Is my dog's heart rate low while sleeping? Should I be concerned?

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.

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 a little high. I would wait after a few minutes of calm and quiet and recheck it. A dog at rest should have a respiratory rate under 30/minute. At sleep, preferably under 20/minute. Increased respiratory rates, even without distress, could be caused by heart or lung disease or anemia.

Hello. The normal heartbeat of a dog should be around 120-160 beats per minute. If his heartrate is greater than 200 beats per minute at rest or when sleeping, this is abnormal & could be due to a conduction disorder in the heart. He may also have an abnormal rhythm that mimics a elevated heart rate. The only way to sort out what might be happening is to have your veterinarian auscultate his heart & possibly do any ECG to identify the rate & any rhythm abnormalities. I hope all is OK & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Resting heart rate in the 60s for a small breed dog is a little low. However, I see dogs regularly (usually at least a little larger) that do have heart rates in the 60s. They are usually extremely activity dogs who get tons of exercise. If this isn't the case, you might want to consider a cardiac work up by your veterinarian and/or cardiologist prior to an anesthetic procedure. Chest x-rays and an echocardiogram would be the best place to start. Hope this helps.

This is a little lower than what I would consider typical, but this might be normal for this dog when she is completely asleep and relaxed. Typically puppies her age tend to have a heart rate fairly similar to an adults although it can be a little faster, and heart rates are usually much faster at a veterinary hospital where there is stress and excitement. You may be feeling her spleen or other normal organs on one side of her belly compared to the other. If she is otherwise acting like a normal puppy I would recommend mentioning the belly and low heart rate at her next vaccine appointment. The veterinarian can listen to her heart for murmurs or arrhythmias and feel her belly.

It's good that Teddy's heart rate is normal, and yes small dogs can have a strong heartbeat. I would be concerned if his heart rate wasn't in the normal range, and it may be easier to see his heart rate simply because he was lying on his side. As long as he is behaving normally, is active, isn't showing any sings of exercise intolerance, or isn't having breathing difficulties, then I would not worry :-)