Dog with difficulty breathing, what to do?

Content

• Why is my dog ​​having trouble breathing?
• How do I know if my dog ​​is severely short of breath
• Dog with difficulty breathing, what to do?
• Rescue breathing or cardiac massage?
• How to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation in dogs?
• What to do if your dog is choking on a foreign body?

When we decide to take care of a dog, it is important that we learn about its care and that includes knowing what to do in case of emergencies. Therefore, in this PeritoAnimal article, we are going to talk about a dog short of breath caused by suffocation.

A situation like this will require immediate intervention, as lack of oxygen can have fatal consequences. In addition, we'll list the most common causes that cause your breathing difficulty so we can avoid them. Dog with difficulty breathing, what to do? Read on and find out.

Why is my dog ​​having trouble breathing?

If you have a dog with difficulty breathing and suffocating, it's because he not getting enough oxygen. This shortage is called hypoxia, and the most common causes are drowning by immersion, suffocation in an enclosed space or caused by the inhalation of toxic substances such as smoke or carbon monoxide, the presence of a foreign body in the throat or also a trauma to the chest.

Immersion asphyxia can occur in dogs that swim too far from the shore and become tired, those that fall into freezing water, or those that simply cannot get out of a pool. Dogs can become poisoned in a fire, in the trunk of a car, in an enclosed space with no ventilation, and so on. If we have a dog that is short of breath but we know he is healthy and has suddenly become panting and having difficulty breathing, we can consider the presence of a foreign body.

How do I know if my dog ​​is severely short of breath

To know if you have a dog that has difficulty breathing, you should pay attention to signs such as very marked anxiety, clear difficulty breathing and panting, often with the neck and head stretched. These signs can indicate suffocation.

A dog short of breath at this level can lose consciousness. In addition, it will present cyanosis, which can be seen by the bluish color of their mucous membranes, except if the hypoxia is due to carbon monoxide, as this gas makes them red.

Dog with difficulty breathing, what to do?

If a dog is suffocating, the priority is to immediately re-establish the airway. For this, you must urgently go to the nearest veterinary center, and when you get there, you can try to help your dog by starting the rescue or artificial breathing, if the dog is already unconscious.

If he doesn't have a heartbeat, cardiac massage is recommended; the combination of the two techniques is known as cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR, which can be performed by one or two people.

In case of asphyxia and what is causing the shortness of breath in the dog is an open wound that caused a pneumothorax, we should try close the skin over the wound and keep it pressed until we get to the vet. if the dog swallowed water, we must put your head under the body to eliminate as much water as possible. With the dog lying on its right side, with its head lower than its chest, we can start mouth-nose breathing with the following steps:

• open your mouth and pull your tongue from him forward as much as possible, always with care.
• If you find secretions, wipe with a clean cloth.
• Look to locate a foreign body, such as a bone. If so, you must perform the maneuver of Heimlich, which we'll explain in another section.
• Close the dog's mouth.
• put your mouth over the dog's nose and blow gently. You should notice that your chest expands. If it doesn't, you'll have to blow a little harder. In puppies over 15 kg, it is necessary to run your hand around the muzzle to keep it closed and prevent air from escaping.
• The recommendation is 20-30 breaths per minute, that is, approximately one breath every 2-3 seconds.
• Continue until the dog regains breath, his heart beats, or until you get to the vet to continue assisted breathing.

We emphasize that this procedure should only be performed in case of a emergency of suffocation with a dog with difficulty breathing.

Rescue breathing or cardiac massage?

When we see a dog with severe shortness of breath, with clear signs of suffocation, we must determine which resuscitation technique to apply. To do this, we have to observe whether he is breathing or not. If it is, you must open your mouth and pull your tongue to open the airway. If he's not breathing, you should look for a pulse groping the inside of the thigh, trying to find the femoral artery. If there is a pulse, start artificial respiration. Otherwise, choose CPR.

How to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation in dogs?

If a dog asphyxiates, does not breathe or has a heartbeat, we will start CPR following the steps below:

1. Place the dog on a flat surface and on the right side. If the dog is large, position yourself behind it.
2. Place your hands on either side of the chest and over the heart, just below the tips of the elbows. In large dogs, place one hand on the chest, at the point of the elbow, and the other over it.
3. Compress the chest about 25-35 mm while counting to one and releasing, also counting to one.
4. the pace is 80-100 compressions per minute.
5. It is necessary to make the rescue breath every 5 compressions or every 2-3 if the maneuver is performed by two people.
6. Continue with the maneuver until the dog is breathing on its own or has a steady pulse.
7. Lastly, CPR can cause rib fractures or pneumothorax. You must make sure that it is really necessary, since in a healthy dog ​​it can cause injury.

What to do if your dog is choking on a foreign body?

When your dog chokes due to the presence of a foreign body and you can't get it out easily, you shouldn't try to catch it with your fingers, because it could have the opposite effect and introduce it deeper into the throat. So if your dog chokes on a bone, don't try to pull it out. In these cases, it is ideal perform the Heimlich maneuver, keeping in mind the following steps:

1. The execution will depend on the size of the dog. If it's small, you can hold it on your lap, face down, with its back against your chest. In any case, you must wrap your waist from behind.
2. Make a fist and hold the dog with the other. Your wrist should be at the apex of the V that the rib cage forms.
3. Compress the abdomen with the fist up and in 4 times in a row, quickly.
4. Open your mouth to see the object is in it.
5. If the object has not yet been expelled, proceed with the mouth-nose breath that we have already explained.
6. Give the dog a dry swipe of the heel of your hand on the dog's back, between the shoulder blades, and recheck its mouth.
7. If the object hasn't come out yet, repeat the maneuver.
8. After removing it, you should check that the dog is breathing well and has a heartbeat. Otherwise, you can resort to rescue breathing or CPR.
9. In any case, always go to the vet.

This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.

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