Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation and Artificial Respiration

      Contributed by David Candline

      This document is copyrighted and publication in whole or part is prohibited except by permission of the author.

      In this message I will cover Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation and Artificial Respiration ( mouth-to-nose actually ). I will give directions appropriate to small dogs, bearing in mind that the difference in size demands a higher level of effort more than anything else.


      For CPR:

      Place the dog on the floor, with the left side of the dog facing down, orient yourself so that you are kneeling with your knees along the back of the spine. The dog's head will be facing to your left.

      Place your palm on the side of the dog's chest just underneath and behind the elbow of the right front leg. Place your other hand on top of the first and compress the chest downward, enough to push the chest wall inward but not so hard as to break the rib cage.

      Repeat rapid compressions at the rate of 100 per min, stopping every 30 seconds to determine if the heart has resumed beating.


      For Artificial Respiration:

      Place the dog on its side with the head pulled up to extend the neck. Open the mouth and inspect for any obstruction of the air passage, clean away debris if necessary. Hold one hand around the muzzle and place your mouth over the dog's nose. Slowly blow into the nose and observe the chest expand or until slight resistance is experienced. Hold your free hand against the dog's neck on its left side ( this helps close the esophagus so you are not breathing air into the stomach ). Proceed at the rate of about 20 breaths per minute.

      In some situations both CPR and Mouth-To-Nose will be required. Two people can ideally perform these functions at the same time. If you were alone then your rule of thumb would be five compressions pause, one breath and five compressions.......



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