The dog is breathing rapidly and shaking. The dog often breathes with its mouth open - why and what to do. Other systemic diseases not directly related to the respiratory system, but accompanied by rapid breathing in dogs

If you are a sensitive owner, you will definitely notice if your dog's breathing increases. Sometimes this is not dangerous, but it can be a dangerous symptom. Unfortunately, this is not always given enough importance, and many health problems could have been avoided.

The norm for a dog’s body is from 10 to 30 inhalations and exhalations per minute. As with people, it depends on gender, age, body weight, and also on breed. If under normal conditions your pet's breathing rhythm suddenly accelerates, it is better to check if everything is in order.

But there can be a lot of “not okay” - sunstroke, pain, lung diseases, heart failure, epilepsy.

Like us, our four-legged friends breathe more often in the heat, when running, when excited and before giving birth - this is absolutely normal. For example, at a doctor's appointment, on a bus, or at a party, a person's friend may become nervous and breathe rapidly.

Measure your pet's body temperature (normal is 37.5-38.5 C). In babies, it is usually about 39 C. If the result is too high, then this is a symptom of problems with the respiratory system. It is best if the four-legged animal has an individual thermometer, since measurements are taken rectally. The tip of the thermometer is lubricated with Vaseline, and the patient should be placed on his side. The thermometer is slowly inserted to a depth of 1.5-2 cm. If you already know how to measure the temperature of the participants without stressing the participants, you can fix the dog standing, like in a vet. clinic. If your pet is often sick, you can even come up with special commands for this event. Firstly, the dog will already understand what awaits it. Secondly, if you encourage her, everything will go smoothly.

After the procedure, wash the thermometer with warm soapy water and wipe with alcohol. Don't forget to wash your hands well!

If the temperature is elevated in the summer and is accompanied by disorientation in space, these are signs of sunstroke. You need to move your pet to a cool place, give it water and wipe it off by placing a damp cloth on its head.

Sometimes the temperature is normal, but the dog coughs and suffers from shortness of breath. This may signal asthma, especially when plants are in flower. In especially severe cases, it is necessary to undergo treatment; medications are prescribed by a veterinarian. It may also be pulmonary edema or obstruction (obstruction) of the airways

A blue tongue and loss of consciousness are signs of a weak heart and then you need to wrap your paws and inject cordiamine into the muscle (if the dog is elderly, add cocarboxylase).

If, before becoming a mother, your pet breathes frequently, experiences convulsions and moves unsteadily, immediately contact a specialist - delay can be fatal. Contact the clinic immediately and do not risk the life and health of your dear creature!

Frequent breathing in a dog can cause serious pathology. It is especially dangerous if, in addition to this, the pet is shaking, wheezing and losing orientation. These symptoms are a good reason to visit an animal clinic.

Heat and exercise are natural physiological reasons why a dog pant frequently. After a long run, active games and prolonged barking, the dog often breathes with its mouth open, and this is considered normal. She is usually thirsty and drinks a lot of water. Rapid breathing in some breeds is accompanied by noises such as snoring or snoring. For example, pugs, boxers and other dogs with wide and short muzzles breathe this way.

In a calm state, the dog makes from 10 to 30 entries and exits per minute. In active mode – up to 160. Moreover, easily excitable dogs with an unstable nervous system breathe more often.

The situation becomes dangerous when the dog breathes frequently with his tongue hanging out for no apparent natural reason. The reasons for this behavior of a pet can be serious illnesses:

• heart diseases;
• pulmonary pathologies;
• neoplasms in the organs of the respiratory system;
• airway obstruction;
• chest injuries;
• pneumonia;
• infectious diseases of the respiratory system.

If rapid heartbeat, blue mucous membranes, shortness of breath, coughing, and vomiting are added to rapid breathing, then the dog urgently needs qualified veterinary care. The main thing for dog owners to do in such cases is to take their pet to a specialist.

If this happens in the heat

When the ambient temperature rises above 25℃, the dog’s body begins to work in a special mode for the purpose of cooling. In hot weather, the dog often breathes with its mouth open. This is the easiest and fastest way to cool the oral cavity and respiratory system. This normal reaction of an animal to a hot climate should not frighten dog owners.

