CPR: Your Pet's Lifesaving Second Chance

I'm sure most of you know how to administer First aid to a person and perform a CPR when the situation calls for it.

But do you know how to do a CPR on a pet, in case of an emergency?

A few days ago, one of my neighbors faced every pet owner’s worst nightmare. Their beloved mixed-breed dog Spotty, who was 8 years old, was lying on the ground and struggling to breathe. Unfortunately, it was a Sunday evening, and the veterinary hospital was closed, along with most medical shops. To make matters worse, our regular vet, a retired professional who typically makes house calls for pet vaccinations and emergencies, was also out of town that day.

Talk about bad luck!

I too was away at the time and unaware of the emergency unfolding. It's disheartening that while people can receive emergency help and medical care at any time, our four-legged friends don't always have the same access, especially in villages and rural areas.

Anyway, despite his panic and distress, my neighbor managed to reach the vet by phone and quickly described Spotty’s condition. The vet informed him that he was halfway back to the town from a relative's house. He inquired about Spotty’s symptoms, asking if the dog had vomited, foamed at the mouth, or had diarrhea before coming to the present state.

My neighbor confirmed that Spotty had vomited few minutes before, but he initially dismissed it as a minor case of indigestion. It wasn’t until he saw Spotty lying down with foam around his mouth that he became alarmed. He had checked for signs of a snake bite but found none (cobras are an occasional visitor there but the dogs usually only barks and not engage).

The vet told my neighbor to give chest compressions and CPR immediately in case Spotty's breathing stops. However, before he could explain the procedure in detail, the call was cut off. Attempts to reach the vet again were unsuccessful due to an unstable network.

The problem now was that neither did my neighbor nor the people present there, knew to do a CPR. And none of the youngsters were around, including me, who could look up a tutorial online on how to do a CPR on a dog.

By then, Spotty was really struggling to take each breath. And within a minute or two, there was little to no breathing and pretty soon he was unresponsive. My neighbor performed the chest compressions but maybe due to incorrect procedure or something, his efforts could not resuscitate him.

The vet arrived 15 minutes later with emergency supplies but it was too late to do anything. He diagnosed the cause of death as cardiac arrest, likely as a result of severe food poisoning or ingestion of some toxic substances.

The next day my neighbor found some snail shells lying around at the porch near the garden (there were quite a few snails and slugs that showed up the last few days with the heavy rains). He asked the vet if snails or slugs could cause poisoning if Spotty ate them.

Well, it turns out that snails and slugs can be dangerous to dogs. Dogs can contract lungworm by ingesting infected snails or slugs, or by licking slime trails left by these creatures. Once inside the dog, the larvae mature and migrate to the heart and blood vessels, where they can cause significant health issues. And lack of administering proper first aid or failure to do a CPR at the critical moment can lead to a pet's death.

When I learned about the tragic loss of Spotty the next day, I was deeply saddened. And I realized that I, too, lacked the knowledge to perform a CPR on a pet in case of an emergency.

I too have a four-legged friend and I cannot let something like this happen to her.

How To Perform CPR On Your Dog in case of an emergency

Chest compressions are normally done after placing the pet lying on its right side on a firm flat surface. Aim to compress the chest 1/3 to 1/2 of its width at a rate of 100-120 compressions/min.

Check out this excellent step by step video tutorial on 'How To Perform CPR On Your Dog’

https://youtu.be/1kX0b5Nj7SI?si=QVXlBH2n7LJJLIdy

Courtesy: @ PDSA

To help prevent a situation like this in the future, I shared this CPR tutorial video with our colony WhatsApp group.

We can also get help from local veterinary clinics, retired doctors, volunteers and self-help groups to impart the knowledge on how to administer First-aid techniques and perform CPR on animals and pets.

When to perform CPR on your dog?

You should consider performing CPR on your dog if it is?unresponsive, not breathing, or has no pulse:

• Unresponsiveness - If your dog doesn't respond when you call its name or touch it
• No breathing - Check for breathing by watching the chest rise and fall or feeling for breaths near the nose
• No pulse - Check for a pulse by feeling the femoral artery in the upper thigh or by placing your hand on the chest to feel for a heartbeat
• Blue or pale gums - A lack of oxygen can cause gums to turn blue, gray, or pale

?

Perform CPR in the following scenarios:

• Drowning:?If your dog has been submerged in water and isn't breathing
• Electrocution:?If your dog has been exposed to a significant electrical shock or chewed through a power cord
• Choking:?If an object is blocking your dog's airway and you are unable to remove it
• Poisoning:?If your dog has been exposed to a toxin that is causing cardiac or respiratory distress
• Smoke inhalation:?If your dog has been exposed to smoke from a fire and is experiencing respiratory failure

Remember, Every Second Counts!

A proper FIRST aid may give your pet a SECOND chance at life.

Learn to do CPR and save your pet.

P.S. As for those pesky snails, I learnt that frequent use of NATURAL REPELLENT sprays made with ingredients like vinegar, garlic, or chili pepper can help keep them away for good.