Dog Panting

When dogs pant excessively and frequently, there may be a serious medical condition behind it.

Dog Panting: That’s Normal

Panting in dogs is basically normal behavior. The dog sticks out its tongue and breathes in through its nose and out through its mouth. The inhaled air hardly reaches the lungs, the dog breathes very shallowly. (Hence, panting is not the same as hyperventilating, which leads to increased gas exchange in the lungs.)

The airflow caused by panting causes more moisture to evaporate from the mucous membranes, which leads to a drop in body temperature. Dogs can hardly sweat and need to pant to avoid overheating. After exertion or in great heat, it is also important for the dog to pant heavily. If the dog pants during or after emotional excitement, this can also be classified as normal behavior.

Important: Panting evaporates a lot of liquid in a very short time. The dog must therefore be offered sufficient water on a regular basis when it is very hot or strenuous. Otherwise, there is a risk of circulatory collapse due to a lack of fluids.

Dog Panting: That Should Draw Your Attention

Does your dog constantly pant for no apparent reason, e.g. even in relaxed situations without any understandable effort? Is your dog panting and restless? If you are concerned about this, please go to the vet. It could be due to a medical condition that is not obvious at first glance, e.g. a heart problem. If symptoms such as coughing, fever, vomiting, or lameness occur in addition to panting, this should also be checked in any case. For example, you should B. also consult a veterinarian if you notice: My dog ​​drinks a lot and is panting.

Dog Panting Heavily: Causes

The veterinarian looks for possible other symptoms of the disease and the cause of excessive panting in a general and then a further special examination.

• A possible reason could be a heart problem: Various heart diseases (e.g. mitral valve endocarditis, dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), pericardial effusion, etc.) result in the heart having a reduced pumping capacity. As a result, the body cells are less well supplied with fresh blood and thus with oxygen. The dog’s resilience decreases more and more and he pants more and more. A backlog of blood in the lungs can lead to coughing (“cardiac cough”) in addition to panting and a general lack of fitness. In order to detect heart problems, in addition to listening with a stethoscope, an X-ray of the chest or an ECG (echocardiogram) may also be necessary. The latter applies in particular to dogs that suffer from heart problems more frequently due to their breed (mitral valve endocarditis in e.g. dachshunds, chihuahuas and poodles, DCM in e.g. boxers, mastiffs, Dobermans). A heart ultrasound and a blood test are also helpful in diagnosing heart disease. For more information on this topic, see the Canine Cardiology article.
• If the dog pants very often, this can be an indication of pain: Simultaneous lameness or vomiting (in the case of abdominal pain) are then indications of the location of the problem
• If the dog “snores” when breathing, this is an indication of a narrowing of the upper airways, e.g. in the area of ​​the larynx. Often in short-headed dogs such as bulldogs, pugs
• Panting and pale mucous membranes can also indicate anemia, i.e. anemia, in addition to poor circulation. The dog then has too few red blood cells, which are responsible for transporting oxygen in the blood. Accordingly, his resilience decreases because his blood does not supply the cells with enough oxygen.
• Internal diseases such as diabetes or Cushing’s syndrome can also cause increased panting. This is usually accompanied by other symptoms such as excessive drinking and increased urination.
• If you have a combination of fever and panting, you should think about an infection. Fever can become life-threatening if it occurs over a long period of time and/or very high temperatures are reached in the short term. Therefore, let your vet demonstrate to you on a healthy dog ​​how you can take the temperature yourself. Smaller dogs and puppies usually have a higher body temperature than large dogs, but anything above 39°C in a relaxed dog is generally considered a fever. It becomes threatening from 41°C, and acutely life-threatening at 42.5-43°C.
• Is your bitch pregnant? The panting could indicate that labor is about to begin. Most of the time she is restless and builds nests.
• Acute panting can also occur in the course of poisoning, e.g. in the case of chocolate poisoning.
• Panting on its own is a very non-specific symptom, which means it does not indicate a specific problem, but the triggers can be diverse. This list, therefore, does not claim to be complete! Does your old dog pant a lot? In any case, take this seriously, and please do not regard it as a harmless “sign of old age”.

Dog Panting Heavily: Treatment

Since panting is just one symptom that can have many reasons, the therapies are correspondingly diverse. In addition to acute emergency situations (severe fever, poisoning, etc.), chronic illnesses can also be triggered. The latter must be treated for life, while an acute pain condition can be resolved more quickly – depending on what caused it.

Dog Panting: Conclusion

Is your dog always panting, heavily and/or without a recognizable trigger? Be sure to take him to your veterinarian to rule out a medical condition.