September 16th, 2020 by Amy Varley

Is there a better sight than seeing your dog with his tongue lolling out of his mouth, looking all happy and content? We think not! Seeing your dog panting is a regular thing, when they have been engaging in play with you or they’ve been running around the local park, panting is seen to be a very common behaviour in dogs, and is normally completely normal. There are some instances when panting can actually be a sign that there is something wrong with your beloved pooch, so here’s our guide to why dogs pant and the things you should take notice of to indicate any ailments.

To cool down

Dogs typically pant to cool themselves down. This is why we see our dogs panting after a walk or play. Dog’s can’t sweat through their skin like us humans do to keep cool, so they pant which quickly exchanges hot air from in their lungs with cooler external air from the atmosphere. This speeds up the evaporation of water from their tongue, inside their mouth and their upper respiratory tract. The evaporation of this water helps our pooches to regulate their own body temperature, which cools them down!

When they are feeling stressed

Dogs sometimes pant to let you know they are feeling overwhelmed, stressed or anxious. This type of panting is more behavioural than natural and is usually seen with other symptoms such as excessive yawning, whining, licking lips, shaking or hiding. You will usually see this sort of panting when your dog is in a stressful situation such as when there are fireworks outside or your dog is at the vet.

Flat-faced breeds

Breeds that have a flat face and/or a shortened or squashed nose can suffer from brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome. The most common breeds to be affected by this are French Bulldogs, Pugs, Boxers and English Bulldogs. Because of the way their respiratory system is – often majorly narrowed – they suffer from breathing difficulties which cause them to excessively pant. These dogs also don’t pant as efficiently as other dogs because of the fact their faces are flat, which makes them more prone to overheating and suffering from heatstroke.

Heatstroke

During the summer months, all of our pets are at risk of suffering from heatstroke. The major sign of heatstroke is excessive panting and your dog seems like they are struggling to breathe. Other symptoms will include a bright red tongue and gums and very high body temperature. Your dog is most at risk of heatstroke if they are left in a car on a hot day or they are exercised in the heat of the day. These things should be avoided in hot weather for even just a few minutes, and if you suspect your dog is suffering from heatstroke you should take them to the vets immediately.

Obesity

Dogs that are overweight may pant more than usual because they struggle to get fresh oxygenated blood into their systems. Similar to us humans, when we are overweight, we get out of breath more easily and sweat more – our dogs simply pant more! If you think your dog is overweight you should consult your vet to put them on a diet plan – as obese dogs are more at risk of other serious health problems such as heart failure and arthritis.

Pain

Underlying health conditions may first be noticed by excessive panting at unusual times such as bedtime when they should be resting. It’s very unfortunate that our pets cannot tell us when they are in pain, and as a general rule the majority of dogs hide their pain very well so we don’t typically realise our dogs are suffering until much later than when the pain started. If you suspect your pet may have some internal pain that seems to be causing panting at unusual times you should consult your vet.

Heart problems

Dogs that suffer from heart conditions can also pant excessively – and usually consistently, even when they are not exercising or really doing anything! Dogs that have heart problems struggle to get their breath, may have a cough and be lethargic. If you suspect your dog has a heart problem you should consult your vet as soon as possible.

Is my dog’s panting excessive?

If you think your dog may be panting excessively and for an unknown reason, you should always take them to the vets for a check-up, and hopefully, it will turn out to be nothing serious! Our pets are usually only panting to help them to cool down, so if this is what you normally see in your dog there should be nothing to worry about, so take plenty of pictures of them enjoying themselves with their tongue lolling out with their happy faces!