Why Is My Dog Panting Heavily?

Has your dog spent a lot of time in the hot sun or a hot environment?

Has your dog consumed a potentially poisonous substance (chocolate, raisins, human medicine, rat poison, toxic plants, etc.)?

Does your dog show symptoms like breathing difficulty, reduced exercise tolerance, and coughing?

Does your dog show symptoms like excessive hunger and thirst, hair loss, and a pot-bellied appearance?

Does your dog show signs of injury or pain like enlarged pupils, reduced appetite, a reluctance to lie down, restlessness, anxiety, etc?

Is your dog overweight?

Is your dog receiving cortisone (steroid) therapy?

Heatstroke is a potentially fatal condition that occurs when a dog’s temperature rises to a dangerous level. Faster, heavier panting is one of the earliest and most common signs of heatstroke in dogs. Urgent action is required to treat this condition, as heat-related illnesses can kill pets in as little as 15 minutes.

Abnormal panting may be a signal your dog has been poisoned. Poisonings are one of the most common emergencies our vets and vet nurses see. Often they are the result of chocolate or raisin ingestion, swallowing dangerous plants, or licking things like antifreeze, rat poison, or slug and snail killer. If you know that your dog has ingested a potentially poisonous substance, take him to the veterinarian immediately and bring a sample of a substance with you.

Like people, dogs can suffer from heart failure. And just like people, dogs may show some of the same symptoms, including breathing difficulty, reduced exercise tolerance, and coughing. How your dog’s heart failure is treated depends on the cause. But treatment may include medications such as ACE inhibitors and diuretics.

Cushing’s syndrome occurs when a dog’s adrenal glands produce too much cortisol. Along with heavy panting, symptoms can include excessive hunger and thirst, hair loss, and a pot-bellied appearance. Treatment varies but may include adrenal-suppressing drugs or surgery. Successful treatment of Cushing’s disease typically resolves the abnormal panting.

Heavy panting is one sign your dog may have suffered an injury. Other signs of pain or trauma in pets include enlarged pupils, reduced appetite, a reluctance to lie down, restlessness, anxiety, and licking or biting at the pain site. Dogs may mask their pain with normal behaviors, such as wagging their tail. And an injury may be internal - for example, as a result of being hit by a car. If you suspect your pet may be in pain, seek veterinary care right away.

Obesity is a growing problem in dogs and can lead to heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, as well as debilitating life-limiting conditions including arthritis. Excessive panting in an overweight dog is often a sign that they’re struggling to get fresh, oxygenated blood to their vital systems.

Treatment with prednisone, prednisolone, or other forms of cortisone mimics Cushing’s disease. Many dogs receiving steroids demonstrate excessive and inappropriate panting that typically goes away within a few weeks after the medication is discontinued. Talk to your veterinarian if you think your dog’s medication is causing heavy panting.

Disorders in any part of the respiratory system can lead to breathing difficulties in dogs and one of the signs may be heavy breathing or panting. Several respiratory disorders, such as laryngeal paralysis, pneumonia, and lung tumors, may all lead to heavy breathing or panting. Treatment depends on the condition and how far it’s progressed.