Summarize this article in one sentence.
The first thing you need to do when you find a dog that appears to be in serious distress is to call for help. Get a passerby or friend to phone the emergency vet so that you can immediately begin administering first aid if you determine that the dog isn't breathing. Because it will take time for emergency assistance to arrive, you'll need to begin care as soon as possible and continue until help arrives. A collapsed dog that is unconscious may still be breathing, and if the dog's still breathing, CPR is not required. So it's imperative that you first determine whether CPR is necessary before beginning. To determine if the dog is breathing, watch for a subtle rise and fall of the chest. A dog normally takes between 20 - 30 breaths a minute, which means its chest will move every 2 - 3 seconds. If you can't see the chest moving, place your cheek close to the dog's nose to feel for air flow against your skin. If his chest does not move and you can't feel air movement, the dog is not breathing. To locate the heart, lay the dog on its side, swing its front elbow back to the point where it meets the chest wall. That point is the third to fifth intercostal space, which is where the heart lies. Watch the chest wall at this point on the chest and look for signs of the dog's hairs moving in time with a heartbeat. If you don't see any movement, place your fingers over that same point on the chest and apply gentle pressure, feeling for the bump of a heartbeat against your fingertips. If you can't feel a heartbeat, check for a pulse on the dog's wrist. Run your fingertip along and under the main stop pad (the pad that doesn't touch the ground) on the back of the front foot and press gently to feel for a pulse. Open its mouth and check the back of its throat for blockages. An obstruction at the back of the throat can block the dog's air supply and interfere with resuscitation, so if you discover any blockages, remove them before starting CPR.
Call the vet or an emergency animal hospital. Determine if the dog is breathing. Check for a heartbeat. Check that the dog's airway is clear.