Vital Signs

T-17

Amid the pandemic, we became more aware of vital signs- pulse rate, heartbeat, respiration, temperature, and blood pressure. Even in animals, vital sign plays a crucial role in finding the underlying cause of a disease or abnormality which yet has to occur or is present. It’s a silver lining between a healthy and an unhealthy being. I have enlisted these vital signs along with normal range.

Temperature – In animals, rectal temperature gives the most accurate reading.

Use a Veterinary Thermometer
Lubricate the end of thermometer.
Insert into rectum and remove in 2 to 3 minutes after and read.

Animal	Normal Rectal Temperature Range (Fahrenheit)
Cattle	100.4-103.1
Sheep & Goat	102.2-104.9
Swine	100.4-104
Equine	99.5-101.3
Canine	100.2–103.8
Feline	100.5–102.5

Heart /Pulse Rate – is the speed of the heartbeat measured by the number of contractions of the heart per minute.

To determine the heart rate of the animal, put your hand on the chest (over the heart) and count the beats that you feel for 15 seconds and multiply this number with 4, and you will get the heartbeat per minute.

Animal	Normal Heartbeat per minute
Cattle	40-70
Sheep & Goat	60-90
Swine	60-100
Equine	28-40
Small Canine	100-140
Large Canine	60-100
Feline	120-160

Respiration Rate – is the rate at which breathing occurs. This is usually measured in breaths per minute and is set and controlled by the respiratory center.

Observe or palpate the rise and fall of the animal’s flank, using a stopwatch to take a count of breaths over the course of one minute.