First response for a near drowning pet in the first minutes

The gravest and most common mistake in water rescues is jumping in without thinking. Cold water, a current, thin ice or a panicking animal that clings can turn the rescuer into the second victim within seconds. The water rescue rule applies here too: reach, throw, do not go in if you can avoid it. The priority is hard to accept but clear: an animal can be replaced, you cannot, and drowned you save nobody.

• First look for a way to reach the animal from outside: an outstretched hand, a branch, a rope, a float.
• If you must enter the water, do so only if you are a confident swimmer and the water allows it, ideally not alone.
• Mind the claws and teeth: a terrified drowning animal can hurt you without meaning to.
• Once ashore, move away from the slippery edge before starting any manoeuvre.

As soon as the animal is safe on dry land, act in order. The aim of the first minutes is to clear the airway of water, check whether it is breathing and has a heartbeat, and respond accordingly. Each step sets up the next: skip none of them, but do not lose time stuck on one.

1. 1

   Move it onto a stable, dry surface

   Take it away from the slippery edge and lay it on its side. If you suspect trauma, such as a violent dive or a fall, move it carefully supporting the spine, but the priority stays clearing the airway.

2. 2

   Let water drain from the airway

   Hold the head lower than the body for a few seconds, for example by tilting the animal or raising the hindquarters if it is small. Do not persist for long and do not shake it upside down: you would waste time the breathing needs.

3. 3

   Check the mouth and clear it

   Open the mouth and remove with your fingers any mud, weed, sand or vomit blocking it. Make sure the tongue is not obstructing the airway before going on.

4. 4

   Check breathing and heartbeat

   Watch whether the chest moves, feel for air at the nose, look for a heartbeat. A few seconds are enough: if it breathes, move to warming and transport; if it does not breathe or has no heartbeat, start resuscitation at once.

5. 5

   If it is not breathing, start resuscitation

   If there is no breath, give rescue breaths; if the heartbeat is also missing, add chest compressions following the CPR sequence. Keep going until it recovers or until you reach the clinic.

6. 6

   Call the clinic while you act

   If someone is with you, have them call the clinic or the out of hours service while you give first aid. Warning that you are on your way with a near drowning animal lets them prepare everything before you arrive.

An animal out of the water, especially cold water, loses heat fast, and hypothermia complicates the picture. Warming it matters, but it must be done gradually: overly aggressive warming can do more harm than the cold itself. The aim is to get the cold water off the coat and hold the heat in, not to warm at any cost.

• Dry the coat by blotting with towels and wrap the animal in a dry blanket.
• If you can, use warm water bottles wrapped in cloth near the body, never in direct contact and never scalding.
• Do not use a hot hairdryer or intense heat sources: they risk burns on skin that is not responding well.
• In the car to the clinic, turn the cabin heating up a little to aid a gradual rewarming.
• Keep checking the breathing during the journey, because the picture can change quickly.

Here is the point almost everyone underestimates: an animal that seems fully recovered after the rescue can worsen in the hours that follow. Inhaled water and inflammation damage the lungs in a way that is not always immediate, and breathing difficulty can appear hours later, once the emergency seems over. That is why the visit is never optional, not even in front of an animal wagging its tail.

1. Always take the animal to the clinic, even if it appears to have recovered completely.
2. In the following hours watch for laboured breathing, coughing, bluish or pale gums, weakness.
3. Do not leave it alone the night after the incident: the worsening can be quiet at first.
4. If any breathing difficulty appears, return to the vet at once without waiting.
5. Follow to the letter the monitoring instructions the clinic gives you at discharge.

The best way to handle a near drowning is to avoid it. Many incidents happen in home pools the animal cannot find its way out of, in rough sea, or on ice that looks solid. A few measures cut the risk sharply, especially for animals that love the water or, on the contrary, cannot swim at all.

• Fence or cover the home pool and teach the animal where the exit points are.
• Use a buoyancy vest on a boat, in open sea, and with animals that swim poorly.
• Never leave the animal unsupervised near deep or flowing water.
• Keep clear of frozen lakes and ponds: ice that holds you might not hold a running dog.
• Learn the resuscitation sequence in advance: in the emergency there is no time to study it.