The consequence is strong evaporation of moisture from the mucous membranes and a feeling of thirst. The dog drinks a lot, but rarely goes to the toilet. The water entering the body is immediately spent on the production of saliva and other secretions of the mucous membranes. Dog owners should ensure that their animals have free access to drinking water during hot weather.

Why is the dog's mouth open?

It is normal and natural for a dog to periodically breathe with its mouth open. This is due to fluid exchange in the body and cooling. A dog can breathe with its mouth open during and after running, when swimming, when overexcited, and in hot summer weather.

To avoid heatstroke at high external temperatures and during significant physical exertion, the dog loses some of its heat through its open mouth. Thermoregulation works in such a way that the oral cavity moistened with saliva and the protruding tongue are cooled during deep and frequent exhalations through the mouth. Inhalations are made through the nose. This is how dogs’ airways, lungs and blood are cooled in hot weather.

What should the owner do?

The dog's rapid breathing indicates overheating and difficult heat transfer. The causes of overheating can be high temperatures, diseases, stress, activity and characteristics of the animal’s body. If there is a suspicion of heatstroke, you should give the dog something to drink, provide rest with an influx of cool fresh air, and cover the pet's head with a wet sheet.

If other unpleasant symptoms accompany rapid breathing, you should immediately go to a veterinary clinic. Rapid breathing is not a disease. It can only be a consequence of an illness. Therefore, the specialist conducts a complete diagnosis to identify the disease.

In severe conditions, the dog is given an oxygen mask, injections of heart medications and, if necessary, surgery. The foreign body is removed directly through the respiratory tract or an incision is made into the trachea. Severe infections are treated with antibiotics and diuretics.

Prevention

Rapid breathing can be prevented by avoiding walking in the midday heat and by preventing the dog from overheating, being overly active and agitated. Compliance with the vaccination schedule and regular preventive checks will help keep your pet healthy and protect against infections that lead to shortness of breath or suffocation.

You need to make sure that the dog does not play with dangerous objects, does not pick up anything on the street, or offer it tubular bones. The dog's bed should be dry and clean and not be in direct sunlight. Drinking water is available freely for the pet. It is also necessary to at least approximately know the amount of fluid consumed and excreted by the dog.

Is it dangerous

If a dog breathes frequently for a number of physiological reasons (hot, tired, excited), then this behavior can be considered as a natural process of thermoregulation of the animal. This condition is dangerous in a dream or in a calm state for no apparent reason. The addition of other symptoms should also cause alarm in the owner. Rapid breathing may be accompanied by serious illnesses; in these cases, immediate contact with a veterinarian is required.

The dog is breathing rapidly. She breathes for more than 6 hours, as if she ran a kilometer cross-country race.

Answer

Hello! It is worth noting how rapid the pet’s breathing is. Up to 30 breaths per minute is considered normal. More frequent breathing actually signals serious illness. It’s good that you noticed it right away - people often come to the doctor with complaints that the animal is breathing difficultly and frequently for a number of days or weeks!

The reasons may lie in violations:

• strong pain;
• manifestations of heart failure;
• gastrointestinal diseases - from bloating to torsion;
• severe disease of the respiratory system - from bronchitis to pneumonia;
• asthma;
• epilepsy;
• nervous excitement;
• heatstroke.

First of all, diseases of the respiratory system are excluded. The dog's body temperature is measured. If the thermometer shows less than 39 degrees, then the reason is different. A high temperature 100 percent indicates diseases of the respiratory system.

When visiting a veterinarian:

1. Examination of the animal;
2. Taking samples;
3. Establishing diagnosis;
4. Prescription of treatment.

Take a closer look at the dog. If disorientation is detected, there is a heat stroke. Place a wet towel on your pet’s head, give the dog something to drink, and take him to a cool place. The tongue has a bluish tint, fainting is observed - it’s a matter of the heart. Apply warm heating pads to the paws, cover the dog with a blanket, call a doctor, and give an injection of Cordiamine.

You should not self-medicate, saving your dog from a visit to the veterinarian. Ideally, a doctor is called to your home. This is practiced even in provincial cities. It is more difficult in villages - the dog is taken by car to the city, having previously made an appointment.

By the dog's breathing, you can determine its condition and suspect a particular disease. Find out why your dog is panting and what you can do to help your four-legged friend.

A dog's breathing may change throughout the day. So, a calm and healthy dog ​​breathes through its nose. After running and in the heat, a dog breathes through its mouth and sticks out its tongue, which allows it to increase heat transfer from the body. In a dream, you can observe such a situation that the dog wheezes and sighs heavily. You should not run to the doctor, as in this case the animal is simply dreaming about something.

But it is necessary to suspect something is wrong if the dog’s heavy breathing appears suddenly or is already frequent, but noticeable only after physical exertion. It doesn’t hurt to monitor your dog’s breathing rate. The breathing rate for puppies is on average 15-35 breaths per minute, for adult dogs - 10-30 breaths per minute, for older dogs - 14-16 breaths per minute. The number of breaths a dog takes directly depends not only on its condition, but also on its size. Large breeds of dogs take less breaths than small ones.

Heavy breathing in a dog can occur for many reasons:

• She could overheat and even get heatstroke.
• The dog may be nervous, for example, in an unfamiliar place, in transport, or at an appointment at a veterinary hospital.
• Mechanical damage is also possible: injury or bruise to the chest in an accident, fall or as a result of a fight.
• In an overheated or older animal, panting may be associated with an incipient heart attack.
• A pregnant bitch may begin to breathe heavily and rapidly before labor begins. This can also happen during lactation, when the mother suckles the puppies heavily.
• Heavy breathing can also be associated with the following critical situations:
  • airway obstruction and pulmonary edema;
  • gastric dilatation and torsion;
  • difficult birth in a dog with a large number of puppies.

Pregnant bitches breathe heavily when the onset of labor is close. There is no threat to the dog’s health at the moment, as heavy breathing is normal. Heavy breathing after birth, especially if the puppies were stillborn, may indicate that there are still puppies left in the dog's uterus. Take your dog to the vet immediately as the animal needs surgery.

Heavy breathing of a dog during lactation, which is accompanied by convulsions and clumsiness of movements, indicates eclampsia. With eclampsia, the level of calcium and glucose in the blood is greatly reduced, and if the animal is not treated urgently, collapse may occur, which will lead to the death of your pet. Regardless of the time of day, when you notice changes in your dog’s behavior, urgently take him to the veterinary clinic.

In summer, dogs are often exposed to heatstroke, which causes heavy breathing. If a dog is overheated in the sun, then it looks for a cool place, drinks a lot and refuses to eat. In the case of heatstroke, the animal is disoriented. To save the dog, you need to wipe it with cold water and put a cold towel on its head. Give the dog water, then contact the veterinarian.

Heavy breathing accompanied by shortness of breath, a dry, wheezing cough, and a normal body temperature indicate that your dog has asthma. This disease is seasonal and can appear as a reaction to the flowering of certain plants. Only a doctor can treat asthma in a dog.

In cases where heavy breathing is accompanied by an increase in body temperature (the norm is up to 38.5 ° C), we can talk about diseases of the respiratory system, such as pneumonia, bronchitis, pleurisy.

Heart failure and heart attack are another cause of heavy breathing in dogs. In addition, the main sign of heart problems in a dog is a blue tongue and fainting. If your dog has a seizure, do not take it to the clinic, but call a doctor to your home. Until the doctor arrives, apply heating pads or bottles of warm water to the dog’s paws and cover the animal. Additionally, it is necessary to give the dog an intramuscular injection of cordiamine every 4-6 hours, and an additional cocarboxylase for the old animal.

Pain in the abdominal area causes the dog to begin to breathe heavily. The cause is torsion and expansion of the stomach. Another characteristic symptom of torsion and expansion of the stomach is pain in the abdominal region.

Tumors and polyps in the nasopharynx also lead to heavy breathing in the dog. Usually the disease develops gradually, and from time to time you may notice that the dog “grunts”, snores in its sleep, and then its breathing becomes increasingly heavy.

Quiet breathing through the nose is normal for any dog. However, when running or during a hot period of time, animals tend to increase their breathing, which should not cause any suspicion. It's another matter if the dog breathes deeply and convulsively. This indicates some kind of health problem.

Causes of heavy breathing in dogs

A healthy adult dog breathes 10-30 times per minute. The norm for puppies is 15-35 sighs. It is also considered normal for a dog to start breathing quickly and heavily before giving birth. There may be several reasons why your dog is breathing heavily:

A healthy adult dog breathes 10-30 times per minute. The norm for puppies is 15-35 sighs. It is also considered normal for a dog to start breathing quickly and heavily before giving birth.

Why is my dog ​​breathing heavily and shaking?

There may be several reasons for trembling, which is accompanied by heavy breathing, and in some cases this phenomenon is considered absolutely normal.

Cases when heavy breathing and trembling in a dog should not cause concern:

1. The dog is a decorative breed: in such cases, shaking in a dog is considered a certain physiological feature of the breed.
2. The dog decided to show emotions: anger, aggression, fear, which provoked trembling and rapid breathing.
3. The pet has entered the period of estrus or mating. Male dogs become aggressive during the heat period, and aggression, as already mentioned, causes trembling.
4. The dog was simply frozen.
5. The pet ended up in another city or country, with different air humidity and temperature. Often the period of acclimatization and getting used to new conditions is accompanied by such physiological manifestations as trembling and heavy breathing.
6. The dog was afraid of something or someone.
7. During the trip, the pet became very seasick. Often in such cases, trembling and rapid breathing are accompanied by vomiting and an unsteady gait.
8. Increased excitability of the central nervous system in a dog.
9. Magnesium deficiency.

Cases when trembling and heavy breathing in a dog should be taken more seriously:

1. The pet's skin begins to peel, and the coat becomes dull and dry.
2. The dog's temperature is too high or, conversely, too low.
3. The pet refuses water and food.
4. The dog's condition is extremely unstable; Lethargic and apathetic, she sometimes whines and does not respond to commands.
5. The pet has diarrhea and vomiting.
6. The pulse either quickens or slows down.
7. The dog becomes aggressive for no apparent reason.

In addition to all of the above, trembling and heavy breathing in a dog cause childbirth, diabetes and even allergic reactions.

Why is my dog ​​breathing heavily and frequently?

First, you need to establish the reason why your pet is having heavy breathing. To do this, you need to urgently call a veterinarian to your home. Only he can identify the problem. If heavy breathing occurs as a result of a difficult birth, then surgery will be required. If the dog has problems with the respiratory system, then it will be necessary to prescribe a course of treatment for the identified disease. If there are no accompanying symptoms, and the pet is absolutely healthy, then a series of studies must be done to determine the cause of heavy breathing: ECG or ECHO of the heart, x-ray examination.

If heavy breathing occurs as a result of a difficult birth, then surgery will be required. If the dog has problems with the respiratory system, then it will be necessary to prescribe a course of treatment for the identified disease.

Why does a dog breathe heavily with his tongue hanging out?

A dog's tongue sticking out while breathing is normal, even if the breathing may be considered heavy. The point is this. To provide thermoregulation for its body, the dog is forced to cool its body temperature. Her tongue helps her in this, which, by evaporating moisture from its surface, that is, saliva, lowers body temperature. Dogs do not tolerate heat well, so nature has given them the ability to arbitrarily lower their body temperature.

Why is my dog ​​breathing heavily and wheezing?

The condition in which dogs begin to breathe heavily and wheeze is not dangerous. Most often, this is the so-called “reverse sneeze” - a situation in which the dog sharply sucks in air through the nose. For a moment, it may seem as if the dog is choking, but he just wants to clear his nose and nasopharynx in this way.

It’s another matter when a dog’s tongue turns blue due to rapid breathing and wheezing. This indicates that a heart attack has begun. Heartworms can also cause similar abnormalities.

Why is my dog ​​breathing heavily and drinking a lot of water?

The situation in which a dog is breathing heavily and drinking a lot on a hot summer day is extremely clear and does not require close attention - this is natural. But there may be other, sad reasons. These include:

• diabetes;
• oncological diseases;
• hypercalcemia;
• infectious diseases;
• pathologies of the kidneys and bladder;
• poisoning;
• polydipsia.

In all of the above cases, you need to look at the accompanying symptoms and, of course, seek help from a specialist.

How to help a dog who is breathing heavily

By calling a doctor to your home, you take the measures prescribed by him. If it was heat stroke, a towel soaked in cold water and drinking plenty of fluids will help.

If the cause of heavy breathing is any heart disease, such as, say, a heart attack, then you need to apply heating pads or bottles of warm water to the dog’s paws. You also need to cover the animal with a warm blanket or towel. Of course, these measures should complement basic drug treatment.