Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a technique used to restore a dog’s heartbeat and breathing. It is an emergency procedure that should only be performed if your dog has stopped breathing or their heart has stopped beating.

Knowing how to do CPR can potentially save your pet’s life, so it’s important to understand the basics of performing this lifesaving maneuver.

1. Check for Responsiveness

Before performing CPR, you should check for responsiveness by gently shaking your dog and calling their name. If they don’t respond, then you will need to begin CPR immediately.

2. Open the Airway

Once you have determined your pet is unresponsive, you need to open its airway by tilting its head back and lifting the chin slightly upward.

This will help open up the airways so that oxygen can get into their lungs more effectively when you start compressions.

3. Start Compressions

To begin compressions, place both hands on either side of your pet’s chest with one hand placed just behind the other.

Then, press down firmly and quickly about 30 times per minute—or about twice as fast as you would for a human—for at least five seconds each time before letting go.

You may need to adjust the compression rate depending on your pet’s size; larger dogs may require slower compressions while smaller dogs may require faster compressions in order to be effective.

4. Administer Rescue Breaths

After five seconds of compressions, you will need to administer rescue breaths by closing off one nostril with two fingers and using your mouth to deliver two quick breaths into the other nostril until you see the chest expand with air.

Once this occurs, reposition yourself back over their chest and resume compressions until help arrives or until they regain consciousness on their own.

It is important not to stop administering chest compressions while waiting for help as this could interrupt oxygen flow throughout the body and reduce chances of survival significantly.

Conclusion

Performing CPR on a dog can be a scary thing if you are unfamiliar with how it works but understanding these basics can make all the difference in saving your pet’s life if they ever happen to stop breathing or have no heartbeat.

Be sure that you are familiar with how CPR works before an emergency arises so that if something ever happens, you are prepared and know exactly what steps need to be taken in order to perform proper CPR on your pet in a timely manner!

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