December 5, 2018

Can my furry friend become a victim of SCA?

Sudden Cardiac Arrest can happen to anyone and anytime – approximately 356,000 people a year die from this¹. That’s more than 1,000 per day! Did you know that even your furry friends can also fall victim to SCA? Less than ten percent of animals ever recover from such an event, and most of these animals go into cardiac arrest when under anesthesia². To protect your pet, learn how to identify early signs and symptoms of cardiac arrest. Symptoms are similar to humans and your preparedness will be key to their survival.

Signs and symptoms include²:

Sudden collapse
Weak pulse (check by using your finger on the inside of the thigh, just above the knee)
No reflexes of any kind

If you believe your pet may be experiencing Sudden Cardiac Arrest you will need to be prepared to administer CPR. It isn’t much different than CPR for a human.

Steps to animal CPR³:

Clear their airway
Begin chest compressions
1. Give chest compressions to the beat of “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees
2. Depth of compressions need to be one-third to one-half of the chest width, with the animal laying on its side
3. Use one had for small animals, and two for medium to large animals.
Give rescue breaths to their snout at a rate of 30-2 (30 compressions and then 2 rescue breaths)
Perform CPR in 2-minute cycles (checking to see if breathing has resumed)

Here is a video to help demonstrate!

Every life is precious, even our furry friends! There is no such thing as an ambulance to pick up your beloved pet, should they ever need medical attention. YOU are their first responder. The CPR you give them can buy them more time until you make it to a vet. Educate yourself and be prepared! If you have any questions about CPR give us a call at 855-873-8503, leave us a comment down below, or email us at customerservice@aedbrands.com