Can a vet resuscitate a dog?

Answer 1

If it hasn't been without oxygen too long, it is possible, depending on the injury.

The ABCs of CPR...All dog owners should know.

In both humans and animals, you must follow the ABCs: airway, breathing and circulation, in that order. If you suspect your pet is in distress, immediately look at his posture. Note the presence of blood, vomit or feces; his breathing pattern and other bodily sounds; and any materials, such as possible poisons, around him.

It is vital to know for sure that your pet isn’t breathing or doesn’t have a pulse before beginning CPR; it is dangerous to apply CPR to an animal (or a person, for that matter) if he is breathing normally and has a pulse.

Look for the chest rising and falling or place a mirror in front of his nose and watch for condensation. When checking for a pulse, remember that animals do not have a distinct carotid (neck) pulse. To determine if the heart is still beating, place your hand on the left side of the chest.

Airway

If your pet has stopped breathing, check to see if the throat and mouth are clear of foreign objects. Be careful about placing your fingers inside the mouth. An unresponsive dog may bite on instinct. If the airway is blocked, do the following:

# Lay your pet down on his side.

# Gently tilt the head slightly back to extend the neck and head, but be very careful: Do not overextend the neck in cases of neck trauma.

# Pull the tongue out of your pet’s mouth.

# Carefully use your fingers to sweep for any foreign material or vomit from the mouth. Unlike CPR for humans, you can reach into the airway to remove foreign objects.

# If necessary, perform the Heimlich maneuver.

Breathing

If your dog is breathing, allow him to assume the position most comfortable for him. If he isn’t breathing, make sure the airway is open, and begin rescue breathing. Again, remember that even an unresponsive dog may bite on instinct.

# Make sure the neck is straight without overextending.

# For medium to large dogs, you will be performing mouth-to-nose breathing. Close the mouth and lips by placing your hand around the lips and holding the muzzle closed.

# Place your mouth over the dog’s nose. For dogs under 30 pounds, cover the mouth and lips with your mouth. Your mouth will form a seal.

# Exhale forcefully. Give four or five breaths quickly.

# Check to see if breathing has resumed normally. If breathing hasn’t begun or is shallow, begin rescue breathing again.

# For dogs over 30 pounds, give 20 breaths per minute.

# For dogs less than 30 pounds, give 20 to 30 breathes per minute.

Now check for a heartbeat. If no heartbeat is detected, begin cardiac compressions with rescue breathing.
# for deep-chested dogs, place dog right side down with his spine against your body.
# position your hands one on top of the other with fingers entwined and the heel of the palm at approximately the level of the 4th - 6th rib, 1/3 of the way up the chest from the sternum.
# apply compression in a firm, steady downward motion, release.
# rate: approx 100 - 120 cimpressions/minute
# single resuscitator: 2 breaths / 15 compressions
# double resuscitators: 1 breath / 3-5 compressions
# check efficiency by feeling for pulses
# DO NO STOP FOR LONGER THAN 30 SECONDS
# prognosis is poor if fixed and dilated pupils do not constrict down after initiation of CPR.

Answer 2

Yes sometimes but that is assuming that the vet is there on the spot when the dog dies and that the dog died of something that it could be resuscitated from. For example if a dog dies at home by the time it gets to the vet it would be too late unless the vet is very very close by. Generally the brain of an animal like the brain of a human can go only 3 or at most 4 min w/ out oxygen circulation before major damage occurrs. If for example the dog is at the vets and it dies in surgery like from a reaction to the anesthetic or heart stoppage or inhgales mucus and stops breathing then the vet often can do cpr and life support and the dog be OK. If the animal is brought to the vet very ill or bleeding to death and dies there from the illness or bleeding it is questionable whether it could be brought back.

Because an animal that is hurt or sick and especially one who looses breathing or heart beat needs help right awat many pet owners take a pet first aid course. American Red Cross offers those. Probably some other places do too but that is one I know does.

Here are a couple of sites you may want to check
www.redcross.org/services/hss/tips/pet.html
www.thepetcenter.com/gen/faid.html This site includes info about how to do CPR on a dog

Answer 3

In case of emergency, yes, CPR is performed in dogs same as in humans. Epinephrine, lidocaine, drugs etc, are used the same as in human medicine. There are even defibrillators that have been specially altered to be used in dogs and cats. Some hospitals even give the option to owners before leaving their critical pet of an open chest resucitation, which means just that: opening up the chest cavity and massaging the heart w the hands.

Unfortunately, the odds of getting a critical patient dog back after resucitation attempts are very low, much much lower than for humans, and if they do come back, many times they die due to multiple organ damage due to the lack of oxygen. (Odds are better if the dog arrests during surgery of a healthy dog for a spay or dental cleaning, for example). No case has been documented of a dog coming back after open chest resucitation.

Answer 4

Not really an answer, but thanks Chetco. I printed that information out. I'd give you the best answer.

Answer 5

If its in his pay

Answer 6

sometimes.