B890
Using a Stethoscope

Heart
The heart is best heard on the left side, behind the point of the elbow. Because the heart is often difficult to hear, move the stethoscope to different areas while placing mild pressure on the stethoscope head.

 

Lungs
A cat’s lungs lie below the rib cage and do not extend beyond the last rib. To listen to the lungs, choose locations that are towards the middle of the chest. It is best to listen to multiple areas. Also, listen to the trachea in the neck region.

Note:  It should be considered abnormal if the sounds of fluid, crackles, or wheezes are heard.

 

Lungs
Listen to both sides of the cat. With practice, normal and abnormal lung sounds can be identified. See page A560 for normal respiratory rates.

Note:  Signs of respiratory problems include nasal discharge, coughing, rapid breathing, and sneezing.

A video of this procedure can be found below.

 

 

If the video does not play, you must install an MPEG video
player on your computer (e.g. Windows Media Player).
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Or
Install Internet Explorer from our CD Manual.