Is your pet's heart healthy?
Normal Resting Heart Rate for Pets
Step 1: Place your hand on the inside of the thigh, midway between the hind legs. You should feel the femoral artery pulsating close to the surface. It’s easiest to do this with your dog standing.
Step 2: Count the number of beats you feel in 15 seconds and multiply by four to get the number of beats per minute.
Step 3: Your pet’s heart rate should be in the following ranges:
Puppies (under 1 year old) - 120-160 beats per minute.
Small dogs - 100-140 beats per minute.
Medium to large dog breeds - 60-100 beats per minute.
Cats - 160-220 beats per minute.
An abnormally fast or slow pulse can be cause for concern. A fast pulse may just be due to anxiety, but it can also indicate many other conditions, including blood loss, dehydration, fever, and heat stroke.
A slow pulse can be a sign of shock or heart disease.
Next time you’re at the clinic, ask your vet what’s normal for your dog and ask her to show you how to check. Knowing what to look for can ease your anxiety and get you to the vet in a timely manner if you ever have an emergency.
*Source: Australian Red Cross
Understanding Your Pet's Normal Respiratory Rate
Next, respiratory rate is another important vital sign. Respiratory rate is measured by the number of breaths per minute. A normal respiratory rate for dogs at rest is 10 to 35 breaths per minute.
How to measure your pet’s respiratory rate:
Step 1: Choose a time when your pet is relaxed, healthy, and not exercising.
Step 2: While your pet is resting, watch the rise and fall of his or her chest. Each corresponding rise and fall counts as one breath. Or you can gently place your hand in front of your dog's nostrils and feel the air pushed out with each exhalation.
Step 3: Count the number of breaths in 30 seconds and multiply by 2. This is your pet’s baseline respiratory rate.
Checking Capillary Refill Time (CRT)
While you’re assessing your pet’s gum color, take a moment to check the capillary refill time. Press firmly on the gum tissue with your fingertip and then quickly release. Watch how long it takes for the gum to change from white back to pink. One to two seconds is considered a normal CRT.
Capillaries are tiny blood vessels that supply blood to tissues throughout the body. The capillaries in a dog’s mucous membranes can provide information about their circulatory health. When you press and then release the gum tissue, you are pushing blood out of the capillaries, causing the gum to appear white. When the capillaries refill with blood, the gum returns to its pink color.