Do you know the best option for monitor the dog heart rate? Thanks to advances in technology, there are more and more tools on the market that can improve many of the daily processes in a veterinary clinic.
These advances allow vets to have more accurate information and therefore offer higher quality services. However, with the emergence of so many options, it can be difficult to choose one tool over another. In this article, we will discuss some of the difficulties of measuring heart rate in dogs and compare various solutions.
Problems Measuring Dog Heart Rate
If you are a veterinary professional, you may already know some of the limitations of measuring heart rate manually. The first drawback is having a short period of time (only a few minutes) to be able to detect if there is any incongruence in the heart rate.
In most cases, it is necessary to obtain more data in order to draw firm conclusions. For example, it would be very useful to know the heart rate of the animal at rest or in its natural habitat. So that the possible nervousness of the dog does not affect the results.
It can also be difficult to compare the data with other health metrics. Without a complete view of the animal’s state, it is possible to miss relevant changes and, as a result, a pathology may go undetected.
Fortunately, thanks to advances in eHealth technology, more and more tools are becoming available for veterinarians to collect more data and provide increasingly accurate diagnoses.
What Tools Are Available to Measure Dog Heart Rate?
First there is the smart collar, a device that is very comfortable for the pet to wear. The advantage of this collar is that it constantly collects data. Veterinarians will be able to have information collected over several hours or even days to make a diagnosis.
The disadvantage of this device is that it does not provide information on a wide variety of parameters and therefore cannot give a complete vision of the animal’s health.
If it is necessary to monitor a variety of parameters, we recommend using the Dinbeat UNO, a harness that allows you to measure the main metrics of the patient’s health. This tool is convenient and comfortable for the animal to wear. The veterinarian will be able to have data from various times of the day and states of the animal, such as when it is asleep, in motion, etc.
Furthermore, the Dinbeat UNO can be very useful for monitoring an animal after surgery, as long as it does not cover the area where the operation is to be performed.
Last but not least we must include the traditional stethoscope. Why? Because it is still an ideal tool for routine follow-ups and visit, especially when assessing whether or not there is a murmur or performing a complete auscultation of the lungs. However, we recommend not discarding the complementary use of the harness. It will allow you to gather more information and offer a more accurate diagnosis.
Choose Tools According to Your Needs
Everything will depend on the patient’s needs in the moment. For example, if close monitoring is required for several hours, the use of a harness such as Dinbeat UNO is ideal. On the other hand, if it is necessary to monitor a patient during an operation (especially in the midsection of the animal), it is advisable to use a different type of monitor.
In short, there is no one tool more suitable than another, but we recommend that you keep up to date with the latest developments in the sector, as new tools and new technologies continue to emerge and to improve the veterinarian’s tasks.
