Small Dog Carriers News-
CPR for Dogs
by
Kirsten Hawkins
Anyone who has been to a CPR class is
familiar with the basics of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
First you'll check to be sure the patient has a clear airway,
then check to see if the patient is breathing, check whether
the patient has a heartbeat and, if the patient awakens
during the process, be careful that you don't get bitten
by the patient.
The American Red Cross has been instructing
people in CPR for pets for quite some time now and has classes
that include all manner of first aid, including mouth-to-snout
resuscitation. You read that correctly; mouth-to-snout.
The procedure is similar to traditional
mouth-to-mouth resuscitation between humans, the chief difference
being that the person performing the procedure will close
the dog's mouth and instead provide breaths into the dog's
nose. The process sounds humorous in theory, but it works
and knowing how to perform mouth-to-snout resuscitation
on your pet could literally save its life.
According to a March 2002 story from
The Scoop, a website that reports on dogs in the news (you
know the theory - "DOG BITES MAN" is not news
while "MAN BITES DOG" is), a dog in Walla Walla,
Washington that was accidentally choked nearly to death
was saved by a quick-acting Good Samaritan who was trained
in mouth-to-snout.
After being revived, the dog was treated
at the Walla Walla Associated Veterinary Clinic and released.
In addition to the mouth-to-snout procedure,
dogs can have chest compressions performed in an emergency
where the heart stops. Learning and knowing these techniques
can save the life of a dog in distress and let him live
to chase rabbits or play fetch another day.
The concept of pet CPR is gaining much
notoriety and is starting to be taught by organizations
all over the country that formerly provided traditional
CPR training and certification. If you're interested in
taking these classes yourself, contact your local Red Cross.
The life you save may be your dog's.
