Many dog births go without a hitch and several happy, healthy puppies are wiggling around soon after being born. Unfortunately, however, this isn't always the case, and dog owners might need to administer rescue breaths to the puppies to stimulate breathing. Because there is a chance that this can occur, all owners of expecting dogs should know how to stimulate breathing and give rescue breaths in the case of emergency.
Things You'll Need
- Damp towel
Instructions
Position the puppy between your hands. Cradle its head in between your pointer and middle fingers and hold on firmly with both hands. Swing the puppy downward and hold it upside down for a few seconds to encourage any fluid from its lungs. Puppies often breathe in fluid while in their placental sacs, which can cause breathing difficulties.
Wipe the puppy's nose and mouth with a damp towel. Doing so might stimulate it to breathe. In addition, briskly rub its chest.
Cradle the puppy between your hands and place your mouth over its mouth and nose, if you cannot stimulate it to breathe otherwise. Try to prevent any air from escaping out of the seal of your mouth. Blow two or three gentle puffs of air. Be very careful doing so, as puppies have small lungs that can be injured if you breathe too hard or heavy.
Place your fingers on the puppy's chest to feel for breathing. If it still isn't, repeat the rescue breathing as needed. Look at the color of the puppy's tongue. If the color is red, it is receiving the right amount of oxygen and is probably breathing. If it is blue, it is lacking oxygen and needs more rescue breaths or swinging to remove the fluid from its lungs.