SnoutSleeping respiratory rate
How fast your pet breathes while asleep is a simple number to track at home, and a useful one if your pet has heart disease. Count for 30 seconds, save the result and watch how it changes over time.
How to count
- Wait until your pet is deeply asleep and relaxed.
- Count one breath each time the chest rises. Do not wake your pet.
- Count for 30 seconds. The counter below doubles it to breaths per minute.
Breath counter
Press Start when your pet is asleep.
· You can also press Space or Enter.
Snout charts every respiratory rate reading and lets you set a target, so a slow rise is easy to spot.
| Date | Time | Breaths per minute | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Why asleep, and what to compare with
Why count while asleep
Excitement, heat, purring and dreaming all raise the rate, so a count taken while your pet is awake or dreaming reads high. Count when your pet is deeply asleep and cool.
Find your pet's usual number
Count once a day for about a week, while your pet is relaxed and asleep. Write the results in the log. That is your pet's baseline, and a steady rise above it matters more than any single reading.
What about 30?
Vet cardiologists suggest keeping the sleeping rate of a cat with heart disease under 30 breaths a minute. In studies, most healthy dogs and cats, and most with well-controlled heart disease, were also under 30 when asleep. In dogs with heart disease, a rise above their own usual rate is the best early warning.
When to call your vet
Call your vet if the sleeping rate stays above 30, or is clearly higher than your pet's usual. Take the log with you.
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This is general information, not veterinary advice. Ask your vet about your own pet.
Sources
- Luis Fuentes et al., ACVIM consensus statement on cardiomyopathies in cats (J Vet Intern Med 2020)
- Keene et al., ACVIM consensus guidelines on myxomatous mitral valve disease in dogs (J Vet Intern Med 2019)
- Ohad et al., sleeping respiratory rate in dogs with subclinical heart disease (JAVMA 2013)
- Ljungvall et al., sleeping respiratory rate in cats (J Feline Med Surg 2014)
- Porciello et al., sleeping and resting respiratory rate in dogs and cats with heart failure (Vet J 2016)
- Cornell University Hospital for Animals: Emergency and Critical Care (emergency signs)
- Tufts Foster Hospital: Difficulty breathing (dyspnea)
Read the guide: How do I count my pet's sleeping breathing rate with heart disease, and what number is too high?
