Is my small dog's 60 BPM heart rate too low for spaying surgery?

I would expect a smaller dog to have a resting heart rate of around 90-110 but I have seen them a little lower before especially if they are athletic . If it is much lower than that then I would contact your vet for an additional exam to ensure her heart sound okay and her pulses are strong. if she has any rapid or labored breathing then contact your vet immediately as this is an emergency. I hope this helps!

It is normal for a heart rate to vary and to be slower when a dog is sleeping. Your veterinarian will examine Chico and take his heart rate before anesthesia. For dogs with low heart rates, sometimes we will use different anesthetic drugs to make sure that their heart rate stays in a normal range. Or if there is any concern about it, they may elect to wait on his surgery. However, I would certainly mention your concerns to your veterinarian, and if they have not done an exam of his heart recently, you may consider scheduling another appointment before the dental to have your veterinarian do a full examination on Chico to discuss your concerns. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

If your dog had a heart or lung problem, she would have a high heart rate as well as a high respiratory rate. That said, a heart rate of 50 per minute is quite low, so I am thinking you may not be counting right. Count the beats for 15 seconds and then multiply by 4. Do this three times in a row and then take the average.I recommend you trust your vet. If he says all is well, then all is well. He would not do the dental cleaning under anesthesia if he though there was an exceptional risk.

I am so very sorry that Sassy's heart stopped in surgery! Unfortunately, this can happen in surgery, and oftentimes there is no known reason for it. Some reasons that this could occur include development of an abnormal heart rhythm, low blood pressure, low body temperature, or anesthetic depth resulting in inadequate respiratory depth or frequency. Anesthesia and surgery both carry risks, and while it is not common to lose a patient during a routine procedure such as a spay on a young and healthy dog, it does happen. I am very sorry for your loss, please accept my condolences.

So sorry to hear that Aubree is having this issue. I would recommend you get a second opinion with a veterinary cardiologist. There are many heart issues where the dog can have the spay surgery safely. Your vet may not be comfortable performing the surgery but a specialist may. You need to know exactly what the heart issue is and how serious it is. Before you get too worried I would do that. I hope that helps. Best wishes!

No, as long as she is fit and well and able to go walking etc without fainting I would have no concerns with this, normal is small breeds is generally 80-90 but would be lower if fit and healthy. It should rise after exercise such as playing with a ball; generally high heart rates are more concerning than low-normal

Hello. Hydrocodone can decrease heart rate as it takes away stress and pain. It does not typically directly decrease the heart rate, only secondarily by decreasing stress and pain. Normal heart rate for a resting dog at home, for a small breed dog (you have not posted a breed however small breed dogs are more prone to heart disease) is between 70-120. If your dog's heart rate is dropping less then 60 I would have him to the vet. Also, if you are feeling heart rate by pulses vs. listening to the heart, your dog could be 'dropping beats' from an arrhythmia, and should be seen by a vet. It is hard to answer your question without more specific information. Feel free to consult with us if you would like to discuss this in further detail. Good luck with your little one!