CPR for dog owners teaches tips that could save Fido’s life

Ben Ingram / Nanaimo Daily News
January 3, 2013

NANAIMO — Canine CPR training has prepared some Nanaimo dog lovers to save their pet’s life.

Dogsafe’s next eight-hour course on how to resuscitate man’s best friend in an emergency is set for Jan. 26. The course has gained popularity over the years with its 10-person classes being filled quickly.

“We cover everything from safety, preventative and first-aid kits to CPR, artificial respiration, choking, drowning, heavy breathing, hyperthermia and seizures,” said instructor Robyn Andexser.

Indeed, the course is more thorough than many human CPR classes. Students practise their methods on dog mannequins, complete with a working pulse and artificial lungs.

The Dogsafe course promises preparation for all kinds of four-legged emergencies, from being hit by a car to losing an eye in a fight.

Other things students are taught include how to check Fido’s pulse, make sure he’s properly hydrated, bandage any wounds and splint broken bones. A 126-page training manual is included in the $139 course fee.

Upon completion of the course, students receive a frame-ready certificate to prove their qualification in canine CPR.

Dogsafe creator Michelle Sevigny, a former police officer, said the idea came to her when a family pet was lost. She determined more could have been done to save the dog as it was being transported to the veterinarian.

There are currently four Dogsafe instructors, including Sevigny, and another four on the way.

“We’ve had interest right across Canada, right across the United States,” Sevigny said. The distance education course they offer has even had students from as far as the United Arab Emirates.

“Instead of using a plush dog for her assignments she used a camel. I thought that was cute,” Sevigny said. “When I started my very first class in April 2006, I had three people in the class. By the end of 2007, I was teaching almost every weekend in the Lower Mainland.”

The course manual, Everything Your Dog Wants You to Know in an Emergency, is regularly reviewed by veterinarians.

> More details at dogsafe.ca