Heavy breathing/panting

[utahbiker]

Kaboose can never seem to catch his breath after being outside or even a very short play period and occasionally he'll just start panting hard... even during the middle of the night. Sometimes it's so loud that he'll wake me up just by his panting (he sleeps about 7 or 8 feet away from me in his kennel).

This morning we played some frisbee and ball games outside. Lots of running. So much running that he started slowing down and laying down in the grass after about 45 minutes. We went inside after that, but it's been about 30 minutes and Kaboose is off and on panting still.

I've been told that he's a puppy and that he hasn't learned to regulate his breathing yet, but is that a thing? He's consistently panting harder and longer than any other dog/puppy we've been around. His best friend, Barley (my girlfriend's dog), often shares the same play time together and is done panting and breathing normally through his nose usually 4x faster than Kaboose. Barley is 4 years old for age reference.

What things (if any) should I be concerned about with Kaboose's panting? Allergies? Respiratory issues?

Thanks!

[centrop67]

I don't know for sure, but I thought I read somewhere that puppies should have shorter bursts of exercise than 45 straight minutes.

However, what you describe would concern me enough to have him examined by a vet.

[ICE]

You should check with your vet. Panting can be an indication of pain.

[montecarlogirl87]

I've noticed this with Shylah too... she pants way more than Shota, always has, doesn't even have to be connected to exercise, she can be inside the house, in the A/C, perfectly calm lying on the floor... and she's panting

she's been to a couple different vets over the years, their general exams never reveal anything, no one's ever said anything about her heart/lungs sounding abnormal

[utahbiker]

doesn't even have to be connected to exercise, she can be inside the house, in the A/C, perfectly calm lying on the floor... and she's panting

yeah, this is Kaboose from time to time. Or in the middle of the night. Does Shylah seem to have stamina issues vs Shota? I'm curious if it's something he'll grow out of, or if it's going to affect his ability to exercise. I plan on getting Kaboose checked out next week, as of now.

[montecarlogirl87]

well I thought Shylah was high energy until I got Shota, which is not to say she isn't.... compared to all other dogs I've had in my life Shylah is certainly more active, Shota's just a few years younger, and can actually run Shylah until she wears out

Shylah's about 6, Shota's about 3... they were both rescues so hard to say for sure

I'm a bit of an anomaly on the site, as I don't do any sort of protection/bite/agility training with my dogs... they're pets... but I've never had an issue with anything I have done with Shylah (parks, walking, at work, playing...) she goes absolutely INSANE with the water hose, I seriously think she would play/attack it until she passed out if I didn't call it quitting time, and I've played with her with that for an hour or so at times... she's worn out by the end, but I've never worried for her

[utahbiker]

Thanks for the thoughts! Kaboose is primarily a pet as well and I won't be doing any protection, agility, bite, training with him. I might do some scent training with him, but his primary purpose will be to have fun with me in the outdoors. Biking, backpacking, etc... So I think we're in the same boat

[Owned-By-Hendrix]

What's your humidity like? Sometimes a dog can be sensitive to the heat/humidity and extreme care should be taken when acclimating. Once a dog gets near heat stroke they are not the same after.

[utahbiker]

72 degrees and 35% humidity, per my Nest thermostat. I live in Utah and humidity is generally very low...

[Owned-By-Hendrix]

Hmmmm... Could also be arousal, stress, pain, or simply he's hot. At night I sleep with the fan on because H will get hot on the bed. He's drinking enough during the day and after play, right? As for the exercise, how far and wide does the tongue get? I would use that as a gauge of when to stop and cool down. Longer, wider at the bottom, and bright red is a sign to stop. Could be he is sensitive to heat, or maybe he's just having a hard time cooling down due to the environment not being cool enough for him. I would try a cool washcloth on his abdomen after a hard playtime or one of those gel cooling pads for him to lay on and see if that helps him stop panting faster. If it does, then you know it's just him having troubles cooling down, which could improve with age. If you can rule out arousal or stress or anxiety, that's good too. If that doesn't help, then I would hazard heat sensitivity. Hope this helps!

[centrop67]

I've kicked around the idea of rating posts. It's got its ups and downs, but at the very least perhaps a like button.

As usual, your a fountain of wisdom Kira. Thanks.

If there was a like button, I'd insert one here.

[utahbiker]

Hmmmm... Could also be arousal, stress, pain, or simply he's hot. At night I sleep with the fan on because H will get hot on the bed. He's drinking enough during the day and after play, right? As for the exercise, how far and wide does the tongue get? I would use that as a gauge of when to stop and cool down. Longer, wider at the bottom, and bright red is a sign to stop. Could be he is sensitive to heat, or maybe he's just having a hard time cooling down due to the environment not being cool enough for him. I would try a cool washcloth on his abdomen after a hard playtime or one of those gel cooling pads for him to lay on and see if that helps him stop panting faster. If it does, then you know it's just him having troubles cooling down, which could improve with age. If you can rule out arousal or stress or anxiety, that's good too. If that doesn't help, then I would hazard heat sensitivity. Hope this helps!

I've been meaning to reply... thank you! Great information here and the tongue queues have been really helpful. Went for another ride this morning and paid close attention to his tongue. I think that helped a lot as he did a lot better when I queued off his tongue and stopped for rest or water breaks when needed.

Next I'll be trying the cooling packs.

The stress and anxiety thing could play a role. He's having a hard time with other dogs and I is generally fearful/timid. He used to get instant diarrhea whenever we would venture out of the house. The entire world was a giant anxiety ball for him the first 2 months. He's progressed for sure but still has some work to do with other dogs and his natural timidness.