Cardiac Disease in Senior Shetland Sheepdogs

Resting respiratory rate is the most useful home measurement in canine cardiology, and almost no owner is told about it. It is simply the number of breaths your dog takes in a minute while genuinely asleep, not dozing and not panting. Count the rise of the chest for thirty seconds and double it.

A healthy sleeping dog usually sits somewhere between fifteen and thirty breaths a minute. What matters is not the absolute figure but the trend for your individual dog. When the left side of the heart begins to fail, fluid accumulates in the lungs, and the earliest measurable consequence is a rise in that sleeping rate. It commonly climbs before any cough, before any tiredness, and before the owner notices a single thing. Cardiologists ask owners to log it weekly precisely because it gives days of warning.

Measure it while the dog is well so you know her baseline. Record it in a note on your phone with the date. If the figure rises consistently above thirty, or climbs meaningfully above your dog's own normal over several days, that is a reason to contact your vet promptly rather than waiting for the next appointment.

The practical value of this is greatest in exactly this kind of breed. A Shetland Sheepdog with a long, dense double coat hides the visible chest movement that would make faster breathing obvious across a room. Counting deliberately, hand on the ribs if necessary, catches what watching does not.

Heart investigation proceeds in stages, and not every dog needs every stage. Knowing the sequence helps you understand what you are being offered and why.