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You are being presented with this form in the event that during the duration of your pet’s stay while here at Broderick Animal Clinic any complications that may arise can be addressed in the manner you so choose. While hospitalized, during surgical procedures, under sedation, or boarding if your pet suffers respiratory arrest (stops breathing) or cardiac arrest (the heart stops), we need to know your wishes concerning treatment. If either respiratory arrest or cardiac arrest occurs, it is imperative that life saving measures are taken immediately.
If you are being presented this form upon the arrival at Broderick Animal Clinic and your pet is currently in distress, he/she either was not breathing or had no heartbeat. Until you have read and understood this form and have asked any questions you wish answered, the staff will be starting CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation)in an attempt to revive your pet. If you do not wish CPR to continue, please advise a staff member IMMEDIATELY.
CPR means “Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation” and is the treatment (resuscitation) of a pet who has stopped breathing or whose heart has stopped beating. Resuscitation of a pet who has stopped breathing but still has a heartbeat is more likely to succeed than resuscitation of a pet with no heartbeat.
DNR means “Do Not Resuscitate.” This means that if a pet stops breathing or his/her heart stops, no effort will be made to attempt to revive the pet, and the pet will die.
Animals that have been successfully resuscitated are extremely critical and unstable. The likelihood of re-arrest is high and usually occurs within 4 hours of the initial arrest. If resuscitation is successful, there is only about a 20% chance that a pet will stay alive for the first 4 hours after resuscitation. The percentage of long term survival is even lower, and may be as low as 1%, depending upon what caused the arrest. Brain damage is common due to temporary lack of oxygen to the brain, which can result in blindness and/or impaired mental function, leaving a pet with physical and/or mental disabilities. This impairment may last for days, weeks, or years. Even in human medicine, statistics show that less than 10% of patients who are successfully resuscitated will leave the hospital without some degree of brain damage (contrary to what the television shows lead us to believe).
Management of a pet after successful initial resuscitation requires vigilant monitoring for 24 to 48 hours. This care is costly and the outcome is uncertain because a pet will still have the underlying serious problem that led to the arrest; that disease or injury must also be treated as we attempt to stabilize the pet.
