December 3, 2014 at 5:21 p.m.
Pine Lake Fire Department takes initiative in learning dog/cat CPR
Pine Lake Fire Department takes initiative in learning dog/cat CPR
By Kayla Thomason-
The fire department asked Buchberger to do a presentation on pet emergency care following an incident in November when a dog fell through the ice of an area lake. Despite Buchberger's efforts the dog did not survive.
Pine Lake Police Chief Brian Gehrig said he has been wanting to offer his firefighters additional training on emergency care for pets.
"(There was) a fire in (a) house where we found some family pets and we wanted to do a little bit more than what was probably done (for them) and after our last incident with the water rescue (with the dog) I guess we kind of realized we needed to learn more so we took the initiative to do that," he said.
The doctor shared the following information that will help the firefighters care for pets facing health emergencies.
Hypothermia is the lowering of the core body temperature. A pet's temperature is taken rectally using a thermometer.
"The problem that I've seen with the number of thermometers out there is they're only going to range from about upper 80s to 110 or so," Buchberger said. "So some of these more severe conditions with hypothermia, unless you have a thermometer that will read lower 60, 70, 80 degrees, you may not know just how severe it is except for the other signs that you see."
The normal temperature for a cat or dog is 100-102 degrees Fahrenheit. A pet that is hypothermic will have a temperature below 99 degrees.
Mild hypothermia is between 86-89 degrees Fahrenheit. Maximum survival time for a pet with this temerature is 24 plus hours.
Moderate hypothermia is 71-77 degrees. Animals in this temperature range have a 4-24 hour maximum survival time.
Severe hypothermia is under 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Animals with readings at this level have under six hours maximum survival time.
If a pet is hypothermic, the owner or emergency worker should bring it into a heated environment and warm it slowly. Prevent further heat loss the same way one would do with a human and get the pet to a vet as soon as possible, Buchberger advised.
Some methods to warm pets include warm water bottles, warmed air, heat packs, blankets etc.
When the body gets below 82 degrees it loses the ability to return to a normal body temperature. The loss of the ability to shiver happens below 87 degrees. It's a positive sign if the dog or cat is shivering. Buchberger said.
It's also a good idea to check the animal's gums.
"I've seen dogs that [have] really dark pink [gums]," Buchberger said. "[That] is normal and I've seen some dogs that are pretty pale and that is normal for them. A lot of it has to do with their body color, their coat color, dark dogs are going to tend to be a little bit pinker looking a lot of your white breeds will be a little bit paler."
Buchberger discussed the normal heart rate for the various breed sizes. Toy breeds and puppies have a heart rate of 70 to 220 beats per minute. Average to large dogs have a heart rate of 70-180 bpm. Cats have a heart rate of 145-200 bpm.
The firefighters learned how to locate a pulse on a dog, which can be done with a stethoscope or femoral vein palpation. The femoral vein is located in the inner upper thigh.
The firefighters also learned that sinus arrhythmias are normal in pets.
"What that means is that a dog as it breathes its heart rate will speed up a little bit and then slow down and in a human that's abnormal but in a dog it is normal," Buchberger said.
In the situation where a dog may have inhaled water Buchberger said to lay the dog on its side and push from the back of the chest forward in an attempt to expel the water. Then flip the dog over and do it on the other side before intubating.
Rate of respiration varies depending on the size of the dog. Large breeds usually breathe slower, in the range of 10-40 breathes per minute. Cats usually breathe 20-30 breaths per minute.
Firefighters were taught mouth-to-mouth and mouth-to-nose resuscitation and how to pick a proper size tracheostomy tube for dogs by using the center of the dog's nose as a guide.
To give proper CPR to a dog, pull the tongue out in order to open the airway. Clamp the teeth down so the tongue doesn't slide back. Bring the head in line with the neck but don't overextend in case of trauma. Breathe into the nostrils for a large dog or nose and mouth for a small dog.
Be very careful of how much air is being given to cats and small dogs - too much air can damage the lungs. Watch the chest rise to be sure the animal is getting oxygen.
The firefighters were taught to breathe or ventilate a pet at 12 breaths per minute (one every 5 seconds).
When performing CPR have the dog lay right side down. The person who is doing CPR should be at the dog's back so when they do compressions the dog won't be pushed around, Buchberger said. Dog's chests are thicker and slope toward the sternum.
"Being at the back of the dog it kind of takes care of that problem with the chest being narrower on the one side because you can be over the top of the dog and then when you do the compressions you are actually pushing back toward your knees so the dog isn't sliding away from you as you're pushing down," Buchberger said.
Bend the pet's arm up to its chest so the elbow is over the heart. That is where the chest compressions will be performed.
For pets under 30 pounds do 15 compressions to two breaths at 1/2-1 inch depth.
For dogs weighing over 30 pounds, do 30 compressions to two breaths at 1-3 inch depth.
Check the pulse after one minute then every few minutes. Stop CPR after 20 minutes or once a veterinarian is present.
During the presentation the firefighters were told to gather beneficial information such as the length of time the dog was in or under the water and what circumstances the pet was found in.
Should someone see a pet go through the ice Buchberger recommends they find a friend and get help. Don't try to get to the dog alone, he said.
If someone is going to go on the ice he recommends they lay down and spread their weight, throw a rope that the dog may grab.
Gehrig said pet owners should call the sheriff's office rather than attempt to rescue an animal without help.
Buchberger also outlined some winter safety tips for pet owners. Owners should keep dogs out of the wind, make sure they have an adequate shelter and are healthy enough to get into the shelter. Make sure the animal is not kept on cold ground. When ice fishing, keep hooks away from dogs and keep an eye on body parts that are exposed. Make sure the animal isn't too cold.
Buchberger was impressed with the fire department's initiative.
"These guys really tried hard," he said. "I think it's really neat they took it upon themselves to [have this presentation]. I really feel privileged to live in a community where I see that many people care about somebody's dog."
The presentation was a hit with the firefighters.
"It gives us a better idea of what we can do to help (dogs)," said Ryan Larsen, assistant chief. "It gives us a better knowledge of what we can do in this type of situation whether it be a dog through the lake with hypothermia, CPR on a dog, or if it is smoke inhalation from a house fire."
Members found the lessons quite fascinating.
"The ratio is the same as a human, the 30:2, so the biggest thing is to know where to place your hands on the dog and I guess the technique to do the CPR," Larsen said.
Department secretary Lynne Larsen volunteered her dogs, Kima and Gracie, to be the models.
"[Kima and Gracie] did excellent, better than I thought they would," she said.
"We never know when we're going to come upon pets and they are people's family, they're certainly my family," she added.
Having dogs go through the ice is not common. The incident that happened in November was the fifth ice rescue since 1977.
Kayla Breese may be reached at [email protected].
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