Breathing & Cough Triage
Your dog or cat is breathing fast or hard, coughing, or making a noise, and you are not sure how worried to be. This quick, vet-built check screens first for the genuine breathing emergencies, then tells you whether to go now, book today, book a routine appointment, or watch safely at home. It is a guide to help you act, not a diagnosis, and it never replaces your vet.
Is your pet a dog or a cat?
Some of the advice differs between the two.
Open-mouth breathing in a cat, or blue or grey gums in any pet, is an emergency. Call a vet now.
The number behind the heart-or-lungs question
Coughing and fast breathing are the shared signs of both heart and airway disease, and the single most useful thing you can do is count the resting breathing rate. A raised rate leans toward the heart; a honking cough with a normal rate leans toward the airway.