I count anything over 25 breaths a minute as tachypnoea but consider that 25-30 may be high normal. This way I don’t miss a mild tachypnoea. Because the majority of a resting inspiration is due to diaphragmatic contraction you should not see much chest movement in a dog or cat breathing normally. When the diaphragm contracts it pushes on the abdominal viscera and pushes the abdominal wall out. Consequently, on inspiration the CHEST AND ABDOMEN MOVE OUT TOGETHER.