By J. A. Young
When most people sign up for CPR training, they may have the idea that their newly acquired skills will be helpful to mankind, possibly even someone among their acquaintance at the grocery store, in the office, or even at home. Yet there have been cases where CPR skills and know-how have saved the life of an animal such as a family pet. Though CPR is usually regarded as a renowned set of procedures that can save a human life, it can actually be used to save the lives of some animals too.
Humans to the Rescue
This past spring the Huffington Post reported on animal CPR and shed light on some astounding instances where CPR was used to save animals. For instance, an Australian woman happened to notice that a pigeon wasn’t breathing. She knelt down, gave it three or four breaths, and pumped its chest; the bird revived and again showed signs of life. Instead of a human in a park, it was a pigeon near a lane and the instance showed how CPR can work wonders on other forms of life too. The report also mentioned that CPR has been employed to save other animals, too, such as a cheetah cub, tapir, hamster, bald eagle, lemur, panda bear, tiger, and many more. (huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/03/animal-cpr-tapir-cheetah_n_2734549.html)
What about Fangs? What about Claws?
It might be worth noting that the cheetah and tiger listed above were young; few certified CPR experts would have the nerve to give a full-grown tiger mouth-to-mouth no matter how out of commission it might seem. That said, coming into such close proximity with a wild animal is a risk. These were unusual instances where individuals assessed their personal risk very quickly and made the decision to help. In essence, these were personal choices. The eagle, mentioned above, was given mouth-to-mouth resuscitation by an Oregon veterinarian who had, of course, considerable experience providing care for animals. The eagle had been hit by a car and the subsequent CPR saved its life.
CPR Tips for Animals
One might thing that bird or cheetah–what’s the difference? Doesn’t a one-size CPR fit all? The fact is that there are some nuances as well as some precautions involved with animal CPR. For one, experts recommend that CPR should not be attempted unless the animal has no pulse and isn’t breathing. First, it’s vital to see if the animal has choked on an object. In the case of the tiger cub, it was choking on some meat it was eating at a zoo. Also, the mouth-to-mouth technique actually works better, according to the news report, if the human delivers life-saving breaths via the nose. For more information about delivering CPR to animals, check with the American Red Cross that has a webpage about pet first aid (redcross.org/prepare/disaster/pet-safety).
While it’s common knowledge among veterinarians and even their staff members that CPR saves pets, it isn’t something most people think of when they sign up for CPR training. On the other hand, since many people have beloved pets, it might be helpful to know how one performs CPR on the family dog or cat. Discuss your questions about specific pets with yourinstructor.