Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is typically used on men and women suffering from cardiac arrest. By using a series of mouth ventilations and chest compressions, this technique can partially restore blood to the brain and heart; thus, increasing the victim’s chance of survival. But CPR has also proven useful in saving the lives of pets, such as the recent case involving an Addison, Texas firefighter who performed CPR on a small Chihuahua.
Last month, Yvette Childers was driving her RV when the engine overheated and burst into flames. Childers escaped but soon realized that her Chihuahua, Pony, was locked in a crate in the back. When Childers attempted to retrieve Pony, she was greeted with 5-foot-tall flames scorching the ceiling of her RV, at which point she called the local Addison County Fire Department.
“I’m standing there watching it burn and I’m thinking, ‘Oh my god, that dog’ She was in the very back of the crate, lying on her side,” said Childers. Captain Scott Ledet arrived at the scene along with several other members of the Addison County Fire Department. Using the Jaws of Life, they were able to cut a hole into the side of the RV to retrieve Pony, who was unconscious presumably due to smoke inhalation. Ledet then took off his helmet and begin performing CPR — both with mouth ventilations and chest compressions — on the unconscious Chihuahua.
“Her eyes were open and she was lifeless,” said Capt. Scott Ledet . “I took off my helmet and mask off and removed her from her cage and just started doing CPR on her like I would a human. I actually spread her mouth open and put my lips down to the bottom of her throat and was giving her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation that way.”
Pony began to respond, at which point her heart began to pump just slightly — a condition referred to as “belly breathing.” Ledet notes that he performed CPR on the unconscious Chihuahua for nearly 20 minutes.
CPR is certainly doable on animals, but most experts advise against the practice on conscious animals. The principle of mouth ventilations and chest compressions remains the same, whether it’s on an animal or human.
Surprisingly, this wasn’t Pony’s first close encounter. In 2013, she survived a massive explosion at a nearby fertilizer facility. Yvette Childers found the started pooch as the shelter following the fertilizer incident and decided to adopt her.