CANINE CPR

Recently, Engine 23 and Task Force 69 responded to a structure fire at the home of my cousin. Shortly after the fire was out, my cousin Bill arrived on scene and his first question to the firefighters was, “Are my dogs OK?”

Two of his three dogs had made it out through a dog door, but the third was found down inside, suffering from smoke inhalation. To the delight of my cousin and his grateful family, the animal was subsequently revived by the firefighters.

This incident, coupled with the photos in the March Grapevine of F/F Abel Avalos rescuing a dog, prompted me to write this article on Canine CRP and Rescue Breathing.

The domestication of dogs goes back many thousands of years. Over time we have trained our canine companions to work with us in the pursuit of wild game and herding our livestock. They can assist law enforcement, the handicapped, and in the fire service they work alongside arson investigators. These are but a few examples of the roles dogs play in our lives, not the least of which is the role of companion. The strong bond between human and dog is undeniable.

As firefighters our primary responsibility is the protection of life and property, on this we all agree. Where dogs fit in the equation is sometimes hard to define. Amazingly, this subject is not found in the LAFD library. I thought that every conceivable situation was covered somewhere in our books, although I must confess that I haven’t spent much (any) time in the books since 1987. This puts the who, when, and how of canine rescue at the company level. I urge all stations to discuss the subject and develop an SOP. I think you’ll find it an interesting discussion with many different opinions.

You already know how to do CRP and you know why we do CPR, so let’s keep it simple and take what you know and adapt it to dogs.

Ensure an Open Airway

Extend the head and neck and pull the tongue forward. Sometimes this is all that is necessary to return spontaneous respiration.

Observe for Effective Breathing

Watch for rise and fall of the chest. Less than 10 respirations per minute and you’ll have to assist.

Begin Rescue Breathing

Many companies carry canine resuscitation masks. Most of these masks can be used with our oxygen bottles and many can be attached to a BVM. Otherwise, rescue breathing is performed by covering the dog’s nose with your mouth and giving a breath. On small dogs you must hold the corners of the mouth tightly closed while you give breaths. On large dogs the tongue should be pulled forward and the mouth and lips held shut using both hands cupped around the muzzle. As in human rescue breathing we must gauge the force used: Small dog - small breath, big dog - big breath. Give 3 to 5 breaths, then recheck for effective breathing. If the dog does not breath on its own use a rate of 20-25 breaths per minute for small dogs or 12-20 for large dogs. Recheck periodically and place dog on oxygen via mask if spontaneous respiration returns.

Chest Compressions

After giving the initial 3 to 5 breaths, check for a pulse. The easiest place to find the pulse is on the inside of the rear legs, much as you would check a femoral pulse on a human. If the dog is pulseless, begin compressions. Place the dog on its side and place your hand at the widest point of the chest, midway between the spine and sternum. Depth of compression is from 1” to 4” depending on the size of the dog. Rate is 100 to 150 on small dogs, 80 to 100 on large dogs.

Coordinate Rescue Breathing and Chest Compressions

Obviously this will be easier with two rescuers, manpower permitting. I know I threw out a few numbers here but the bottom line is . . . make it work. Do what firefighters do best and adapt what you know to the situation at hand. 

The value of canine CPR was driven home for me at a structure fire a few years ago when I was assigned to 17’s. We found a small house with one room well involved. I went to the back of the house to make sure the rear door was open and found the occupants safely out of the house there in the backyard. As I proceeded toward the rear door, a woman about 75 years old followed me. She was crying out in Spanish, “My little dog is dead.” I asked her where he was and she pointed to the rear door. When I opened the door, smoke rolled out at the floor level. I crawled in and found the dog almost immediately, he was unconscious and in respiratory arrest. I had never given mouth to mouth to a dog before but the woman’s obvious distress over the loss of her dog prompted me to give it a try. I winged it, using my training in human rescue breathing. After many breaths, two cylinders of oxygen and about 45 minutes, “Elias” was right as rain.

I’ve been a firefighter for 28 years now and I have never seen gratitude from one of our customers like I did that morning. That little Jack Russell Terrier meant the world to that woman, and it felt good to hand him back to her.