!