How to do CPR on a pet

Pet CPR is for an animal that does not respond and is not breathing normally. For dogs and cats, the 2026 RECOVER guidelines call for 30 chest compressions then 2 breaths into the nose, at 100 to 120 a minute. Rabbits, birds and other small pets have no agreed owner method, so call an exotics vet and drive.

Written by Justin Alcalde, AHA and American Red Cross instructor, CPR West Covina · Reviewed October 1, 2026

No response, no breathing: check up to 10 seconds.
Dogs and cats: 30 compressions, then 2 breaths.
Rabbits, birds, small pets: straight to an exotics vet.

Does my pet need CPR?

CPR is for one situation: your pet does not respond when you call it and touch it, and it is not breathing normally. Watch the chest and belly. A slow gasp every so often does not count as breathing.

A pet that is still breathing, even if limp or hard to wake, needs no compressions. Settle it on its side, head and neck in a straight line, and drive to the vet.

Check the scene before you kneel down. Traffic, water and fumes come first, and a frightened pet in pain can bite. RECOVER 2026 advises against any first aid that puts the helper at high risk.

How do I do CPR on a pet, step by step?

Make sure it is safe
Move away from traffic, water or fumes before you start.
Check for a response
Call its name and touch its side gently.
Watch for breathing
Chest and belly, up to 10 seconds. Breathing means no compressions.
Call the vet on speaker
Your hands stay free, and the team can get ready.
Dog or cat: compressions first
30 compressions, then 2 breaths into the nose, 100 to 120 a minute.
Rabbit, bird or small pet
Padded carrier, handled gently, straight to an exotics vet.
Recheck every 2 minutes
Dog or cat: quick breathing check, swap rescuers, keep going.
Stop when it breathes
Or when it moves, or the vet team takes over.

Is pet CPR the same for every animal?

The idea is shared: check, call, keep blood and air moving, and get to a vet. The numbers are not. The only evidence-reviewed owner guidelines we found cover dogs and cats, from RECOVER, the veterinary CPR initiative.

Under the 2026 RECOVER First Aid Guidelines, a dog or cat gets compressions within 10 seconds, with no airway check or breaths first. You do not need to feel for a pulse. The Merck Veterinary Manual notes that hunting for one can delay help.

Animal	Pace	How deep	Compressions and breaths	Hands
Dog	100 to 120 a minute	One third to one half of the chest width on its side, one quarter on its back	30, then 2 breaths into the nose	Two stacked hands; small dogs, one hand around the chest
Cat	100 to 120 a minute	One third to one half of the chest width	30, then 2 breaths into the nose	One hand circling the chest, thumb on top
Rabbit	Ask an exotics vet	Ask an exotics vet	Ask an exotics vet	Ask an exotics vet
Ferret, guinea pig, hamster	Ask an exotics vet	Ask an exotics vet	Ask an exotics vet	Ask an exotics vet
Bird	40 to 60 presses a minute, in one avian vet's method	Ask an avian vet	5 puffs first, then 10 presses and 2 puffs	1 finger for a budgie, up to 3 for a macaw, on the keel

Dog and cat figures follow RECOVER and the Merck Veterinary Manual. The bird row is one avian vet's 2006 method for owners, not a formal guideline.

How do I do CPR on a dog?

Lay the dog on its right side on a firm surface. Flat-chested breeds such as bulldogs go on their back instead. Lock your elbows, push hard and fast, and let the chest spring fully back each time.

Hand position depends on chest shape. Our dog CPR guide has a table for deep, round, flat and small chests, plus rescue breaths step by step.

How do I do CPR on a cat?

Most cats are small enough to compress with one hand. With the cat on its right side, circle the chest with one hand at heart level, thumb uppermost. The 2024 RECOVER update describes this one-handed grip for cats and small dogs, for better aim and fewer injuries.

The full method, including newborn kittens, is in our cat CPR guide. If you would like a calm run-through first, the Red Cross cat and dog first aid course we offer online covers CPR for both animals.

Can you do CPR on a rabbit?

You can try, but we found no owner guideline that gives rabbit CPR numbers. Vets who resuscitate small exotic pets adapt dog and cat methods for size and anatomy, LafeberVet notes.

In clinics, rabbits and other very small mammals get one-handed chest compressions, much like a cat, a 2017 study of exotic pet CPR describes. Ask your exotics vet to show you the hand position at a routine visit.

