When Melanie Barrett began 30A Swim Dog, her canine aqua therapy business, last spring in Santa Rosa Beach, owners of dogs with all kinds of needs started calling. Patients include dogs with arthritis and spinal injuries; dogs that are overweight and those that have had surgery and need swim therapy to build up muscles again. 

The key to all this swim activity is her pool, specifically built for their needs. Barrett soon realized that she needed to offer and learn another certification—in pet CPR. She wondered, “What I would do if something happened when I was swimming the dog?”

Already certified in CPR for people, Barrett found a company called Pet Tech that offered certification in animal CPR and certification as an instructor for the CPR and traveled to a three-day intensive course in South Florida. Now she offers her own five-hour ($79) and eight-hour ($119) certification courses right here.

According to the American Animal Hospital Association, one out of four pets would survive if just one pet first-aid technique was applied prior to getting emergency vet care. “This course is in no way meant to forego veterinary care,” Barnett explains. “It is just to stabilize the animal so that you can safely get them to a vet. It’s a great training for those who care for animals, such as groomers and doggie day care and boarding personnel.”

The course includes training in restraint and muzzling, primary assessment, rescue breathing, choking management, bleeding and shock management, seizures, heat and cold injuries, canine and feline CPR and caring for a senior pet. The class also offers training in snout-to-tail assessment to make owners aware of any changes in a pet’s body.

 

For more information on classes and becoming pet CPR trained, call 850-218-0476, email [email protected] or visit 30ASwimDog.com.