Vet Tips

'Top 10 things you should be able to do for your pet'
11/30/2008

1. Take your pet's temperature
Let's get rid of a couple myths first. Whether your pet's nose feels wet or dry, cold or warm, it means absolutely nothing. And whether "my pet feels warm" means anything is
highly debatable. The only way to tell if your pet's temperature is high, normal or low,
is to take it with a thermometer. This typically happens in the rectum (rectal temperature), occasionally in the ear. Because of the dangers of the old fashioned thermometers, which can easily break and release toxic mercury, we will only talk about digital thermometers.
It doesn't really matter in which position your pet is, but having a "holder" certainly makes things easier. Reassure your pet throughout the procedure.
Apply a lubricant such as petroleum jelly to the tip of a clean thermometer.
Grab the base of your pet's tail and raise it, enough to uncover the anus and to prevent your pet from sitting down.
Gently insert the tip of the thermometer into the rectum. How far? It depends on the size of your pet. About 1/2 inch in cats and small dogs. About 1 inch in bigger dogs. One important tip: you don't really want to know the temperature of your pet's poop. So gently angle the tip of the thermometer, so that it touches the side (ie the lining or mucosa) of the rectum. This will give you an accurate reading. When it beeps, usually well under 1 minute, take the thermometer out. Read the temperature and record it. Give a treat to your pet. Low calorie please... Clean the thermometer with alcohol or soapy water. An adult's normal rectal temperature is between 100 and 103 degrees F (for our far-away readers, that's about 38,5 to 39,5 degrees Celsius). A small difference may be acceptable, but not a large discrepancy. Call your vet right away if your pet's temperature is much too low or
way too high.

2. Take your pet's pulse, or count heart beats
This is a little bit more complicated. Wait until your pet is relaxed. Obviously, you don't want to take the pulse after playing ball for 20 minutes. The most common place to feel the pulse is on the inside of the thigh, along a big artery called the femoral artery. Cup your hand over the front of your pet's upper thigh, and try to feel the pulse with the tip of your fingers. The pulse should be strong and fairly regular. Count the number of pulses ("beats") over 15 seconds. Multiply by 4, and you have your pet's pulse in beats per minute (BPM).
To feel the heart rate, cup your hand over the front and bottom of the chest. Or you could place your hand over the left, front side of the chest, behind the left elbow. Count the number of pulses ("beats") over 15 seconds. Multiply by 4, and you have your pet's heart rate in beats per minute (BPM). When you are experienced, you can actually take the pulse with one hand and the heart rate with the other. They should match in a healthy pet. Otherwise, there may be a condition your vet should investigate.
The larger the pet, the lower the rate.

. Cat: about 150-200 BPM.

. Small & medium dog: about 70-110 BPM.

. Large dog: about 60-90 BPM.

3. Count your pet's respiration rate
Wait until your pet is relaxed. Get used to seeing your pet's chest go up and down.
You can look at the actual chest, or at the flank, ie between the end of the chest (the last rib) and the pelvis. Count the number of breaths over 15 seconds. Multiply by 4, and you
have your pet's breathing rate in breaths per minute (BPM).
The larger the pet, the lower the rate.

. Cat: about 20-40 BPM.

. Small & medium dog: about 15-30 BPM.

. Large dog: about 10-20 BPM.

So there you go. We will go over all of the 7 other "things
you should be able to do" in an upcoming newsletter.

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The remaining 7 remaining tips for "10 things that you should be able to do for your pet" will appear in an upcoming newsletter.

Submitted by:
Dr. Phil Zeltzman, DACVS
Whitehall, Pennsylvania