Should I worry about my healthy Shih Tzu's 60-80 bpm heart rate?

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!

Hello and congratulations on the new playful puppy! It is normal for puppies to have fast heart beats, especially small breeds like Chihuahuas. It is not unusual for small puppies to have heart rates around 120-160 beats per minute. As long as she is acting healthy and playful and not having any difficulty breathing, this fast heart rate is normal for her.

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 :-)

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.

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.

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.