Veterinarian holds pet CPR training in response to vet shortage

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – On Sunday, veterinarian Leo Roa and his team of vet techs from BluePearl Pet Hospital taught members of the public pet life saving measures.

Roa said the training comes as a response to a veterinarian shortage brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“About 10 million pets were adopted at that time and our industry did not grow at the pace of adoptions that were taken place,” Roa said.

On top of learning CPR, participants also learned how to bandage different kinds of pet injuries.

One dog groomer came to the training along with her coworkers to learn how to administer CPR if needed.

“Just making sure that we cover all of our bases here in the salon in case we ever do have a traumatic injury or come across another dog that does have an injury,” Alyssa Penrod, co-owner of Uptown Paws dog grooming said.

Participants also learned about signs they should look for to determine if a pet is sick.

“Watching for signs of distress like the gum color was really insightful and helpful,” Penrod said.

The training can also give pets with life threatening injuries a better chance of survival.

“Giving them the opportunity to come through ER services once they do have their pet a little more stable,” Registered Vet Tech Kayla Wilcox said.

Wilcox said this was the first time there’s been a pet CPR training in Cedar Rapids.

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