Cardiopulmonary resuscitation in dogs and cats: the sequence
How to recognise an arrest, where and at what rhythm to compress a dog's or cat's chest, and why home CPR is a bridge to the clinic, not a cure.
- Audience
- Pet owners
- Species
- Dog, Cat
- Scope
- Valid everywhere
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation on a dog or cat is one of those things you never want to have to do and that, when needed, leaves no time to read anything. That is exactly why it should be understood beforehand, calmly, when there is no animal not breathing in front of you. The most important premise is also the most uncomfortable: CPR done at home rarely restarts the heart on its own, and the odds of success stay low even in the clinic. Its purpose is not to heal the animal but to keep a minimum of circulation and oxygen to the brain in the minutes needed to reach a vet, where there are drugs and tools that hands cannot replace. Knowing this does not take value from the manoeuvre: it takes it from the illusion, and helps you do the most useful thing, which is to compress well and transport at once.
Recognising a real arrest
CPR is performed only on an animal in arrest, that is unconscious, not breathing and with no heartbeat. Starting compressions on an animal whose heart is still beating can do harm, so the first thing is not to act but to check, and it must be done in a few seconds. An unconscious animal that is still breathing is not in arrest, and in that case the right action is to take it to the vet at once without compressing.
- No consciousness: no reaction to voice or to stimulus.
- No breathing: the chest does not move and no air is felt at the nose.
- No heartbeat: none felt with a hand behind the elbow on the left side.
- Very pale or bluish gums, pupils often dilated and fixed.
- A fully relaxed body, with no muscle tone.
The sequence of first actions
In an emergency the order matters more than the perfection of each gesture. Wasting time hesitating or looking up information is the real enemy. A clear sequence, rehearsed beforehand, lets you act while someone else calls.
Check and call for help
Check consciousness, breathing and heartbeat in a few seconds. If you are with someone, one starts while the other calls the clinic at once, warning that you are coming with an arrest.
Clear the airway
Extend the neck, pull the tongue forward and look in the mouth. If you see a reachable foreign body remove it, but do not probe blindly.
Start chest compressions
They are the most important part. Compress firmly and rhythmically at the right point for the animal's build, letting the chest rise fully between compressions.
Add ventilations if you know how
Close the mouth, extend the neck and blow into the nostrils hard enough to lift the chest. If you cannot, keep doing compressions without stopping.
Do not stop to check too often
Interrupting constantly to look for a heartbeat cuts effectiveness. Continue in cycles and swap the person compressing every couple of minutes so as not to lose force.
Transport with as little interruption as possible
The goal is to reach the clinic while continuing CPR. If you are alone, this is the hardest moment and the priority becomes reaching professional help.
Where and how to compress by size
The point and technique of compressions change with build, because a wide chest and a narrow one transmit the push differently. A table helps fix the main differences, which should be rehearsed with your own vet on a model or during a course, because reading does not replace having tried.
| Build | Where to compress | How |
|---|---|---|
| Big wide-chested dog | On the highest point of the chest, on its side | With hands stacked and arms straight |
| Narrow deep-chested dog | On the chest at heart level, behind the elbow | With both hands, direct push over the heart |
| Small dog and cat | On the chest behind the elbow, over the heart | With one hand wrapping the chest or the palm |
| Very small animal | Chest between thumb and fingers | Compression with the hand encircling the chest |
In every case the same principles hold: firm compressions, a fast steady rhythm and, above all, letting the chest return to full shape between pushes, because it is on the rebound that the heart refills. Compressing gently or too slowly, for fear of hurting, is the most common mistake and reduces the manoeuvre to little.
Preparing before it is needed
The difference between a useless CPR and a well-done one is built when the animal is perfectly well. In the emergency there is no room to learn, so everything needed must be arranged beforehand.
- Know the number and hours of your clinic and of an emergency vet, saved and quick to reach.
- Know the fastest route in advance, because transport is often the part that decides the outcome.
- If possible, take a practical first aid course to try compressions on a manikin.
- Keep a first aid kit ready and know where a muzzle, gloves and a blanket for transport are.
- Make sure those you live with know the same sequence, because with two people CPR and transport become possible.
- Rehearse airway clearing manoeuvres, because an unresolved choking leads quickly to arrest.
Frequently asked questions
- Can home CPR really save my animal?
- Rarely on its own. CPR done at home almost never restarts the heart, and the odds of success stay low even in the clinic. Its purpose is not to heal but to keep a minimum of circulation and oxygen to the brain in the minutes needed to reach a vet, where there are essential drugs and tools. Doing it well raises the odds, but the most useful thing remains reaching the clinic as fast as possible.
- How do I know it is a real arrest and not a faint?
- An arrest means absence of consciousness, breathing and heartbeat together. An animal that has fainted but is still breathing, or has a heartbeat felt with a hand behind the elbow on the left side, is not in arrest and must not be compressed. In that case make it safe and take it to the vet at once. Checking these three signs in a few seconds, before acting, avoids compressing a heart that is still beating.
- Should I do mouth-to-nose breathing too or are compressions enough?
- Compressions are the most important part and must never be sacrificed. If you can do ventilations, closing the mouth and extending the neck to blow into the nostrils, they add oxygen. If you cannot, or you are alone and every interruption costs precious time, it is better to keep compressions going without stopping. Compressing firmly, fast and steadily is what matters most.
- Could I do harm by compressing too hard?
- In an animal genuinely in arrest the alternative to firm compressions is death, so fear of hurting must not hold the hand back. It is true that vigorous compressions can cause injury, but compressing gently or too slowly out of fear is the most common mistake and makes the manoeuvre ineffective. The chest should be pushed decisively and must return to full shape between compressions.
What to do next
Learn the sequence before it is needed: check consciousness, breathing and heartbeat in a few seconds, and compress only on a true arrest. Have the clinic called as you start, clear the airway, then compress firmly, fast and steadily at the right point for the size, letting the chest rise each time. Remember home CPR is a bridge to the vet, not a cure, and that recognising heatstroke, choking and poisoning in time saves more lives than the manoeuvre itself.
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