Animal CPR

Save a Life:

Learn Animal CPR

For the EMS Provider and Pet Owner

Lori H. Feldman, DVM
Henry J. Feldman, MA EMT-M
(c) 1996
Dr. Feldman is a Massachusetts and New York Licensed Veterinarian and a member of the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society. This document is primarliy aimed at EMS and Emergency Medical personel who may encounter animals in arrest.

Pet owners should consult their veterinarian for specific details on procedures outlined here.

A. Airway

The first step in animal CPR, after determining non-responsiveness, is to obtain a patent airway. You should not continue on, until this step has been achieved.

1. Carefully pull the tongue out of the animal's mouth
WARNING: even an unresponsive dog may bite by instinct!!

2. Make sure that the neck is reasonably straight; try to bring the head in-line with the neck.
WARNING: Do not hyperextend in cases where neck trauma exists

3. Attempt 2 rescue breaths, by closing the mouth, and performing mouth-to-nose ventilations. If they go in with no problems continue to B-Breathing.

3. Reposition the neck and try step 3 again.

4. Visibly inspect the airway by looking into the mouth, and down the throat for foreign objects occluding the airway. Unlike human-CPR, rescuers may reach into the airway and remove foreign objects that are visible

4. Proceed to the Heimlich maneuver

A. Heimlich

After attempting to ventilate:

1. Turn the animal upside down, with its back against your chest

2. With both arms, give 5 sharp thrusts (bear hugs) to the abdomen. Perform each thrust as if it is the one that will expel the object

3. Stop, check to see if the object is visible in the airway, if so, remove it and give 2 mouth-nose rescue breaths. If the breaths do not go in, go back to step 1

Use gravity to help you expel the object
Do not proceed with CPR, even if the animal goes into cardiac arrest. You must clear the airway first.

B. Breathing

1. After achieving a patent airway, one must determine whether the animal is breathing, and whether this breathing is effective:

2. Carefully pull the tongue out of the animals mouth
WARNING: even an unresponsive dog may bite by instinct!!

3. Make sure that the neck is reasonably straight; try to bring the head in-line with the neck.
WARNING: Do not hyperextend in cases where neck trauma exists

4. Ventilate the animal by closing the mouth, and performing mouth-to-nose ventilations. If they do not go in with ease go to A-Airway

5. Ventilate at 20 breaths per minute If supplemental Oxygen is available, and the animal is breathing on its own, use a high-flow blowby.
WARNING: Do not attempt to intubate the animal, without prior training, and properly sized ET tubes.

6. Proceed to C-Circulation, while continuing respiratory support as necessary

C. Circulation

This is the final step of CPR and should only be initiated after the airway and breathing steps have been completed:

1. Make sure that there are no major (pooling/spurting blood) points of bleeding. Control as necessary

2. Lay the animal on its right side

3. Locate your hands where its left elbow touches the chest. Approximately the middle of the rib-cage

4. Compress the chest 15 times followed by 2 rescue breaths (3 compressions every 2 seconds)
Compress

1/2" - small dogs

1" - medium dogs <

1.5" - large dogs

5. Repeat as necessary

Important:

Animals do not have palpable carotid pulses. You can only obtain a *femoral pulse in the inguinal crease. (Palpate carefully on a conscious dog!)*Note from webmaster;to take the femoral pulse,place your fingers at the middle of the inside surface of the rear leg near the point where the leg meets the body. This is the area where the femoral artery passes near the skin allowing you to feel the pulse.

E. Extra

During an emergency it is very important that you remain calm. Animals can sense your unease, but cannot understand what is happening and you cannot verbally tell them. Your body language is very important. Be calm, yet deliberate in your actions.

When you determine that you either have corrected the life-threatening problem, or are unable to stabilize the animal, you should transport to the nearest emergency veterinary hospital.

Notify your emergency clinic that you are coming in with a dog in respiratory arrest with a foreign body airway obstruction and/or cardiac arrest.

Give them the following information via phone if possible:

Your name

Your ETA

Steps taken (CPR, O2...)

Breed/size

If a foreign body, what the suspected object is

If a poison or medication has been ingested

Mechanism of injury (hit by car...)

Write the phone number of the 24 hour animal hospital nearest you here:

If your dog has been stung by a stinging insect you probably won’t become aware of it until you see swelling occur-this will usually,but not always, be on the muzzle. IF YOUR DOG DEVELOPES HIVES (WHEALS-THEY WILL ACTUALLY MAKE THE FUR STAND OUT FROM THE SKIN AND THE DOG WILL HAVE A DISHEVELLED LOOK) OR APPEARS UNSTABLE OR WHOBBILY ON ITS FEET OR IF ITS GUMS ARE PALE OR IF IT IS HAVING TROUBLE BREATHING -THIS IS AN ALLERGIC REACTION AND AN EMERGENCY AND LIFE THREATENING!
GET YOUR DOG TO A VETERINARIAN IMMEDIATELY! If the dog displays no pain, fever or any of the above symptoms and acts "normal" (even though it may not look normal) usually, no treatment is necessary, but be sure to pull out the stinger if you see one (scrape it off with a butter knife-do not squeeze it while removing it!). The swelling should go away in approximately 48 hours. It is always best to have the dog vet checked and perhaps prescribed corticosteroids to prevent signs or further progression of signs.

Heatstroke can occur very rapidly-dogs in cars with little or no ventilation , where temperatures can soar to over 100 degrees on a 75-80 degree day , can die in a matter of minutes!
Dogs used to air-conditioning suddenly transported to a hot place, overweight dogs , older dogs, puppies and short nosed dogs are particularly susceptible to heatstroke.

SYMPTOMS OF HEATSTROKE

PANTING
INCREASED PULSE RATE
REDDENED GUMS
ANXIOUS OR STARING EXPRESSION
VOMITING
STUPOR OR COMA

WHAT TO DO
IMMEDIATELY GET THE DOG OUT OF THE HEAT (PREFERABLY IN AIR CONDITIONING) AND IMMERSE THE DOG IN COLD WATER -OR ,IF YOU CAN’T, SPRAY THEM OR PLACE WET TOWELS ON THEM AND KEEP POURING GLASSES OF COLD WATER ON THE TOWELS AND TRY TO BRING THEIR BODY TEMPERATURE DOWN!
MASSAGE THE SKIN AND FLEX AND EXTEND THE LEGS TO RETURN BLOOD -THEN GET YOUR DOG TO A VETERINARIAN HOSPITAL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!!!
DO NOT THINK BECAUSE THE DOG HAS COME "AROUND" THAT YOU ARE OUT OF THE WOODS! KEEP CHECKING THE DOGS RECTAL TEMPERATURE (NORMAL IS 101-102) FREQUENTLY FOR AT LEAST 24 HOURS! SYMPTOMS OFTEN RECUR!
Prevent heatstroke by always carrying cold water with you and your dog on hot days and offer it to them often!
NEVER LEAVE YOUR DOG IN A CAR EVEN WITH THE WINDOWS ROLLED DOWN !
Have wet towels handy to cool your dog-remember-they do not have sweat glands like ours-they cool themselves by panting and "sweating" from the pads of their feet and noses. Don’t "clip" your dogs fur to "make it cooler" it may actually have the reverse effect.

Poisonous Plants
Some of the plants here will make your dog very sick. Others can kill them and remember ,a Chihuahua doesn’t have to ingest much to have it affect it. If you think your Chihuahua (or dog) has eaten (or chewed) on any of these plants-please, don’t wait for symptoms-take your dog to your veterinarian.