Dogs play an incredibly important part of our well-being and happiness. This is because these furry and cuddly creatures offer great companionship that is hard to find nowadays.
Lack of companionship can make us feel lonely and isolated. While it’s natural to feel a bit down and isolated from time to time, prolonged loneliness can be debilitating and dangerous to our physical and mental health. Feelings of isolation can drive negative emotions and adversely impact the quality of our life. For people who are less sociable and have a hard time expressing affection to other people, dogs can be a wonderful source of comfort and love. Dogs do a lot than just make us happy. According to studies, dog owners don’t just live happier lives, but longer and healthier lives as well.
Just like raising a child, having a dog involves a lot of work and responsibilities. Caring for a dog is more than just providing for its basic needs. Aside from giving it a safe, warm and loving home, you also need to protect its life and well-being. Losing a dog can be extremely painful and bring inconsolable grief. The grieving process can be long and debilitating especially if you cherished your dog so much. When your dog is placed in a dangerous situation, the best way to save its life is to perform dog CPR.
Benefits of Dog CPR
Just like humans, dogs are hugely vulnerable to life-threatening respiratory diseases. The respiratory system performs many complex and vital functions. One of these functions is to circulate blood and oxygen throughout the body. Oxygen is exchanged for carbon dioxide through a process called respiration which generally occurs in the alveoli. When a dog suffers from an illness, this usual exchange of gases in the lungs does not happen. As a result, your pet suffers from grave respiratory problems.
Veterinarians play a crucial role in the life and well-being of your beloved companion. If your dog is experiencing difficulty breathing, the safest thing to do is bring your pet to the veterinarian as soon as possible. Situations that put your pet’s life in danger, without doubt, require immediate veterinary care. Recent advances in medical treatments have provided veterinarians with a range of options for prolonging the life of animals. Veterinarians can conduct thorough examinations on animals to diagnose their medical conditions and provide them with proper treatment. That is why access to veterinary care is exceptionally important. However, when medical care for your pet is not immediately accessible, you can perform CPR on your dog. Time is the utmost importance when dealing with critical pet emergencies, thus medical attention should be given immediately. Knowing how to act and what to do can save the life of your precious companion. In these crucial situations, performing dog CPR may give your furry friend a greater chance to survive. When the dog falls unconscious, respiratory arrest follows. The heart may continue to beat for a short period of time after respiration has ceased. Giving your dog CPR can help stabilize its condition until it gets transported to a veterinary facility. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, also known as CPR, is a procedure performed to sustain the life of an animal or person. Dog CPR is primarily done to restore oxygen flow to the brain and other vital organs until proper treatment can be administered. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is not aimed to serve as an alternative to veterinary care, but simply as a temporary solution to critical pet emergencies.
How To Perform CPR on a Dog
However, before performing a CPR on a dog, it is necessary to determine if your dog is unconscious or has stopped breathing. Take some time time to perform a thorough assessment of the situation before conducting the procedure. The best way to find out if your pet has stopped breathing is to check your dog’s tongue and gums. If the tongue and gums are starting to turn blue, it could be an indication that your dog has stopped breathing. Aside from this, you also need to observe the rise and full of your pet’s chest. Breathing will also stop if the airway becomes blocked or narrowed, so make sure to check the mouth to see if there is any blockage. If there is any, pull the tongue forward to remove the object. Be extremely careful not to push the object farther down the throat. When carrying out CPR on a dog, the first step is to position your pet for rescue breathing. In this step, you have to align the head upward and tilt it a little further. Rescue breathing is a technique used to send oxygen to the lungs and other vital organs until normal breathing can be restored. However, rescue breathing should only be performed on unconscious animals. Avoid conducting rescue breathing if your pet dog is conscious or distressed. Moreover, it should not be administered if there is no blockage in the airway. CPR techniques on dogs can differ depending on the size of the dog. If you are performing CPR on a smaller dog, the best way to place your mouth over the dog’s airway is to place your mouth over both nose and mouth. If the dog is bigger, place your mouth only over the nose. Make sure the air doesn’t escape through the dog’s mouth. To do this, hold the mouth and jaw closed. The next step is to carry out artificial respiration. This technique is carried out if the dog has ceased breathing. Blow air into the dog’s nose until the chest expands. Remove your mouth to let the air escape. Once this step is done, you can now start doing chest compression. When performing this step, you have to compress the chest by no more than one-third to one-half of the chest’s depth. For larger dogs, this technique should be performed with the dog lying on its side. You also need to compress the front portion of the abdomen to help convey blood to the heart. After doing all those steps, assess your pet to see if it is breathing normally again. If you are unsure if there are any improvements, continue doing the process until professional veterinary aid is available.