Sleeping respiratory rates in apparently healthy adult dogs

Respiratory rate monitoring of cardiac patients is recommended by many cardiologists. However, little objective data exist about respiratory rates in apparently healthy dogs when collected in the home environment. We measured sleeping respiratory rates (SRR) in apparently healthy dogs and compared sleeping and resting respiratory rates (RRR) with a cross-sectional prospective study. Participants collected 12-14 one-minute SRR over a period ranging from 1 week to 2 months on 114 privately owned adult dogs. Selected participants simultaneously collected RRR. Mean within-dog average SRR (SRRmean) was 13 breaths per minute (breaths/min). No dog had SRRmean >23 breaths/min; three dogs had instantaneous SRR measurements >30 breaths/min. Dogs had higher RRRmean (19 breaths/min) than SRRmean (15 breaths/min) (P < 0.05). Canine SRRmean was unaffected by age, bodyweight or geographic location. Data acquisition was considered relatively simple by most participants. This study shows that apparently healthy adult dogs generally have SRRmean <30 breaths/min and rarely exceed this rate at any time.