LoveToKnow Dogs:AllComments

From LoveToKnow Dogs

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Glad to try to help you Kate. Best wishes for your dog's health.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

thanks for responding to my question. he's not overweight and we go out for about 40 minutes every day in the morning. he's not a couch potato. he sleeps a lot in the afternoon, but we so do we. we run a bar and at night he's very active, playing fetch with the customers,play fighting and hide and seek. i live in Peru so at the moment it's summer and very hot. he's suffering in the heat so it's logical that he's panting, but it's not just now, it's in the winter too. i'll take him to the vet and get his heart checked though. thanks.

-- Contributed by: kate

Hi Kate,

Whether or not your dog's panting is normal depends on a lot of factors. Is your pet overweight? Is he usually a couch potato? Are these exercise sessions strenuous or long, or does your dog pant as a result of slight exertion?

Some panting is normal after exercise, and it will last longer if your dog is overheated. However, panting is sometimes a sign that the heart is not receiving enough oxygen. This could be caused by a murmur or another type of heart condition.

Bottom line, if your dog's panting seems excessive, it would be a good idea to ask your vet to listen to his heart in case there are any abnormalities. Be sure to describe for your vet the type of exercise your dog receives, how long and how often, and how long the panting lasts. This will help your vet make a diagnosis.

Thanks for your question, and best wishes for your dog's health.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

My golden is one year and 8 months. Whenever he does any exercise he pants really heavily for quite a long time. He always drinks water when he comes back. Is it normal, or is it a sign of something else? Any ideas.

-- Contributed by: Kate

Hi Dawn,

I haven't ever heard of this type of reaction to food, but excessive panting that doesn't accompany exercise or warm weather is certainly worth having your vet check into. Sometimes panting is a sign that the heart isn't receiving enough oxygen. This can be due to heart disease, heartworm or a number of other causes. It would be best to let your vet take a closer look.

Thanks for your question, and best wishes for your dog's health.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

Can a slow change in food cause excessive panting? I didn't know if this could be a rejection/allegic reaction of the new food or another problem. She is not throwing up I just noticed that she has been constantly panting what I think is excessive for her.

-- Contributed by: Dawn

Hi Terrie,

All that vomiting is probably causing some dehydration. Combined with the panting, I think this is worth contacting your vet about. It could be related to the food change, but it might be something else. Your vet will need to sort it out after examining your dog, but right now the most important thing is to put a stop to any dehydration.

Thanks for your question, and I hope your dog recovers quickly.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

It is now 7 p.m. and my dog has vomited about six times today. She started a new dog food. She has been panting constantly since this morning. Our a/c doesn't work well, but it's only about 80 degrees.

-- Contributed by: Terrie

Hi Riley,

It's possible that your dog became a little overheated and perhaps slightly dehydrated during the walk. It's usually a good practice to give a dog fresh water before setting out on a walk, especially on warm days. Hopefully this episode won't have any lasting effects, and you should see your dog return to normal within an hour or so. However, if your dog continues to pant heavily or shows other signs of distress, don't hesitate to give your vet a call.

Thanks for your question, and best wishes.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

Hi,

My dog Bentley is panting quite fastly after we just went on a walk. It was a long walk but I've took him on it before, but today was a little hot. He had a little water, and it's subsided a little and is eating. How long will it take for him to settle down and is this a little normal?

-- Contributed by: Riley

Hi Leslie,

This is a bit perplexing. Did the vet do a good heart workup? Panting of this nature sometimes indicates the lungs are not receiving enough oxygen. At 14, it wouldn't be unusual for your dog's heart muscle to be a bit weaker than it was in his prime. It's possible that the panting could be related to an anxiety issue, and this is another point to bring up with your vet. Some dogs do develop a level of dementia that can affect their behavior. It's worth exploring.

Thanks for sharing your situation. I do hope your vet can shed more light about what's going on.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

We have a 14 year old lab/springer mix. He pants non-stop all day long and even most of the night (not sure when he sleeps). His panting has become progressively worse over the last year. His last vet checkup (about 3 months ago) said he was healthy. Any thoughts?

-- Contributed by: Leslie

Hi Sam,

The best help I have to offer is to advise you to take your dog to the vet for an examination. The vet will listen to your dog's heart and lungs to make sure they are working probably, and will likely draw a blood sample for testing to make sure nothing else is going on. This is the best place to begin figuring out what's causing the panting.

Thanks for your question, and I do hope there's nothing seriously wrong.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

I have a 5 y/o Siberian Husky. She is in great shape, very healthy. She can run around the block for literally hours and shows no sign of fatigue. She has a very healthy coat that has just thinned itself for the Summer. Over the past 2 weeks she has began panting rapidly for no reason. The panting will start and stop, lasting up to about two minutes and will occur in intervals of 5-10 minutes. This occurs when she is not in any way stressed from heat, as she is usually inside where it is 70 degrees. Sometimes her panting becomes so rapid that she vibrates the floor. HELP!

-- Contributed by: Sam Nelson

Hi Jeff,

This does indeed sound like an anxiety attack. Since it is only a recent development, there must be a reason behind it. Think back. Was there ever a time you had to make a sudden stop while your dog was riding with you? If so, your dog's behavior could be related to that situation. On the other hand, your dog's new found traveling anxiety could be related to a physical problem that hasn't been detected yet. This could be anything from vision problems to an inner ear disorder.

I think you are on the right track wanting to discuss this situation with you vet. The video may be helpful if it is convenient for you to tape. It will certainly help your vet see the full depth of your dog's anxiety, and this will help him/her decide if anti-anxiety medication would be useful whenever your dog needs to ride along with you.

Thanks for your question, and I hope your vet can get to the bottom of the problem.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

Hello, my dog is a 5 year old Choc Lab. We rescued him about 4 years ago. Wonderful, healthy dog. Recently, however, he has began to pant excessively, but only while he is in the car. No matter if he is in the front seat or the way back, he still pants and shakes a lot. Almost like he is shivering. It is very disturbing to me because he looks like he is having an anxiety attack. He just had his blood work done and no heartworm problems. He isn't overweight either. Any other time, he is fine. It is only when he is on the car. This is also new, he rides in the car with me all the time for years with no problems, then all of a sudden he is acting this way. Once he gets out of the car, a couple minutes after he is back to fine again. I've thought about video taping it for the vet. Do you have any ideas? I would really appreciate some help. Thanks, Jeff Arnold

-- Contributed by: Jeff Arnold

Hello, my dog is a 15 year old Queensland Healer. He was diagnosed as a diabetic a year ago. About two weeks ago he was diagnosed with lymphnotic cancer. He has recently started panting for long periods of time (over 30 minutes) when he is at rest and has had no pysical activity. We are currently administering 20 units of vetsulin twice daily, 10mg twice daily of Prednisone, and 2mg every 48 hours of Leukeran. His current weight is 63 pounds. I was hoping that maybe you may have an idea as to how bad this situation is. And any information on what we should do for him. Thank you for your time and any information is greatly appreciated.

Thank you, Sandra Calderon

Hi Sandra,

I'm sorry to hear your dog is having such health problems, but it does sound as though you and your vet are on top of the situation.

Panting of this nature usually indicates a dog is not getting enough oxygen. This might mean the cancer has metasticized to the lungs, or the heart might not be pumping efficiently. Either way, it's time to ask your vet to take another look so you know exactly which stage your dog is at.

Thank you for your question, and I will keep your dog in my thoughts.

-- Contributed by: Sandra Calderon
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