Breathing Rates & Effort

Monitoring your pet's respiratory rate and effort can help identify respiratory distress. Check when the pet is resting calmly.

How to Count Respiratory Rate:

1. Observe when calm: Count when your pet is relaxed or sleeping.
2. Watch movement: One rise and fall of the chest counts as one breath.
3. Count cycles: Count breaths for 30 seconds.
4. Calculate rate: Multiply by 2 to get breaths per minute (BPM).

Normal Resting Respiratory Rates:

• Dogs: 10-30 breaths per minute.
• Cats: 20-30 breaths per minute.
• Note: Rates consistently over 35-40 breaths per minute at rest are usually abnormal.

Signs of Respiratory Distress (Dyspnoea):

These require IMMEDIATE veterinary attention:

• Increased effort: Visible, exaggerated chest/belly movement, flared nostrils.
• Abnormal posture: Elbows out, neck extended, reluctance to lie down.
• Open-mouth breathing: Especially concerning in cats.
• Noisy breathing: Wheezing, stridor (high-pitched noise on inhale), gurgling.
• Colour changes: Blue or purple-tinged gums (cyanosis) - CRITICAL.
• Persistent coughing or gagging.
• Very rapid, shallow breathing or abnormally slow, deep breathing.
• Anxiety or panic associated with breathing.

Panting vs. Abnormal Breathing:

Panting is normal for dogs when hot, excited, or stressed. It is RARELY normal for cats and usually signifies distress. Abnormal breathing involves increased effort, noise, or unusual postures.