# excessive panting



## wiggy (May 10, 2007)

I'm new to the forum and was just looking for some input. I have a 3yo 78lb shepherd mix who pants excessively after exercise and in any type of heat. My other dogs do not do this. He does resume normal breathing but it takes quite awhile after he's exerted himself. Any thoughts??


----------



## Mermaid (Jan 16, 2007)

You need to take him to the vet! It could be a number of things, including congestive heart failure, pneumonia, allergies, or heartworm.


----------



## onyxdaily (Apr 3, 2007)

My 3 dogs, Hound, Lab and Saint Bernard, all pant after exercise, and the Saint also pants in warmer temperatures. I give them plenty of cool water and make sure they have shade to lay in and the panting slows then stops.I never really thought this was abnormal, after all, I breathe hard after a workout, too, and if I was wearing a thick fur coat in the summer, I think I would probably be hot.
But, I am not trying to make light of your concerns at all, and if the panting seems excessive or abnormal to you, then I would recommend a visit to the vet.


----------



## Orange County Ca (Apr 6, 2007)

The problem here is your opinion of excessive panting and recovery time may be different from ours. My dog pants when he's excited as an example or a little warm and the wife thought he had a problem. Not so.
Two suggestions, one watch to see if it gets worse. Or has it been getting worse? See the vet.
Two, arrange for the vet to be available as soon as you walk in the door at a pre-arranged time so he can observe the dog when you end your running program at his office and the recovery time. I.e. run to his office from your normal distance away and let him observe how much he's panting.
A third came to mind is to ask someone who is similarly situated with a exercising dog give their opinion.


----------



## badogg88 (Apr 28, 2007)

Yesterday I took Freddie to Petco with me. It was warm out, I had all windows in the car open. I brought Freddie in the store with me, he wasn't sitting in the car in the heat with the windows rolled up. He was panting a lot, but I figured it was just from the heat.

When we got home, he was laying down, with his head down, still panting really hard. He rarely drinks water. I tried to put the bowl right in front of him, but he just got up and moved. He does'nt like ice cubes either. Any suggestions?


----------



## Wimble Woof (Jan 16, 2007)

In response to the origional post. 

Please get your dog seen by a vet, especially if he appears at all weak.
My Cocker spaniel was exhibiting these behaviors and I assumed he was over exerted, he then started falling over as if he was passing out ( there are videos of this on here somewhere, I will link it after) and I brought him in, 
Now he has a neurologist and a cardiologist trying to find out what is wrong, and it just seems to be getting worse and worse.
Please please dont wait. 
If I hadnt, perhaps we would already know what was happening to my little guy, instead I am a wreak wondering what it is.

ETA: the link
http://www.dogforums.com/13-dog-health-questions/7676-stagger-walk-has-me.html


----------



## rpbarbati (Nov 8, 2009)

The doggy that was having trouble walking straight possibly has a worm in his brain. They can grow fairly large and put pressure on the surrounding tissue, resulting in dizziness, lethargy, loss of coordination, etc. Worms can appear almost anywhere in the body, including inside the eyes.

If it is a worm, your dog would need surgery to remove it.


----------

