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Healthy Dog - Normal Values

                                                  


These are some of the guidelines used by your vet to assess your dogs health.  

Temperature - 100.5 to 102.5

Heart rate - 180-220 beats a minute for puppies

60-120 beats per minute for most adult dogs

Respiration 10 to 30

The normal respiratory rate for dogs is 16 to 20 breaths per minute. The normal heart rate is 60 - 120 bpm.   Large dogs tend to have slower heartrates.  This varies according to the  cardiovascular fitness of the dog, too. The more active the dog, the slower its resting heart rate will be.

Pulse - 60 to 120

Gestation - 62 days

Estrous Cycle - approximately 6 months

Estrus - 9 days

Average lifespan - 10 to 14 years

Weight range - AB pups are born at 6 - 16 ounces
                         and gain about 1.5 pounds per week after the first 10 days
                                (when their eyes and ears open)

                         AB adult males reach 80-100 pounds (Scott Type)
                         AB adult females average 65-85 pounds

The "ideal" weight for a dog is approximately the weight where the last 3 to 5 ribs are just barely visible or can be felt with a very light touch. Many dogs are overweight and many dog owners feel their dog is too thin if they can see any ribs.   It is better from a health perspective to be a little too thin than to be a little too heavy, though.   Breed size determines when bone growth stops.   Little breeds may be fully grown by 6 or 7 months of age while large breed dogs may continue to grow for 18 to 24 months.    Typically, AB's will gain full height in the first 12 months, then will gain muscle mass and thickness in months 12-24.   Give that beautiful "bully" head (which is so characteristic of the breed) about 2 full years to develop.