As you might have already noticed, PetPace, the new smart collar for dogs and cats, monitors (among other things) vital signs. In this series of blogs I will try to explain the concept of vital signs and their importance in medical assessment and health evaluation.
Vital signs are measurable physiologic parameters that relate to basic body functions. They are performed routinely by health professionals as part of any physical exam, whether in the medical or the veterinary fields. All clinical patient evaluations include reporting of the patient’s vital signs. No health evaluation of a dog or cat is complete without the measurement of vital signs.
Why vital signs are considered an essential part of any medical evaluation?
Since vital signs relate to basic body functions, disease states very frequently alter these parameters. Therefore, measuring these parameters may indicate the presence of a medical condition and its severity.
What exactly are the pets vital signs?
In veterinary medicine we mainly deal with 3 parameters, commonly referred to as TPR:
Other basic parameters include: pain score, activity level, alertness, appetite and blood pressure.
In the following parts I will deal specifically with the individual vital signs, their role in health and well-being evaluation, and how PetPace had revolutionized vitals monitoring and the effect on preventive medicine.
Dr. Asaf Dagan, DVM, DABVP, CVA, LLB.
Chief Veterinary Scientist
petpace.com