Tracking Heart Rate With Hospet

Monitoring your pet’s heart rate can give you valuable insights into their health—especially during end-of-life care. Whether you're tracking a medical condition, noticing changes in energy levels, or just looking for peace of mind, this guide will walk you through how to check your pet’s heart rate safely and accurately at home.

Why Heart Rate Tracking Matters

Changes in your pet’s heart rate can reflect pain, stress, illness, or response to medications. In senior pets, keeping tabs on vital signs like heart rate can support better decision-making around comfort and care.

What You’ll Need

• A quiet environment
• A stopwatch, watch with a second hand, or a timer on your phone
• Pen and paper or a place in your Hospet notes or Events to log results
• A gentle touch and a calm presence

Normal Resting Heart Rates (at home)

Note: These are resting heart rates. Excitement, stress, or exertion will temporarily raise them. A value within the reference ranges above can still be abnormal for an individual pet. If you have any concerns, you should contact your primary care veterinarian.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Help Your Pet Relax

Wait until your pet is calm, preferably lying down or cuddling in your lap. A relaxed state gives you the most accurate reading.

2. Find the Pulse

You have two easy options:

Option A: Use the Femoral Artery (Inner Thigh)

• Gently lay your pet on their side.
• Feel high up on the inside of the hind leg where the leg meets the body.
• Use your fingers (not your thumb) to gently press until you feel a steady pulse.

Option B: Count Heartbeats Over the Chest

• Place your hand on your pet’s left side, just behind the front leg.
• In thin or small pets, you might feel the heartbeat easily.
• In fluffier or heavier pets, press gently until you locate the beat.

3. Count the Beats

Once you’ve found the pulse or heartbeat:

• Count the number of beats in 15 seconds
• Multiply that number by 4 to get beats per minute (bpm)

Example:

You count 28 beats in 15 seconds → 28 × 4 = 112 bpm

4. Log Your Results

In Hospet, you can track this data using:

• An Event called “Heart Rate”
• A custom Daily Rating Category like “Vitals” if you are simply looking to track an overall impression (e.g. Poor, Neutral or Good)
• An Annotation on a graph if you notice a significant change

This helps you keep a clear picture over time and spot trends.

When to Contact Your Vet

You should reach out to your veterinarian if:

• The heart rate is consistently too high or low
• The rhythm is irregular (e.g., skips or extra beats)
• Your pet shows signs of distress: heavy breathing, weakness, collapse

Tips for Success

• Practice when your pet is calm and healthy first, so you know what “normal” feels like
• Keep sessions short and positive—offer treats or praise
• Try at the same time each day for consistency