Understanding Your Pet’s CPR Status Before Surgery

At Basin Run Animal Hospital,  we understand that discussing CPR can feel overwhelming, especially when you are already preparing your pet for a procedure. Because your pet’s safety is our top priority, we want to help you feel informed and confident about the choices you make for their care.

Before every anesthetic procedure, we ask for your pet’s CPR status. This lets our team know how to respond in the rare event that your pet experiences cardiac arrest. Since emergencies require immediate action, it is important for us to know your wishes ahead of time, especially if we are unable to reach you by phone.

We offer two options for resuscitation instructions:

CPR
If your pet’s heart stops, our team will begin CPR right away regardless of the cause or moment in the procedure.

DNR (Do Not Resuscitate)
Our team will not perform CPR. Some families choose this based on age, overall health, injury type, or personal, ethical, or religious beliefs.

Most anesthetic procedures are completed smoothly without complications. While risks such as organ failure or death are extremely rare, no anesthetic event is completely without risk. Knowing your decision beforehand lets us honor your wishes and focus on providing the safest care possible.

We respect every pet owner’s right to make medical decisions for their companion, and we are here to answer any questions you may have before the procedure. If complications arise and CPR is needed, a team member will contact you promptly.

Your trust means everything to us, and we are committed to caring for your pet with compassion, skill, and respect.