I was reading the newspaper today and came across an interesting article about rescuing a dog. In West Monroe LA, a firefighter performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and revived a small dog he found lifeless inside a burning mobile home. I was very impressed that this firefighter, Stephen “Odie” Odom, walked into the burning house when he was told there were 2 dogs inside. When he entered, he found two small terriers in pet cages in a smoke-filled room. These were small dogs, and he had the presence of mind to give him CPR and revive him.
Giving CPR to a small dog would be similar to giving CPR to a baby. The first thing that is sought is to clear the airways, and then cover both the mouth and the nose with the mouth and breathe. In adult humans we cover our noses and breathe mouth to mouth. But for a baby, we would cover both the mouth and the nose in one go. There were two things that the owners of the house did not do well.
They first left the house with their puppies locked in dog crates so there was no way for the puppies to run out and save themselves. Dog owners need to take proper care of their dogs and could have done it themselves. As excited as I am that the dogs were safe, I do believe that dog owners should take care of their babies, especially if they are being held and contained and cannot find freedom on their own.
My daughter owns this cute pup, Kate, who is a Maltese/yorkie mix and she is so adorable! We only put her in the cage when the family is away from home. When she spends time with me, she knows that she will be free for most of the day. She hated putting her in the cage. But it’s just so she doesn’t break the house looking for her family. She is terrified of thunderstorms and she runs under the covers and shudders, and we hold her tight to let her know that she is the most important baby there.
I am so relieved that the firefighter came in at the right time to be able to rescue the pups. With babies, CPR is similar. You cover your mouth and nose and breathe, chest compressions can be given with 2 fingers. Should pets be left in their carriers during the day? Yes, but if there are any signs of trouble, we must contact the responsible party to get them out of harm’s way. Pet carriers or cages are suitable for keeping pets. There are nice soft box bedding mats to keep the pups cozy. I pray that they don’t have any lingering issues. Small dogs tend to have more respiratory problems than larger animals. I just want to congratulate the firefighter for saving the lives of these little pups.