Excessive Panting in Dogs

If your dog is panting or breathing excessively, you are bound to be a bit concerned. Here, our Phoenix vets share reasons why your dog may be panting excessively and what you can do for your pup.

Why Your Dog May Pant Excessively

In order to be able to spot your dog's abnormal breathing, we will need to understand what a healthy rate of breathing is for your pup. An average and healthy dog will generally take between 15 and 35 breaths per minute if they are resting. While exercising, your pup will breathe quite a bit faster than that.

Anything more than 40 breaths per minute, while your dog is resting, is faster than normal and may warrant investigation. 

All of that being said, dog owners need to keep in mind that not all panting is bad for your dog. Panting is your pup's way of regulating their body temperature, cooling them down while allowing answer and heat to evaporate from their body through their tongue, their mouth, and their upper respiratory tract. 

Unlike people, your pup doesn't sweat to cool down, instead, they need to breathe fast to allow air to circulate efficiently through the body. Rapid breathing allows a dog’s body to get back to a normal temperature.

How to Tell If Your Dog Is Panting Too Heavily

The figure out whether or not your dog is breathing abnormally fast, just count your dog's respiratory rate while they are resting or sleeping. It can be a good call to do so when you aren't concerned about your dog, to gain a better understanding of your pet's normal breathing rate. Anything below 30 breaths per minute is considered normal, while anything above that may be a cause for concern.

Causes for Excessive Panting

Your pet's rapid breathing may also be an indicator that your pup is suffering from an injury or an illness affecting their respiratory system or another part of their body. If this is the case, you should bring your dog to your vet as soon as you can.

Breeds of dogs with flat faces, squished snouts, or shorter snouts like pugs, boxers, and Boston terriers can all be more prone to breathing issues than dogs with longer snouts. They should be monitored closely by their owners for signs of issues and breathing difficulties. 

Some potential causes of fast or heavy breathing in dogs include:

When to See a Vet

If your dog is breathing faster than normal while they sleep, it may be experiencing respiratory distress. Contact your vet if you notice any of the following signs in your dog:

• Open-mouthed breathing
• Engaging stomach muscles to help to breathe
• Pale, blue-tinged, or brick-red gums
• Reluctance to drink, eat or move
• Uncharacteristic drooling
• Heavy, fast breathing that’s louder or different sounding than normal panting

Diagnosing the Cause of Your Dog's Heavy Panting

Your vet will be able to perform a comprehensive examination on your pup to determine what the issues they are experiencing may be. Your pet's heart, lungs, airway, neck, or other internal organs may be causing their distress. Your pet's overall condition may also be causing the health issue.

Your vet needs to know about any previous medical issues that your pet has experienced and may recommend diagnostic tests such as X-rays to check the heart, lungs, and abdomen for issues such as broken ribs or lung tumors. 

Your vet will also check for signs of anxiety, stress, or other psychological factors that may be influencing your pup's breathing. 

Treating Excessive Panting in Dogs

Treatment for abnormally fast breathing in dogs will be determined by their underlying cause. Your vet may prescribe pain relief, intravenous fluids, or other medications to help combat the underlying cause of your pet's breathing issues. 

Special training with a certified dog behaviorist may be required if your pet's rapid breathing is caused by stress or anxiety.

Rest and oxygen therapy may be required for your pet, regardless of the underlying cause. 

While most dogs will be well enough to be treated at home, in some serious cases hospitalization may be required to monitor the dog's breathing, and to treat the underlying cause. 

Note: The advice provided in this post is intended for informational purposes and does not constitute medical advice regarding pets. Please make an appointment with your vet for an accurate diagnosis of your pet's condition.