Pet CPR + First Aid Certification Manual: Common Mistakes

PET CPR AND FIRST AID:  COMMON MISTAKES

Avoiding common mistakes when administering First Aid and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) to your pet can help ensure that your dog or cat has received the correct treatment, including how to administer CPR, until he/she can be brought to a veterinarian. Making sure that your pet’s first aid is applied correctly and high-quality CPR, if needed, is administered properly is essential. Some of the most common pet CPR and First Aid mistakes are listed below:

• Not recognizing dogs & cats run higher temperatures than humans
• Not recognizing dogs & cats have higher heart rates than humans
• Not checking capillary refill on the mucous membrane
• Not cleaning minor wounds before bandaging
• Not immediately taking your dog or cat to the veterinarian after a bite wound
• Not maintaining immunizations and annual veterinarian checks
• Not realizing that when pets are hurt, they may bite their owner
• Not beginning chest compressions immediately in cases of cardiac arrest
• Not recognizing signs of cardiac arrest and the importance of quick action
• Not performing high-quality CPR, including effective chest compressions and consistent CPR compressions
• Not knowing what to do if a dog collapses and stops breathing
• Not following the specific steps for performing dog CPR
• Not understanding the techniques for performing CPR on large dogs
• Not understanding the techniques for performing CPR to small dogs