Move a collapsed rabbit gently. In case the back is hurt, the Rabbit Welfare Association suggests lifting it carefully into a carrier padded with blankets. A collapsed rabbit is often very hot or very cold. If heatstroke is likely, put a cool pack on the outside of the carrier; if it feels cold, use a heat pad there instead.

Rabbits breathe through the nose, so breathing with the mouth open is an emergency by itself. Our rabbit page lists normal breathing and heart rates, and how to find a vet who treats rabbits.

Can you do CPR on a bird?

Birds are built differently. They have no diaphragm, and a breastbone ridge called the keel shields the heart. Pressing the keel cannot squeeze the heart directly, LafeberVet explains, but each press moves air through the bird's air sacs.

The one home method we found is a 2006 column by avian vet Margaret Wissman, DVM. Unlike the dog and cat order, it starts with 5 small puffs into the beak and adds light keel presses only if there is no heartbeat. Our bird CPR guide walks through it.

If smoke or fumes from a scorched nonstick pan caused the collapse, VCA advises moving the bird into fresh air first. The odds after arrest are low: at the Tufts veterinary hospital, 1 of 41 birds given CPR survived. Keep the bird warm on the way, chest free.

What about ferrets, guinea pigs and other small pets?

For ferrets, guinea pigs, hamsters, chinchillas and similar pets, we found no owner CPR method at all. The plan is the same as for a rabbit: move it gently, keep it warm unless it has overheated, and call an exotics vet on the way. Vets add warmth when resuscitating small exotic pets, LafeberVet notes, because of their size.

Even hospital CPR rarely saves these pets. In the 2017 study at a Japanese clinic that treats exotic pets, 1 of 40 rabbits given CPR went home, and none of 14 ferrets or 10 hamsters did.

Not every emergency clinic treats exotic pets, and a University of Miami rabbit page warns that many will not even see rabbits. Save the number of one that does today. The Association of Exotic Mammal Veterinarians has a search by location.

How long should I keep going?

For dogs and cats, recheck breathing briefly every 2 minutes and swap rescuers if you can. Tired arms push too softly, Merck notes. Keep going until your pet breathes on its own, moves, or the vet team takes over.

Carry on in the car only if a passenger can do it safely while someone else drives. RECOVER 2026 says a seat-belted passenger may manage this with cats and small dogs. If you would rather not search the web mid-emergency, PetAid holds first aid steps for dogs, cats, rabbits, birds and more on your phone.

Know the odds before you start. The Merck Veterinary Manual reports that 5 to 7 percent of dogs and 1 to 19 percent of cats in cardiac arrest leave the hospital. Merck adds that pets whose arrest is linked to anesthesia, or to a sudden illness that can be reversed, have a better outlook.

Get to the vet now if

Any pet collapses, stops responding, struggles to breathe, or its gums look blue, grey or white. The same goes for a rabbit breathing through its mouth. Go even if it seems to recover after CPR or rescue breaths.

Learn it properly

American Red Cross Cat and Dog First Aid, online at your own pace. $50, certificate when you finish.

Start the course

Keep the steps on your phone

PetAid for iPhone, for dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, fish and reptiles. Free on the App Store.

Get PetAid

Starting with compressions is also how CPR is taught for people. Learn human CPR hands-on at our West Covina classroom: Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED.

Questions people ask

Should I do CPR on an old or very sick pet?

That choice is yours, and it is worth talking over with your vet before a crisis. For dogs and cats, RECOVER 2026 says CPR is not started when the owner already has a do-not-resuscitate plan in place.

Can I catch something from giving rescue breaths?

Some animal diseases can pass to people. RECOVER 2026 supports compressions only for dogs and cats when breaths would put you at risk. Our bird CPR guide covers the infection question for birds.

Do I need a pet CPR mask?

No. Breathing masks and bags are part of the RECOVER method for first responders who carry them. For everyone else, RECOVER 2026 recommends breathing into a dog or cat's nose, so do not delay CPR to find a mask.

Can I practice pet CPR on my own pet?

Not compressions or breaths on a healthy animal. The avian vet behind the bird method says never to practice on a live, healthy bird, and the same caution makes sense for any pet. A stuffed toy or a class is the safer way to rehearse.

What if something is stuck in my dog or cat's throat?

If your pet is unconscious, start compressions: RECOVER 2026 notes they may push the object out. After each 30, look in the mouth and lift out only what you can clearly see. Do not sweep blindly with a finger.

More pet first aid

This is first aid, not veterinary care. Get to a vet or an emergency animal hospital as soon as the steps are done.

Sources