Heart Rate for a Sheltie

F

frankienme

Forums Regular
Hi All,

I am wondering if anyone knows if a low heart rate is normal for a Shelite? My Frankie has had some health things going on and in visiting the vet, the conversation has included his low heart rate - 35 - 40. The vet said normal was closer to 70 - 75 for dogs - which freaked me out! :eek2: But what is normal for this breed. I seem to recall that this lower rate has been the case for the 6 years I have had him but it has never been an issue before.

However now we are watching him for potential low thyroid T3 not T4 - the number was 41 out of a range of 45 - 150 - so slightly below - and also Frankie has had less energy - stops jogging or running while we are out for a walk sooner than usual and just walks, he pants and pants even when the air conditioning is on and he just doesn't seem himself of late.

We have also been working on some limping issues in his back hip and front legs that I know contribute to his ease of movement when we go for a walk but he is responding to some wonderful chiropractic treatment very nicely. (Can you tell this dog gets the royal treatment - He is my heart for sure :yes:

Yet, I am concerned that there is something going on here that we haven't found. He has had very bad sinus congestion - which could make it hard to breathe and I realize that could cause the panting but the slightly low Thyroid - we are going to retest after he has had a few months on immune building supplements - and the low heart rate are worrying me a bit. :no: I don't want to give him benadryl or an antihistamine because he is so sensitive that it knocks him out but I will if nothing else works. Oh, and his coat was looking dry too - but has been improving as I have added a nice oil supplement to his diet. I also moved him from NOW Fresh kibble to Primal Frozen Raw pellets - rabbit and Venison - which he loves.

So I am working on it at some levels but, again, could there be something the vet is missing or doesn't realize about this breed? Any thoughts or feedback would be helpful - particularly about his low heart rate and if that could be related to his low energy and panting.

Thank you for any help you might provide. You are all always so supportive. Frankie is my family and I don't know what I would do with you to help me give my all to care for him the best way I know how! :hugs
 
I am sorry I don't have any answers for you. But I can tell you that when Shelby was at the vet in June he made a comment that she has a "runners heart". Meaning that it was very strong but slower than expected. He said that he expects to see a more rapid heart beat the smaller the dog. He told me this was a sign of her being in good physical strenghth. Just like runners who have slower heart rates than the average person. She does get regular walks and does a lot of running through the yard hearding the trains as they go by.

It sounds like Frankie gets a lot of exercise including running so maybe this is just the norm for him too.

I hope he is soon feeling better.
 
Hi,

The Vet said the same thing to me about Frankie - he could be an athlete! Unfortunately what I have noticed is that over the past 6 months or so, he has actually slowed down in his walks. Instead of prancing and jogging or running - he runs for a bit and then slows right away to a walk. I feel he is out of energy. So my concern is hypothyroid - I just got Jean Dodds' book on the topic and along with some other symptoms, I am a little worried. I will keep you posted but glad that Shelby's heart is that of a zen runner! I love it. Let's pray that Frankie is the same:fl and that his test results - I am going to retest his thyroid - is all normal.

:hugs
 
I'm sorry to hear about Frankie. I don't have any answers for you, but I just wanted to say that you are in my thoughts and prayers. Keep us posted, and hugs to you and your little boy!:hugs
 
The heart rate of a small breed dog like a sheltie is on avg around 80-100 beats per minute. Very atheletic dogs can be closer to 60-70 at rest. We tend to start worrying about any dog under 60.

My JRT mix was very active and had a resting heart of 50-55. She had a full heart workup and was found to have an slightly enlarged left ventricle typical of an atheletic dog and profound vagal tone condition known as Sinus Bradycardia. She fortunately was totally asyptomatic her whole life. We chalked it up to her fitness level but i am not sure that was all there was that caused it. We did look for underlying causes, one of which is hypothyriodism(high normal levels of everything) but though I tested her many many times over her life she never had it.

I did have to be careful with her with any medication, including antihistamines, that may cause sedation as well as anesthesia. I almost killed her with Bendadryl. She was in a coma-like state for over 24 hours. If I did have to give her something like that her dose was a 1/4 of a normal dog so I just avoided it all together. I used steriods as needed if I needed something for her allergies as for her it was much safer.
 
Thank you Justicemom - this is very helpful too! I took Frankie for a walk tonight and he seemed better - could trot farther than he has been able to in awhile - he has been steadily improving. BUT, I am still worried about the VERY low heart rate. This is well below your 60 beats. :uhoh: Frankie is very sensitive in general so I too am careful about what I give him. His sinus issues also cause me concern because I don't know what to give him that will help that doesn't knock him out. So I will take heed of this. I wonder about a heart work up too. I will ask the doctor. Oh, so hard when the dog can't tell us what is wrong. Even the animal communicators I use haven't said anything specifically. But I have had three very intense dreams in the past two months about Frankie not being able to breathe - so.... :no: I am trying to figure this out as best I can. Thank you! Keep your comments coming if you have one - and the prayers and thoughts too - we LOVE that! Back to you with the same! :hugs
 
Low heart rate plus panting would worry me. It might suggest that the lungs are trying to compensate for poor heart output. But if the doggie could exert himself normally, I'd worry much less.
 
Keeping both you and Frankie on my prayer list.

Please continue to keep us updated on how Frankie is doing. Thanks.
 
Tully's resting rate was also around 50-60, keeping in mind this was when she was doing flyball and agility and walking/running 3-4hrs a day, so super fit. She has a very strong pulse too and I've had a couple of vets say she has the heart of a racing greyhound. So below 40 for a non-working dog does sound very low.
 
Last edited:
Update

Okay all - here is an update so far. I took Frankie to our regular vet today - not the holistic homeopathic vet who wanted me to wait on further blood retesting which I just got too worried to wait for. And before I did so I read up on hypothyroidism on dogs - Jean Dodds book - great read for a Sheltie owner - thank you to the forum member who suggested it!

I had him retested - full thyroid panel and CBC. By the way, his heart rate was 70 - 80 during this visit. Yes, he might have been anxious but odd it was so low at the other vets :confused2: but this time it was more 'normal' - though this is relative since if he was nervous - it probably should be even higher for a normal nervous heart rate.

Anyway, I am having the thryoid test sent to Jean Dodds' lab and will also get a read on the results directly from her with a consultation and an opportunity to ask her questions if need be. Her website for this - and for testing for sensitivities is www.hemopet.org if anyone is interested or in need. So I will let you know what happens. If the test results find nothing, that doesn't necessarily mean it is not the thyroid, but I will then go to a heart specialist and check out Frankie's heart.

In the meantime, we have also been doing energy healing each week as well and it does help - :fl Frankie seemed to be more like himself today.

I will keep you updated - and thank you again for all of your prayers and support! I know it makes a difference! :smile2:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top