Correlation of heart rate to body weight in apparently normal dogs

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the correlation between heart rate and body weight in the apparently healthy dog.

Animals: Sixty dogs weighing between 2 and 80 kg.

Methods: Heart rate was evaluated with a 24-h ambulatory electrocardiogram. Minimum, average, maximum heart rate, ventricular premature complex (VPC) number and supraventricular premature complex (SVC) number were tabulated for each dog.

Results: Minimum, maximum and average heart rate did not correlate to body weight. For all dogs, the median minimum heart rate was 42 bpm (beats per minute), median average heart rate was 73 bpm, and median maximum heart rate was 190. The median number of VPCs and SVC was zero.

Conclusions: The present study does not support a correlation between heart rate and body weight in apparently healthy dogs.