Veterinary medicine
Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the study, diseases, diagnosis, and treatment of animals. Veterinary medicine is just like any other medical field only it deals with the problems of animals. It is indirectly related to humans because it ensures healthy and vaccinated animals that live around human beings. So, they are very important in the prevention and control of animal-borne diseases.
Veterinary vital signs
Animals like human beings are formed of complex organs and systems and they also have vital organs in their bodies which are essential for their life. Animals have a heart rate, respiratory rate, and other parameters which are measured in a routine veterinary check-up to check the status of animal health.
Vital organs in animals
By animals here, we mostly mean pet animals like dogs, cats, buffaloes, etc. Besides, smaller animals and birds are also some of the favorite pets of human beings. Since animals don’t belong to the same genus or species, their anatomy, and physiology are quite different from animal to animal. Moreover, their vitals cannot be generalized, and rules cannot be applied to each animal, unlike human beings.
Vital organs here, we take the dog for example, and see what the vital organs in a dog are. As mentioned earlier, the dog also possesses a circulatory system, a respiratory, nervous, and digestive system.
Vital signs in animals
When an animal is brought to its vet, it has to undergo a routine and systemic checkup. All medical examinations begin with a general physical examination. A general physical examination is not at all complete without measuring vital signs.
So, as soon as an animal steps in the veterinary physician, is examined for vital signs. The most common parameters measured as vital signs are heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature, and refill time. Weight is also measured and compared to the normal weights which are again different for each species of animals. The color of the mucous membrane has to be examined as one of the vital signs.
Normal vital signs in cats and dogs
Let’s have a look at the normal vital signs in cats and dogs for example. This will help in gaining an idea of pet vital signs.
The normal heart rate in a dog is 80-160 bpm, and this is quite different from human adults where a heart rate of more than 100 bpm is considered abnormal. The respiratory rate in dogs is 10-30 per minute which is again different from humans. A temperature from 100.2 to 102.5 is considered normal in dogs which is a fever in humans. Normal capillary refill time is less than two seconds and the mucous membrane is pink to red normally.
In cats, the normal heart rate is 10-240 beats in a minute which is too different from dogs. The normal respiratory rate in them is 20-30 minutes. Their temperature ranges from 100.5 to 102.5 normally and has a capillary refill time is less than two seconds. Their mucous membrane is pink and moist mostly.
The veterinary vital signs form is filled out for evaluation and cab used by people who keep pets at their homes.
Here is a sample veterinary vital signs chart provided by aec4pets.com
