08/15/2026
The full check 🧵
Before anyone starts CPR on a dog, the check matters. CPR on a dog whose heart is still beating may cause harm, so you check first.
The check, in order:
1. Call their name loudly and clap. Look for any response, an ear twitch, an eye move, anything.
2. If there is no response, look at the chest from the side for about 10 seconds. Is it rising and falling?
3. Check the gums. Very pale, white, or blue gums often mean oxygen is low.
4. No response and no breathing is the sign that CPR may be needed.
What to do next:
1. Get someone to call the vet or the emergency animal hospital while you work. If you are alone, use speakerphone.
2. Lay the dog on their right side on a firm flat surface.
3. Hand position depends on size. For most dogs, hands go over the widest part of the chest. For deep chested dogs like greyhounds, over the heart just behind the front leg. For small dogs and cats, one hand can wrap the chest.
4. Compressions are about one third to one half the chest width, roughly 100 to 120 per minute, letting the chest come all the way back up between each one.
5. Keep going while you get to a vet. This is not a substitute for veterinary care.
Learning this properly in a hands on class is worth it. This is general education, not veterinary advice. 🐾
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