Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) for dogs is a life saving piece of knowledge. It involves compressing the chest to keep blood pumping around the body, and giving breaths to keep oxygen in the lungs.
How do I know when to do CPR:
- Is the dog conscious? – Call out to them and gently rub their side.
- Is there something blocking their airway? – You’ll need to check their airway to see if there’s a blockage or if their tongue is in their way.
- Is the dog breathing? – You can check this by watching their chest to see if it rises and falls, you can also check to see if you can feel breath coming out of their nostrils. *IF THE DOG IS BREATHING THEY DO NOT NEED CPR*
- Can you feel or hear a heartbeat? – Place your hand or ear on the left side of the dog’s chest to check for a heartbeat – if you’re not sure exactly where to check, gently pull their front leg back and listen/feel around where the elbow meets the chest. You can also double check by feeling for a pulse on the inside of their upper thigh. If you do not hear a heartbeat after completing all the other steps, you’ll need to begin CPR.
How to perform CPR on a dog:
- Put the dog on their right hand side, on a firm, flat surface. Unless the dog is a flat chested breed (for example a Bulldog), in which case they need to be on their back.
- Place your hands over their heart.
- Very small dogs (under 11lbs): Wrap your strongest hand around their chest with your thumb on top, and your fingers underneath. Keep your other hand behind their back to stop them moving.
- Medium – large dogs: Sit behind them and place both hands interlocked, over the widest part of their chest.
- Deep-chested dogs (such as Greyhounds and Great Danes): Sit behind them and interlock both hands directly over their heart.
- Flat chested dogs (such as British Bulldogs): Place both hands directly on the midpoint of their chest.
- Give 30 chest compressions at a rate of two per second (the beat of the song ‘Staying Alive’ is about right)
- Extend the dog’s neck so that their nose is in line with their back, firmly close their mouth, form an airtight seal with your mouth around their nostrils.
- Give them a breath, watch for the rise of the chest, and allow it to fall again before giving a second breath.
- Repeat 30 compressions followed by 2 breaths for 2 minutes, then check for a heartbeat.
- Heartbeat and breathing = take them to the vets immediately as an emergency.
~Canine PT and Me Team