Obstructive vs restrictive breathing patterns

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In an interview with dvm360, Christopher G. Byers, DVM, DACVECC, DACVIM (SAIM), CVJ, lays out the key differences between obstructive breathing patterns and restrictive breathing patterns in cats. Indicators include the speed and depth of the breaths.

Below is a transcript of the video

Christopher G. Byers, DVM, DACVECC, DACVIM (SAIM), CVJ: So, a patient with an obstructive breathing pattern classically breathes with a slower rate and a lot of inspiratory effort. In contrast, a patient with a restrictive breathing pattern usually is breathing at a faster rate, so they have tachypnea, but they can't adequately or normally expand their thoracic cage, and so the breaths are shallow in nature. They're not your normal title, volume, type of breath. And so, those are the major differences between an obstructive and restrictive breathing pattern.