Chest compressions for dogs and cats are an important part of CPR. By performing chest compressions, you can help keep oxygenated blood flowing to your pet's brain and organs. In this article, we'll discuss how to perform chest compressions on a dog or cat, including tips and tricks for ensuring the best possible results during this process.
Make sure your pet is unconscious.
- First, make sure your pet is unconscious. If it's not, you can't perform chest compressions on them. Even if they are unconscious, it may not be helpful and could even hurt the animal's chances of survival.
- Second, if your pet is conscious, there are some risks associated with this procedure:
- The animal might bite you while being handled by strangers (like yourself). This could lead to serious injury or infection as well as an increased chance of transmission of disease between humans and animals; therefore we recommend avoiding any unnecessary contact between human beings and non-domesticated animals whenever possible!
If these two conditions have been met--you've determined that both parties involved are completely unaware of each other's existence--then proceed with caution!
Place the heel of your hand over the center of the chest, just behind the elbow.
Place the heel of your hand over the center of the chest, just behind the elbow.
Keep your hand in a fist to avoid hitting ribs.
Avoid pressing on the neck or abdomen.
Use your body weight to compress inward at a rate of 100 times per minute (or as fast as you can). Do not pause between compressions!
Put your weight on your hands and use your body weight to compress the chest inward at a rate of 100 times per minute.
To perform chest compressions, place your hands on either side of your pet's rib cage and press inward with enough force to move the ribs inward. The compression must be forceful enough to create an indentation in the chest wall that goes below the level of surrounding tissues.
Do not use your hands or elbows to push down on your rib cage; this can cause injury and/or break ribs, which could puncture internal organs or cause air leaks around wounded areas. Instead, keep your weight centered between both forearms so they lie flat against each other while exerting inward pressure together across both sides simultaneously (think: one shoulder forward). Your elbows should remain tucked into sides throughout this process; if necessary for balance purposes only then elevate them slightly off floor level but do not extend them outward beyond 90 degrees from body position because doing so may cause unnecessary strain on lower back muscles after prolonged periods during which time symptoms such as fatigue may occur due inadequate support provided by these structures during activity requiring heavy lifting capacity over long periods without breaks every hour or two minutes at most times depending upon how intense exercise activity levels are being maintained throughout duration without interruption due injuries occurring due excessive stress placed upon musculature supporting various parts within lower back region causing pain sensations felt when trying movements like bending over backward etcetera...
Check for a heartbeat with an animal CPR device or by listening for a heartbeat with your ear or stethoscope.
- Check for a heartbeat with an animal CPR device or by listening for a heartbeat with your ear or stethoscope.
- If you can't find one, keep going with chest compressions.
- You can also check for a pulse by placing two fingers on the inside of your pet's thigh (or other areas where there is soft skin), near the groin area but not touching it. The femoral artery runs along this area and will be pulsing if there is still blood flowing through it--you may feel it as you press down gently on this spot for about 10 seconds before moving to another location on the leg. If there's no pulse at all and no signs of breathing or movement from your pet, continue administering rescue breaths until help arrives.
- Place the heel of one hand on top of the other hand between its shoulder blades.
- Lean forward slightly while pressing down firmly--but not too hard!--with both hands at about 1/3rd of its width across its chest.
- Administer rescue breathing if necessary
You should call your veterinarian as soon as possible if you feel uncomfortable doing CPR on your pet.
If you're unsure of how to perform CPR on your pet, it's best to call your veterinarian right away.
We recommend that all pet owners learn how to perform chest compressions on their animals. If you don't know how and are alone with your pet at the time of an emergency, keep doing chest compressions until help arrives or until it becomes clear that there is no hope for revival. Your goal should be keeping up with one complete cycle every second for about 3 minutes (or until help arrives). If necessary, use both hands at once instead of alternating between them; this will allow more pressure on their chest and increase blood flow through their heart muscle.
Conclusion
We hope this article has helped you understand how to perform chest compressions on your pet. It's important to remember that if your dog or cat stops breathing, don't panic! Take a deep breath and follow these steps as quickly as possible.
