How To Give A Dog Heart Massage?
The first step in giving a dog a heart massage is to understand if it is really necessary. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation should begin immediately when the dog is found to have no pulse or is not breathing.
However, not all animals that are unconscious or unconscious suffer from cardio respiratory arrest. Therefore, it becomes essential to learn to detect the lack of heartbeat and breathing before resuscitating a dog. Here’s how to do it.
How to determine the absence of pulse and respiration in dogs?
The simplest and safest option to check for the need for resuscitation is to detect the absence of a heartbeat. To do this, you will have to rest your head on the animal’s chest and remain in total silence to try to hear the heartbeat.
Another way to check the heartbeat is to feel the pulse directly in the paws. However, it is more complex and not recommended for people with little experience.
Next, you have to check if the animal is breathing. There are two methods of doing this: the first and simplest is to observe the movements of the rib cage. The second is to identify if the dog is expelling air through his mouth by bringing his face closer to that of the animal to hear his breath.
If the answers are negative in both cases, that is, if the animal is not beating or not breathing, you should start resuscitation immediately.
Before the heart massage
Before resuscitating a dog:
- Stay calm. To carry out the heart massage correctly, it is essential to remain calm and focus on the condition of the animal. Nervousness is the worst enemy when first aid is given, as it is necessary to act safely and quickly.
- It is recommended to know the maneuvers to be carried out, to be ready in case they need to apply them.
- Check your heartbeat. As we have seen, the first step is to check if the dog has a heart rate. To do this, rest your head on your chest and listen to the heartbeat directly.
- Try to understand if the dog is breathing. If the animal has no heartbeat, it is necessary to check if there is breathing. It is advisable to carry out the two checks – chest movements and breathing – to ensure that the dog is not breathing.
- Immediately begin resuscitation by following the steps described below.
Resuscitation step by step
This is the correct process for applying heart massage:
- The first step is to place the dog lying on its right side (lateral decubitus), with the left side facing up. This position allows you to do the massage only at the level of the heart.
- Before starting resuscitation, it is essential to make sure that your airways are not blocked. To do this, you need to examine the dog’s mouth to make sure there are no foreign bodies preventing air from passing through.
- After checking for obstructions, perform resuscitation.
- First, the dog’s head should be facing back, allowing air to easily enter the body.
- Next, it’s time to start artificial ventilation, using strong, short movements. You need to fill the lungs with air as much as possible, then expel through the dog’s muzzle, with enough force to reach his lungs.
- Interval breaths with chest compressions, with strong, decisive and rhythmic movements. To do this, use only your palms, one crossed over the other.
- Keep your elbows straight and don’t bend them while applying heart massage to a dog.
- For small dogs and cats, it is recommended to take three breaths with 10 compressions. In medium and large dogs, at least 5 breaths with 15 compressions.
Last but not least: heart massage is an emergency technique that tries to recover the dog’s vital signs. After having your dog regain his pulse and breathing, it is essential to take him to the vet to check his health and prevent the episode from happening again.
