A dog's normal vital signs at rest are a temperature of 99.5-102.5°F (37.5-39.2°C), a heart rate of 70-120 beats per minute and 18-34 breaths per minute. A cat runs 100.5-102.5°F (38.1-39.2°C), 120-140 beats per minute at rest and 16-40 breaths per minute while awake and resting.
Go to your vet or an emergency clinic now if your dog or cat has:
- a temperature above 104°F (40.0°C) or below 99°F (37.2°C)
- pale, white, blue or yellow gums
- bluish gums with open-mouth breathing (a sign of severe oxygen loss)
- pale gums with a fast heart rate and weak pulses (signs of shock)
- possible heatstroke, whatever the thermometer says
If your pet has collapsed and isn't breathing, start CPR on the way: see how to do CPR on a dog.
The TPR Chart for Dogs and Cats
TPR stands for temperature, pulse and respiration. Gum color, capillary refill time and blood pressure round out the picture.
Vital sign | Adult dog | Adult cat |
|---|---|---|
Temperature (rectal) | 99.5-102.5°F (37.5-39.2°C) | 100.5-102.5°F (38.1-39.2°C) |
Heart rate at rest | 70-120 bpm (small 90-120, medium 70-110, large 60-90) | 120-140 bpm at rest; typically 180-220 bpm in a hospital |
Breathing, awake at rest | 18-34 breaths/min | 16-40 breaths/min |
Breathing, asleep at home | 15-30 breaths/min; call if consistently above about 30 | 15-30 breaths/min; call if consistently above about 30 |
Gums | pink and moist | pink and moist |
Capillary refill time (CRT) | 1-2 seconds | 1-2 seconds |
Blood pressure (systolic) | below 140 mmHg is ACVIM's lowest-risk category | below 140 mmHg is ACVIM's lowest-risk category |
bpm = beats per minute. Sources: Merck Veterinary Manual (temperature, heart rate, breathing, gums, CRT), The Animal Medical Center (dog sizes), Texas A&M Cardiology (sleeping rate), UC Davis CVET (gums), ACVIM (blood pressure).
Why charts disagree, and which number to trust
Search for a normal dog temperature and you'll find floors of 99.5°F, 100°F and 101°F, all from respectable sources. Cat heart rate charts spread even wider. Most of that comes from where the measurement was taken and on which animals, not from anyone being wrong. A cat's heart rate on the sofa and on an exam table can be more than 50 beats apart in the same healthy cat.
The most useful number is your own pet's. Take its temperature, pulse and breathing once or twice when it's healthy and relaxed, and write them down. The Animal Medical Center in New York says any change from your pet's usual baseline is worth a call to your veterinarian, and that stress and room temperature can shift the readings.
Temperature
The Merck Veterinary Manual's normal rectal temperature table gives 99.5-102.5°F (37.5-39.2°C) for dogs and 100.5-102.5°F (38.1-39.2°C) for cats. Merck's owner pages describe a typical reading as about 101.5-102°F (38.6-38.9°C).
- Fever means above the upper normal of 102.5°F (39.2°C). Merck gives no separate fever cut-off for dogs or cats.
- Go to the vet above 104°F (40.0°C) or below 99°F (37.2°C), per VCA Animal Hospitals.
- Above 105.5°F (40.8°C), body temperature can cause serious metabolic disease and organ damage, especially if it lasts. Researchers define heatstroke in dogs as a core temperature above 41°C (105.8°F) plus signs that the brain is affected, but don't wait for a number: treat any suspected heatstroke as an emergency.
Never give a dog or cat human fever or pain medicine. The FDA warns that acetaminophen is fatal to cats and can damage a dog's liver, and that human pain relievers such as ibuprofen and naproxen may not be safe for dogs. Call your vet before giving any medication.
Newborns run cooler. Merck lists 95-99°F (35-37.2°C) in the first week, 97-100°F (36.1-37.8°C) in weeks 2-3 and 99-101°F (37.2-38.3°C) by week 4, for puppies and kittens alike.
