Duck CPR

Earlier this semester, as a requirement for my Standardized Patient Assessment Lab, I was required to learn basic life support. This amounted to learned CPR and the Heimlich maneuver for infants, children, and adults. I was also taught the correct way to use an automated electronic defibrillator. What I was not taught was how to apply these principles to the animal world...that is until tonight. I was studying for my exam tomorrow on osteo and rheumatoid arthritis when my mother yelled frantically upstairs for me to come down. When I got downstairs, Dandy was not breathing. For those of you that have missed previous posts, Dandy is one of my three ducklings. He had sucked a piece of bedding into his throat. He was bubbling around the beak and nostrils. I quickly picked him up and start to massage his throat and push on his sternum. He let out a weak squak. My dad's a paramedic (with zero experience with animals) but I called him up to the kitchen. He found an eyedropper and I held Dandy while he placed water in his throat. This seemed to help a little. Dandy could chirp, but he was still bubbling and shaking his throat. We decided to put more water in and massage his throat. The woodchip dislodged and he could breathe. Dandy appears to be doing much better. When I placed him back in the pen, he went and drank from the water dispenser. Before laying down for the night he also went and ate some out of his bowl. I hope he survives. He appears to be doing well. I never dreamed that my first use of CPR would be on a duck...