What is SRR?
Sleeping Respiratory Rate (SRR) is the number of breaths your pet takes per minute while sleeping. It is the single most useful thing you can measure at home when your pet has a heart problem, and it will often warn you that the heart is in trouble before anything else does.
How to measure it
- Watch your pet’s chest rise and fall - one full breath includes both an inhale and an exhale.
- Count the breaths for 30 seconds, then double the number to get the per-minute rate.
- For best results:
- Count on the inhalation - it's usually shorter, sharper and easier to spot than the exhalation.
- Take the measurement when your pet is fully asleep in a calm, comfortable environment.
- Avoid times when your pet is panting, purring or miaowing.
- Repeat 2-3 times at intervals to ensure consistency.
Tip: Use a free app like our very own VCH Vitals App Cardalis App (available on iOS and web app) to track and record your pet’s SRR easily. It works out the trend for you and lets you share the data with your vet. Or look into tracking collars that can count this for you, like the Maven.
What is a normal SRR?
- Healthy dogs and cats sit at 15 to 30 breaths per minute.
- Above 30 is a concern, and consistently above 40 needs acting on.
Each pet has its own normal range, so tracking changes over time is often more valuable than a single reading.
Why SRR matters
SRR is one of the best early warning signs of congestive heart failure (CHF).
Heart failure causes breathing difficulty because fluid builds up in the lungs, which is pulmonary oedema, or around them, which is a pleural effusion. Either way the lungs have less room to work with, so the breathing rate climbs.
Since SRR is easy to measure at home, it helps detect heart failure earlier than X-rays or scans and can guide treatment decisions.
Other signs to watch for
- Coughing, though it is not always a sign of heart failure. It may come from an enlarged heart or from something else entirely.
- Any change in appetite, activity or behaviour. Cats in particular show very subtle signs of illness.
What to do if the SRR is high
🚨Call your vet if:
- SRR is consistently above 30
- It reaches 40 or higher
- Your pet seems unwell or distressed
For emergencies, contact an out-of-hours veterinary service immediately.
Why it is worth the effort
A minute with a sleeping pet, done regularly, will tell you more about their heart than almost anything else you can do at home. Catching a rising rate early is what buys the time to treat it properly.
Summary table:
| SRR Value (Breaths per Minute) | Clinical Interpretation | Action Required |
|---|---|---|
| < 25 | Normal for most dogs. | Continue routine monitoring. |
| 25 - 30 | "Grey zone" - normal for some, high for others. | Re-check frequently; establish a baseline. |
| > 30 | Consistently elevated; strong indicator of CHF. | Contact veterinarian immediately. |
| > 40 | High risk of active pulmonary oedema. | Urgent veterinary assessment required. |
| > 50 | Critical; indicates severe respiratory distress. | Emergency veterinary intervention. |
Check out my videos on the same topic if you want a more in depth explanation:
Interested in the Maven Collar? You can use the link below to receive a discount on your subscription and support the VetCardioHub channel, as the hub receives a small commission to help with our running costs: