Why Is My Dog Panting so much?
Why Is My Dog Panting so much?
Why Is My Dog Panting so much? Panting may also signal that your dog is experiencing discomfort or distress. Arthritis, injuries, chronic diseases, or gastrointestinal (GI) distress may lead a dog to pant excessively. If your furry companion all of a sudden begins to pant excessively without any visible reason, they are possibly facing a medical condition that needs prompt veterinary care.
Dogs Pant to Cool Down
Why Is My Dog Panting so much? Unlike us, dogs are unable to sweat via their skin to cool off due to their thick coat. Although they are able to sweat slightly via their paw pads, the volume this can do to cool them down is small. Through panting, they rapidly dispose of hot air from their lungs for cool outside air, which accelerates the evaporation of water from their tongue, within their mouth and higher respiratory tract. As this water is evaporated it aids in regulating their body temperature, hence cooling them down sufficiently.
Why Does a Dog Pant?
The following are some of the typical causes of dog panting.
Panting is a natural action for healthy and energetic dogs. It assists dogs in cooling themselves down since they cannot sweat as humans do.
Why Is My Dog Panting so much? Panting enables a dog to breathe very rapidly, humidify, and then blow out the air. This causes a lot of water evaporation from your dog’s nose and lungs. Water evaporation cools the body internally.
Dogs can lose a significant amount of moisture through panting in a short time, so it’s important to keep plenty of clean, fresh water available, especially during hot weather. Normal panting may appear intense, but the level of breathing should match the surrounding temperature or the amount of activity your dog is doing.
Should your dog be overheating, provide your dog with shade, cool fresh water in a dog water bowl, and a dog cooling mat.
Medical conditions in dogs that cause panting
Some medical ailments cause over-panting, either due to the illness itself or the stress reaction of the dog to discomfort or pain.
Why Is My Dog Panting so much? Diseases, including Cushing’s disease, an adrenal gland condition, cause over-panting due to hormonal disturbances. Heart disease dogs usually pant excessively so that they can obtain adequate oxygen. Respiratory illnesses, like brachycephalic syndrome or laryngeal paralysis—prevalent in bulldogs and pugs—may complicate breathing and result in heavy, repeated panting.
Medications that produce panting in dogs
Why Is My Dog Panting so much? Certain medication side effects make dogs pant heavily. For example, prednisone, which is a steroid commonly used to treat inflammation or immune system problems, can cause increased hunger, thirst, and panting. If your furry friend is panting more intensely after starting on a new medication, call The Pony Express Veterinary Hospital team immediately to avoid your furry friend having an allergic reaction.
Dog panting as thermoregulation
Why Is My Dog Panting so much? Even when your dog is sleeping, they can pant to stabilize their body temperature. This happens if your dog overheats or is dreaming extremely. If your dog has a cool sleeping surface in a temperature-controlled area, it will reduce their panting while asleep.
Dogs & Panting
To be able to tell when your dog has abnormal breathing or over-panting, you must be familiar with your dog’s normal breathing rate. On average a healthy dog breathes between 15 and 35 times a minute when resting. (Naturally your dog will breathe more rapidly and pant when they are exercising). So anything over 40 breaths per minute when your dog is resting is abnormal and should be looked into. Why Is My Dog Panting so much?
While, it’s good to note that panting doesn’t necessarily indicate there’s a problem and that panting is your pet’s method of cooling down, controlling their body temperature, and allowing heat and water to evaporate from their mouth tongue, and upper respiratory tract.
Dogs cannot sweat in order to cool down, they simply have to breathe more quickly in order to allow air to circulate throughout their bodies. Panting brings your four-legged companion’s body temperature back to its usual level.
What is the water property that enables the cooling of dogs through panting?
If your dog is panting due to heat, that is a normal way for your pet to cool down. Why Is My Dog Panting so much?
Panting is by convection. Your dog’s body heat is taken in by water on your dog’s tongue. As your dog pants the air that exits your dog’s body evaporates the water which converts the heat into a gas. Your dog then inhales cooler air. The out breath and the in breath, as well as evaporation of the warmed saliva, slowly lower your dog’s body temperature.
Pain and injuries
Why Is My Dog Panting so much? Since dogs can’t verbally express discomfort, it’s important for owners to recognize the warning signs. Excessive panting can indicate an injury, while other symptoms may include dilated pupils, loss of appetite, difficulty lying down, restlessness, anxious behavior, or repeatedly licking and biting the affected area.
Dogs can cover up their pain with typical behaviors, including wagging their tail. And the injury can be internal — say, from being struck by a car. So if you think your pet might be in pain, don’t wait. Get veterinary treatment immediately.
Medication
Certain drugs, including prednisone, can also cause heavy panting in dogs. Discuss this with your veterinarian if you suspect your dog’s medicine is causing heavy panting. Why Is My Dog Panting so much?
