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This guide helps you monitor your pet at home; it does not replace your veterinarian's exam. If your pet is struggling to breathe, do not count: reach us right away at 514 223-1197.
Why count the breaths
One breath is a breath in followed by a breath out: the chest rises, then falls. In a pet whose heart or lungs are being watched, the resting breathing rate often climbs several days before any other sign. Catching that early lets us adjust treatment in time, calmly, instead of in the middle of a crisis.
Who it helps
- Pets with known heart disease, especially those on medication: this is the most important monitoring.
- Heart disease that is still silent but advanced, when your veterinarian has asked you to watch.
- Cats with asthma, or pets with a chronic breathing condition.
- Some senior pets, on your veterinarian's advice.
If your veterinarian has not asked you to
This is not a test to run on every healthy pet. Your veterinarian will tell you whether, and when, to start. If you have been asked to, this guide is here to make it easy.
Before you count: the right conditions
Nearly every false alarm comes from a reading taken at the wrong moment. The number only means something if your pet is truly calm.
- Count while your pet is in a deep sleep: that is the best time, when breathing is at its lowest and steadiest. Failing that, wait until your pet is lying down, relaxed and completely settled.
- Not right after play, a walk, excitement or stress, and not in hot weather: breathing rises normally then. Give it 15 to 30 minutes to come back down.
- In a room that is neither too warm nor too cold.
- Always under the same conditions, ideally at the same time of day, so you can compare one day to the next.
- There is no magic waiting time: what matters is not that you timed ten minutes, but that your pet is genuinely at rest.
What throws the count off
Never count while your dog is panting, mouth open and tongue out: panting drives the rate up to 200 to 400 breaths a minute; that is normal, but useless as a measure. For a cat, wait until it stops purring. And if your pet is dreaming, with paddling paws, small twitches or little whimpers, hold on: that is not true rest.
How to count, step by step
Once your pet is settled and calm, it is all done by eye, without touching.
Pick the right moment
Wait until your pet is sleeping peacefully, or resting quietly. Do not place a hand on your pet: the contact can wake it, make it stretch, and throw off the reading.
Watch the chest or the flank
Watch the rib cage, or the belly, rise and fall. Look from the side, against the light if you can, so the movement is easy to see.
Count a full cycle as a single breath
The chest rises (breath in) then falls (breath out): that is one breath, not two. So only count a breath once the chest has made a complete rise-and-fall.
This is the most common mistake: one rise-and-fall of the chest = 1 breath, not 2.Time 30 seconds, then multiply by 2
Count the breaths for 30 seconds and multiply the result by two. You can also count a full minute without multiplying: that is a little more accurate still. Avoid counting only 15 seconds: any breath counted a bit high or low is then multiplied by four.
Write the number down
Note the value, the date and the time in a notebook, a calendar or a note on your phone. It is the series of readings over time, not a single number, that carries the value.
What is normal, what should raise a flag
At rest or while asleep, a healthy dog or cat breathes fewer than 30 times a minute. In practice, often well below that.
The resting numbers
- Sleeping dog: often 10 to 25 breaths a minute, averaging around 13.
- Sleeping cat: often 15 to 30 a minute, averaging around 20 to 25.
- Lower numbers are not a worry: that is simply calm.
The warning signal
Write it down and get in touch with us if you see, repeatedly: a resting rate above 30 a minute, OR a clear rise above YOUR pet's usual number, even below 30. A single high reading means little: recount at rest first. This threshold is a signal to call us, not a diagnosis: the exam is what settles it.
A trap worth knowing
The rate measured at the veterinary clinic is almost always higher: the trip and the stress push it up, especially in cats. You, at home, hold your pet's true resting value. Bring your numbers to every visit.
Puppies, kittens and flat-faced breeds
The very young naturally breathe a little faster. Flat-faced breeds such as the bulldog, pug, boxer or Persian often breathe noisily without it being an emergency: with them especially, trust YOUR pet's usual baseline and any rise more than a single number. They also cope less well with heat (see our guide on heatstroke).
Learn YOUR pet's baseline
Every pet has its own normal. The most telling number is not a universal threshold: it is the gap from ITS own habit, especially when it climbs.
- While your pet is well, count once a day for about a week. You get its baseline number, and you master the skill before you need it.
- After that, watch above all for clear, repeated rises above that baseline.
- Keep a log: a notebook, a calendar, or the timer on your phone. Free counting apps also exist. Bring your numbers to every appointment.
- How often to keep going? Follow the plan your veterinarian set for your pet: often daily with heart failure or a treatment adjustment, once or twice a week for a stable condition.
What this number does not tell you
Counting is a tool for early detection, not a full exam. It does not replace visits, and it does not see everything: fluid around the lungs or a rhythm problem can be present without pushing the number up. When in doubt, call us rather than reassure yourself on a single number.
The effort matters as much as the number
Count the number, but also watch HOW your pet breathes. A normal number with visible effort is still abnormal.
Normal breathing at rest
Almost invisible and silent: only a slight movement of the chest, mouth closed, especially in cats, no sound and no belly pushing. Your pet is happy to lie down and its face is relaxed.
Abnormal breathing effort
The belly pumps hard with each breath, or chest and belly move out of sync; the neck is stretched and the head low, elbows held out; the nostrils flare wide; breathing turns noisy or wheezy; the pet looks anxious and cannot settle.
In cats, an open mouth is a strong signal
Unlike dogs, cats almost never pant. Breathing with the mouth open, at rest, is most often abnormal and can be an emergency. It may be brief right after hard effort, intense play (especially in a kitten), strong heat or a stress like a car ride: in that case it should ease within a few minutes once the cat is calm and cool. Otherwise, or if it comes back for no reason, call us without waiting.
When to call, when to rush in
The number is there to warn us early. It is the signs of effort and distress that decide the emergency, day or night.
Let us know, during our hours
A resting rate that stays above 30 across several counts, in a pet that is otherwise comfortable, with pink gums, breathing without effort. Recount calmly once or twice over the next few hours; if it holds, note it and call us: we will see you soon.
Same day
A rate that is clearly high, or high alongside a mild sign such as a new cough, tiredness, less appetite or restless sleep, but with no visible struggle to breathe. When in doubt, call: we sort it out with you.
Emergency: go now, do not recount
Real difficulty breathing is a life-threatening emergency that can tip over in minutes. Do not wait: head to the emergency clinic and call on the way so the team can ready oxygen. The signs to recognize:
- A cat breathing with its mouth open, or panting
- Gums or tongue turning blue, grey or very pale: a serious and late sign, never wait for it to appear before acting
- A belly pumping hard, laboured or noisy breathing
- Neck stretched out, elbows held away, refusing to lie down
- Restlessness you cannot calm, or loss of consciousness
A cat in distress: as little handling as possible
A cat that is struggling to breathe is extremely fragile: the stress of being restrained can worsen its state all at once. Do not force its mouth open, place it gently in its carrier, keep the trip calm and cool, and let us know you are on the way.
Frequently asked questions
The questions that come up most, and one few people dare to ask.
My cat is breathing with her mouth open. Is that normal?
My pet is breathing fast and coughing. What should I do?
Do I need to count if my pet is perfectly healthy?
I counted over 30 once. Should I panic?
Is there a tool to help me count?
If the number climbs, does it mean my pet is going to die?
See also
Thirty seconds that change everything
Counting your pet's breaths while it sleeps is a simple, free habit, and among the most useful things you can do at home. It connects you to us at the right moment: neither too late, nor for nothing.
Worried about your pet's breathing?
When in doubt, one call too many beats one too few. Book an appointment or reach us: we assess the situation with you.