How to take it, fever causes and what a low reading means: see normal dog temperature and normal cat temperature.
Heart Rate (Pulse)
A resting adult dog's heart beats 70-120 times a minute, and smaller dogs run faster. The Animal Medical Center breaks it down by size: small dogs 90-120, medium dogs 70-110 and large dogs 60-90. Giant breeds have no separate sourced range, so use the large-dog numbers. Puppies run 120-160 on the UC Davis field chart. More in normal dog heart rate by size and age.
Cats are where charts fall apart, and the reason is stress. Merck gives 120-140 at rest but notes cats typically run 180-220 in a hospital. A study that fitted 16 healthy cats with heart monitors found an average of 132 beats per minute at home, 150 in a quiet hospital room and 187 while the cat was held for a heart ultrasound (Abbott, 2005). Same cats, same hearts. A calm count taken at home is worth bringing to the appointment. Kittens run faster than adults; ask your vet what's normal for your kitten's age. The full picture is in normal cat heart rate.
Curious how a dog's or cat's heart compares with an elephant's or a mouse's? See animal heart rates.
Breathing Rate
Count breaths with your pet relaxed, because panting and sniffing skew the number. Two ranges matter, and most of the confusion starts when they get mixed up:
- Awake and resting: dogs 18-34 and cats 16-40 breaths a minute (Merck).
- Asleep at home: dogs and cats 15-30 breaths a minute, and lower is fine if your pet is otherwise well. The Texas A&M cardiology handout says to worry when the sleeping rate is consistently above about 30: recount a few times over the next couple of hours, then call your vet.
Healthy pets usually sit well under that line. In 114 healthy adult dogs, the average sleeping rate was 13 breaths a minute and no dog averaged above 23. Healthy cats had a median of about 19-21. That's why cardiology services ask owners of pets with heart disease to count sleeping breaths at home. If your vet gave you a different number to watch, follow theirs.
Step-by-step counting is in normal dog respiratory rate and normal cat respiratory rate. If your dog is breathing fast while resting, read tachypnea in dogs.
Gum Color and Capillary Refill Time
Healthy gums are pink and moist. Capillary refill time, or CRT, is how long the pink takes to come back after you press a fingertip on the gum until it blanches. Normal is 1-2 seconds.
What you see | What it can mean (Merck) |
|---|---|
Pink, refills in 1-2 seconds | Normal |
Refill slower than 2 seconds | Poor blood flow to the tissues |
Refill faster than 1 second | An overdriven circulation (fever, heatstroke, early shock) |
Pale or white | Anemia or shock |
Blue or muddy | Severe lack of oxygen, or late-stage shock |
Yellow | Bilirubin buildup from liver disease or red blood cell breakdown |
Brick-red | Seen with sepsis and other overdriven states |
Anything other than pink gums that refill in 1-2 seconds is a reason to call your vet. Pale, white, blue or yellow gums, or a slow refill, mean go now.
Blood Pressure
There's no single "normal" blood pressure for dogs or cats. The ACVIM consensus statement on hypertension says pressure varies a lot with breed, temperament, body position and measurement method. Instead it grades systolic pressure (the top number) by risk of organ damage:
Systolic pressure | ACVIM category | Risk of organ damage |
|---|---|---|
Below 140 mmHg | Normotensive | Minimal |
140-159 mmHg | Prehypertensive | Low |
160-179 mmHg | Hypertensive | Moderate |
180 mmHg or above | Severely hypertensive | High |
For reference, studies of healthy dogs report average systolic readings of about 131-150 mmHg by oscillometric machine and 145-151 mmHg by Doppler, and one study of healthy cats found a Doppler median of 121 mmHg. Sighthounds normally read higher in the clinic; ACVIM proposes an in-hospital systolic above 180 mmHg as their risk threshold.
Blood pressure is measured at the clinic, with a calm pet, the right cuff and several readings averaged. Normal blood pressure in dogs and cats covers how it's done and who should be screened.
