The first thing to remember when checking a pet’s vitals is to know the normal parameters. This will let you help assess your pet in an emergency:

💓Heartbeat — you can check the heartbeat by placing your hand over the heart, but you can also take a pulse by feeling it near the inside top of the dog’s hind leg, or behind the front leg for cats.

Large dogs: 60 to 100 beats per minute
Small dogs: 80 to 130 beats per minute
Cats: 140 to 180 beats per minute (any type of stress could increase the heartbeat up to 220 beats per minute)

👃Respiratory rate — count the chest movements for 15 seconds and multiply it by 4.

Dogs: 10 to 30 breaths per minute
Cats: 20 to 40 breaths per minute

🌡Temperature — place a thermometer inside the rectum, and to make it more comfortable, use a lubricant.

For both dogs and cats, for the most accurate results, the temperature should be taken rectally.
The normal temperature of a dog or cat is 100.5°F to 102.5°F.

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