For pets with heart conditions, and the people who look after them
The breathing log your vet asked you to keep.
If your vet has asked you to count your pet’s breaths while they sleep, Heartside makes it easy. Tap along for 30 seconds and it works out the rate, saves it, and keeps it ready for your next appointment.
Free to use. No ads, and no account to set up.
Why your vet asks
A rising breathing rate is often the first thing to change.
For most sleeping dogs and cats, under 30 breaths a minute is normal. When the heart starts to struggle, that number often creeps up days before you’d notice anything else.
Counting at home helps you and your vet catch it early. Heartside keeps every count in one place, so you’re not hunting through sticky notes and texts when the vet asks how they’ve been.
Juniper · last 30 nights
19 bpm average
How it works
About 30 seconds, once a day.
Count while they sleep
Tap the screen each time their chest rises. The whole screen is the button, so you can keep your eyes on them. Give it a try on this phone.
Look back over the weeks
Every count is kept with its time and any notes you added. The chart shows your vet’s limit, so it’s easy to see if things are drifting.
Take it to the vet
Email a PDF before the appointment, or just hand them your phone. You can also export everything as a spreadsheet.
Apple Watch & Wear OS · with Plus
Count from your wrist without disturbing them.
Reaching for your phone can be enough to wake a light sleeper. On the watch, you tap anywhere for each breath and a ring shows the time left. The reading goes to your phone next time it’s nearby.
- Circular
- Rectangular
- Inline
- Wear OS tile
What we promise
We read the reviews of the apps that came before.
People lost months of readings to an update. Others got locked out by logins, or couldn’t tap fast enough to keep up. Here’s what we do differently.
No account to make
Open it and start counting. There’s no password to forget.
Updates won’t touch your history
Your readings stay put when the app updates. Turn on backup, and export them whenever you like.
You see every count
If you count three times in one night, you’ll see all three, with your notes.
A big, easy tap area
The whole screen counts the moment you touch it, with a small buzz so you know it registered.
Any dog, any cat
Type any breed, or leave it blank. Your vet sets the limit, not a chart.
Real people reply
Write to us from the app and one of us will get back to you within a business day.
Colours
A dim theme for counting in the dark.
There are six colour themes. Night Moss is dim enough to use beside a sleeping pet. Try one and this page will change too.
Pricing
Free to use. One payment for the extras.
Counting, history and alerts are free, and they’ll stay free. If you want extras like more pets or the watch app, Plus is a single payment, priced for your country by the App Store or Google Play. There are no ads.
Nothing a pet’s care depends on will ever be a subscription.
Free
Freeforever
- Counting in 15, 30 or 60 s
- Every reading, forever
- Alerts at your vet’s limit
- Count reminders
- Your vet’s details and visit prep
- Backup + CSV export
- 30-day vet PDF
- One-time share links
- Move to a new phone
Heartside Plus
One paymentwhole family
- Unlimited pets
- Live family sync
- Watch app
- Breathing videos
- Full vet reports
- Medications
- Symptom, weight & appetite log
- All themes
Now and then, the app might ask if you’d like to leave a tip. Once you’ve tipped or bought Plus, it won’t ask again.
Common questions
Is it really free?
Yes. Counting, your full history, alerts, reminders, backup, exports and a 30-day vet report are all free. Plus is a single payment for extras like more than one pet, live syncing and the watch app. The App Store or Google Play sets the price for your country.
Does it work for cats?
Yes. It works the same way for cats, dogs and other pets. You enter the limit your vet gives you, and you can change it whenever you need to.
Do I need an account?
No. Your readings are saved on your phone as soon as you finish counting. You can back them up to iCloud or Google if you want to.
What happens when I get a new phone?
Restore from your backup, or make a one-time link on your old phone and open it on the new one. All your readings come across.
Can my vet see the data?
Only if you send it. You can email a PDF report from the Share tab, or give the clinic a link.
Is Heartside a medical device?
No. It’s a place to record what your vet has asked you to measure. It can’t diagnose anything, and it’s no substitute for talking to your vet.
Next time they’re asleep, give it a try.
Free on iPhone and Android. The watch apps come with Plus.