How to Check Your Pet's Vitals at Home
Pick a calm moment, ideally after a nap rather than a walk, and have a helper hold your pet's head and keep it still. If your pet fights or panics, stop: a bite or a struggle isn't worth a number your vet team can take safely.
- Temperature. Use a digital thermometer, never glass (glass breaks, and mercury is hazardous). A human digital thermometer works rectally. Lubricate the tip, insert it just past the tip into the rectum and hold it steady until it beeps. Digital ear thermometers are reasonably accurate but not always precise, and shouldn't go into an infected ear.
- Pulse. Place a hand over the heart, or feel the femoral artery on the inside of the hind leg. Count for 30 seconds and multiply by two.
- Breathing. Watch the chest. One rise plus one fall is one breath. Count for 30 seconds and multiply by two, or count while your pet sleeps if your vet asked for a sleeping rate.
- Gums and CRT. Lift the upper lip, note the color, press a fingertip on the gum until it pales and count the seconds until pink returns.
- Write it down. Date, time, the numbers and what your pet was doing. Your vet can compare against it at the next visit.
When to Call the Vet
Go now (your vet or an emergency clinic): any sign in the box at the top of this page, or gums that take longer than 2 seconds to turn pink again.
Call your vet today:
- a sleeping breathing rate consistently above about 30 after recounting over a couple of hours
- a temperature above 102.5°F (39.2°C)
- any reading clearly different from your pet's usual baseline with no obvious reason
Other Animals and Situations
- Under anesthesia: the monitoring list grows (oxygen saturation, exhaled carbon dioxide, ECG, blood pressure) and the thresholds change. Techs can find them in normal vitals under anesthesia.
- Livestock: cattle, goats and sheep have their own normal ranges. See normal temperature in cows, goats and sheep.
Quick Answers
What does TPR stand for in veterinary medicine? Temperature, pulse and respiration, the three core vital signs.
Can I use a human thermometer on my dog or cat? Yes, a human digital thermometer can be used rectally, according to VCA. Don't use a glass one.
What is a normal dog temperature in Celsius? 37.5-39.2°C for dogs and 38.1-39.2°C for cats, taken rectally (Merck).
What is a normal temperature for a newborn puppy or kitten? Lower than an adult's: 95-99°F (35-37.2°C) in the first week, rising to 99-101°F (37.2-38.3°C) by week 4 (Merck).
Sources
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Normal Rectal Temperature Ranges
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Resting Heart Rates
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Resting Respiratory Rates
- Merck Veterinary Manual: The Cardiovascular System in Animals
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Initial Triage and Resuscitation of Small Animal Emergency Patients
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Monitoring the Critically Ill Small Animal Using the Rule of 20
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Normal Rectal Temperature of Neonatal Dogs and Cats
- Merck Veterinary Manual: What to Do in a Dog or Cat Emergency
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Evaluation and Initial Treatment of Dog and Cat Emergencies
- Acierno MJ, et al. ACVIM consensus statement on systemic hypertension in dogs and cats (J Vet Intern Med, 2018)
- Grubb T, et al. 2020 AAHA Anesthesia and Monitoring Guidelines for Dogs and Cats
- Bruchim Y, et al. Pathophysiology of heatstroke in dogs, revisited (Temperature, 2017)
- Abbott JA. Heart rate and heart rate variability of healthy cats in home and hospital environments (J Feline Med Surg, 2005)
- Rishniw M, et al. Sleeping respiratory rates in apparently healthy adult dogs (Res Vet Sci, 2012)
- Ljungvall I, et al. Sleeping and resting respiratory rates in healthy adult cats and cats with subclinical heart disease (J Feline Med Surg, 2014)
- Texas A&M University Cardiology Service: Measuring Your Pet's Breathing Rate
- The Animal Medical Center: Vital Signs, Know What's Normal for Your Pet
- VCA Animal Hospitals: Taking Your Pet's Temperature
- UC Davis California Veterinary Emergency Team: Normal Vital Signs chart
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Get the Facts about Pain Relievers for Pets
This article is for general information and is not a substitute for advice from your veterinarian.
