WILD- Topic 42: Veterinary Industry Method of CPR

The method of CPR that we teach for dogs and cats is the only method of CPR endorsed by the veterinarian industry called the RECOVER Method.

The Reassessment Campaign on Veterinary Resuscitation (RECOVER) initiative was spearheaded by a team of veterinary emergency and critical care specialists in 2010 with the goal of developing and disseminating the first true evidence-based veterinary cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) guidelines. The RECOVER Initiative has 3 goals:

Guidelines: Develop and update evidence-based, consensus veterinary CPR guidelines through an exhaustive review of the primary CPR literature.
Education: Provide the only standardized CPR training to veterinary professionals and pet owners offering CPR certification through the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (ACVECC) and endorsed by the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society (VECCS).
Research: Inform and support scientific research to improve our approach to CPR in animals.

Through the efforts of over 100 veterinary specialists working with the RECOVER initiative, the very first evidence-based veterinary CPR guidelines were published in the Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care in 2012.

Note in the diagram, that dogs and cats are positioned differently for compressions based on the size and shape of their chest. Compressions in average-to-large-sized dogs should be done with the hands placed over the widest portion of the animal’s chest, compressions in keel-chested dogs should have the hands placed directly over the heart close to the sternum, barrel-chested dogs should be placed on their backs; hands are placed in the middle of the sternum for chest compressions and in cats and small dogs wrap hands around the chest and compress by squeezing thumb and fingers together.

Please be aware that our programs and curriculum are independently managed by our company and are not affiliated with the RECOVER Initiative or eCornell, VECCS or ACVECC.