My small dog has a low resting heart rate. Should I be worried?

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.

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.

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. 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.

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 :-)

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 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.