Respiratory Distress
It's frightening to see your dog lying listless or suddenly go limp due to choking, electric shock, trauma, or drowning. He may not be breathing and his heart may have stopped, but before you panic, realize there is something you can do to help him.
Mouth-to-Snout Resuscitation
If your dog has stopped breathing, you can perform mouth-to-snout resuscitation. This life-saving technique was adapted from mouth-to-mouth resuscitation between humans. With dogs, the person performing the procedure will breathe into the dog's nose, not his mouth.
To begin, open your dog's mouth and look inside to make sure there is no blood or mucus that may be blocking his throat. If there is, remove it. Gently pull your dog's tongue out of the way to clear the airway, and place a few pellets of Carbo vegetabilis (vegetable charcoal) 30C on his tongue. Add a few drops of water on the tongue to dissolve the pellets.
Close and hold your dog's muzzle and make sure the upper lips completely cover the lower lips. Place your mouth over his nose and exhale five or six quick breaths into his nose in 1 minute. If this doesn't jump-start his breathing, increase the number of breaths into his nose to twenty per minute. Continue until he's breathing normally on his own.
After you have been performing mouth-to-snout resuscitation for a few minutes, place two drops of Rescue Remedy on your dog's tongue. Place two more drops on his tongue every five minutes until the dog is breathing on his own.
CPR for Canines
If your think your dog's heart has also stopped, you'll need to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, to try to keep your dog alive until his heart and lungs can begin to function on their own again. The technique for dogs is similar to traditional CPR used for people.
According to the American Red Cross, choking is the number one hazard for puppies. The organization teaches classes in pet CPR and first aid. Participants practice on animal mannequins with compressible chests and stomachs. There is also a Red Cross pet first aid book and an instructional video.
Before beginning chest compressions, check for a heartbeat. To find your dog's heartbeat, feel the area where his left elbow touches the chest. If you don't feel pulsing there you will need to perform chest compressions. You can probably do the job yourself if you have a small dog, but a large dog may require two people. Begin by rolling your dog onto his back, and placing your hands on either side of his chest. Quickly squeeze and depress the chest one to three inches ten times. If there's no response, you'll need to increase the number of compressions until you see the chest rise.
