SAVING A DOG’S LIFE: CANINE CPR

I knew that if I did nothing, my dog would die. I heard about using CPR on dogs, so I tried it.

Maddie was strangled when her collar was accidently caught on Nessa’s teeth.

Maddie was freed and then saved by using Canine CPR.

“Pets are humanizing. They remind us we have an obligation and responsibility to preserve, nurture, and care for all life." – James Cromwell

The Accident

The day had unfolded as a typical day. The afternoon sun was still shining when I took my young dogs outside to exhaust that youthful Labrador Retriever energy. Maddie and Nessa were sisters and littermates. They moved through the yard like one dog and its shadow. As one ran to chase a rolling leave so did the other. If one stopped to sniff a particular spot in the soil, so did her sister. Maddie and Nessa were constantly at each other’s side. When the three of us came back into the house, the two of them continued to mess around like only siblings do. They were playing at my feet, but I never saw exactly how it happened. I assumed that Nessa was tugging on Maddie’s collar and one or the other moved in such a way that Maddie’s collar became wrapped around Nessa’s lower canine teeth. The collar made a lopsided figure eight with the larger portion around Maddie’s neck and the smaller piece around Nessa’s lower canines.

At first they thrashed around like to competing forces playing tug of war, but this was no game. In her struggle to breathe, Maddie gasped for air as I was working to free her. During one of her gulps for air she bit me on the chest. Then, Maddie went limp. Nessa was terrified trying to get away but she could not understand the weight that hung on her jaw and pulled against her every move. I grabbed a knife from the kitchen cupboard. It was too dull and there wasn’t any space to saw off the collar. The bodies of two young sisters were stuck together and there was no way to console Nessa to flip the collar off her teeth.

“She is dying, oh my god, she is dying,” I cried out.

Just then my niece Angela appeared. She saw what was happening, disappeared for a few seconds, and return with scissors. She reached in and attempted to cut off the collar, but she was only able to grasp a small piece on the outside of the buckle. Maddie was running out of time, so I took the scissors and jammed one of the blades under Maddie’s collar. There wasn’t any space to spare, so it ended up drawing blood from her neck. At least now the two dogs were separated. Nessa ran and hid, but Maddie’s lifeless body lie on the floor in front of me. There was no breath, no rise and fall of the chest, and no pulse.

“This cannot be it. It cannot end like this,” I thought.

Canine CPR

There was a small roadside café in northern Wisconsin that we would go to for the best French toast that I have ever tasted. On one particular visit with my Dad and brother, the owner told us a story about saving his dog by doing CPR. At the time I had never thought about using CPR on a dog. Hearing this story made it clear to me that CPR could be used on a pet. I was desperate. I knew that I had to try CPR or Maddie would be lost to me forever.

“If he can do it, I can do it, “ I thought.

My CPR training with people came flooding in my mind and body. “ABC… ABC…ABC,” I thought. Airway, Breathing, and Circulation were the steps to follow. I know that these steps have changed to C-A-B since my training, but it was the training that I remembered during the crisis. Maddie was already on her right side. The air alone did not seem to have much of an impact, but the chest compressions stirred signs of life again.

Once she was out of danger, I felt the adrenaline’s impact on my own body. I lay on the ground next to Maddie saying, “oh my god, oh my god...” Just then, my husband came home from work. We called the veterinarian and took Maddie to an emergency veterinary hospital. I later learned that I had not done CPR exactly right, for a dog, but I did enough that she lived! Since then, I learned how to properly perform CPR on a canine companion. I hope I never need it again.

Follow Up Care

Maddie was treated for pulmonary edema, fluid build-up in her lungs. She was administered medication to rid her lungs of the fluids. This medication over corrected so her electrolytes were out of balance. She spent a week recovering at the veterinary hospital. After, she was able to come home and live a full life with her sister Nessa. Our family later expanded to include a St. Bernard named Chelsea, and A Dog Named Bucky.

Since the two dogs were separated during Maddie’s recovery, we learned that this was helpful for both of them to grow as independent dogs. We continued to nurture the two sisters individually as much as possible. The common wisdom is that you should NOT raise littermates together because they can develop littermate syndrome, a group of behavioral problems such as co-dependence, separation anxiety, poor social skills, training difficulties, fear of strangers, and sibling aggression. I understand this wisdom and agree that raising littermates together can only be done successfully if you put a lot of work into it. This accident occurred, in part, because two very young dogs of the same age were playing together. However, it was also a fluke that could have occurred between any two dogs playing tug of war with their collars.

We never used standard buckle dog collars again after this incident. Generally, our dogs did not wear collars at home. When they did wear a collar it had a quick release, the type that you only had to pinch the clasp to remove the collar. We also began using harnesses whenever we left home. All of these precautions were taken so there was no chance that a situation like this would ever happen again.

Learn More About Canine CRP

You may need to do CPR someday to save your dog’s life. This resource from the Canine Journal presents a concise written overview, a video demonstration, and instant access to, “Ask a Dog Vet Now.” Take a few minutes and learn more about using CPR to save the dog in your life.