Why is my 9-week-old puppy's heart beating so fast? Is it normal?

At this age we would expect a small breed puppy to have a heart rate around 180 beats per minute and sometimes higher during excitement, so this is not a concern. The breathing can also be elevated at times in this high energy dog. These symptoms so far don't sound alarming; however, a general health check by your veterinarian isn't a bad idea to do in the near future just to make sure everything checks out ok. In particular we would want the vet to check for any audible heart murmurs or arrhythmias. I hope that things work out well for your pet Ginger moving forward! Best wishes and take care.

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.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. No, this isn't a dumb question at all! When a dog gets excited or plays heavily, the heartbeat naturally increases. It's normal to see this increase, and in some dogs, it may be super fast and hard. Now without seeing Yeti in person, I can't say for certain it is normal, so I do recommend a vet visit just to be safe. I 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.

You should not be able to hear your puppy's heart beat without putting your ear on his chest. If it is so loud that you can hear it that loud, you should have him examined by your veterinarian as Caspy may have a congenital heart defect. Only a hands-on exam can evaluate your dog's heart and determine whether the heart is normal.

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 :-)

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