Is it wrong Assisting a Dog before a Person when both need CPR?

Question

I only know CPR for Sm- Animals.
I am in my 3rd year of veterinary medicine.

Question:How can anyone criticize me for saving a dog before the person of a pedestrian car accident.
At least I saved the poor dog.
No life is better than another.All live is Special.

Plus I am not that experienced with Human CPR.....Who wants to get sued.

Was I wrong? or am I right?
WHY do people judge and do nothing allowing the person to die.
I did my part....so I thought?

Answer 1

In situations like the one you described, there is no right or wrong. You go on instinct and split second reactions. There isn't time to contemplate which one comes first - you did what comes natural for you and there is nothing wrong with that.

Answer 2

You were right, if you don't know what you are doing attempting CPR can be dangerous, nobody can fault you, you did what you knew how to do. The only possible thing anyone can say is that they thought you had already helped the human and that is why they didn't. But don't let those people get to you they are just feeling guilty for not helping and thus are trying to blame somebody else

Edit: Yes you can get sued for giving help, yes there are good Samaritan laws but almost all of them have a loop hole that says if you are giving aide but have no idea what you are doing you might cause another passerby to assume that the situation is under control and even though they know CPR they might not help because they think you do know and don't want to get in your way. These loopholes were created to prevent people with no medical training from pretending to be ambulance drivers. Of course that loop hole only applies if the accident is in full view of a well traveled road.

Answer 3

I doubt there are many who would agree that one life is just as important as another. MOST people think that human life is more important. I bet even YOU do, under the right circumstances.

If ALL life is equally important... Say a house was on fire and there was a mouse and an infant... You could only save ONE. Would you actually choose to save the mouse instead of the infant?

As for whether you were right or wrong -- I have no idea. I'm not sure what *I* would have done. But you did what YOU felt was right, you did what you could, you did your part -- so don't let the criticism bother you.

Good for you!

Oh -- about CPR doing more damage... If you have to perform CPR, the person is ALREADY DEAD. You CAN'T do more damage. You might break a rib or something, but you CAN'T do more damage to a dead person. So don't EVER let that stop you from giving CPR.

Also, most states have Good Samaritan laws which would protect you from being sued.

Answer 4

You can't get sued, it is called the Good Samaritan Law that keeps those from being sued when they are really trying to save a life. If it was your wife or child, would you still feel the same? There is a reason, all training books and classes tell you about alpha, that you need to be the alpha, and that is because we are above animals. A dog can't perform CPR or go to be a vet and save other pets lives, but humans can, and the life of that person that was chosen to be put under a pet, could have had a lot of potential. If you aren't experienced in humans, then take a class, it takes a few hours to learn. Would you prefer for a stranger to give aid to a dog when you were dying and could have been saved. You might say that you don't care, but if you are going to be that stubborn, then say, what is one dog, compared to all the animals you could help with your knowledge by saving your life instead.
Edit, this is saying you are the only one on scene or the first one on scene, If the "human" is being taken care of, you should be with the dog.

Answer 5

Yes, you did do your part, and as much as I LOVE dogs, I have to say that a human life would come before an animal's. I think that the person should have been saved before the dog.

But, you were only doing what you knew how to do.

Personally, I never thought that there was a difference between human & animal CPR, but you still did a right hting by saving the poor dog's life. He/She thanks you. So do I. =)

Answer 6

I, personally, value human life over that of an animal's... I would be giving CPR to the human. It would be a really difficult thing to give CPR to someone I don't like if I had to choose between them and a dog I really love... but no doubt I would choose correctly.

Answer 7

Depends, sometimes performing first aid in a person if you're not really prepared to do so may cause more damage than good. Besides, if there were more than one witness of the accident, is possible than one of them is more prepared to provide first care than you. I don't blame you for saving the dog, if I had an accident and my dog were involved, I would be really thankful if a person knowlegeable of vet care did something for him.

Answer 8

Hmmmmm, that is interesting.

I would say you did the right thing since you DO know animal CPR and you DON'T know human CPR.

I would also say that you did a great thing because many people would not have done either.

Good for you!

Answer 9

Hey you can only do what you can do. haha I like your screename thing "dogsarebetter than babies" I completely agree with you on that one. Hey if it were a Doctor for people he would have saved the person, so you are a DVM, of course you can only save the dog. I don't know, people judge way too much.

Answer 10

You are right...you did what you knew how to do, and even if you knew how to do human cpr correctly, who knows if they end up sueing you anyway. People are screwed up.