Dog Breathing Fast: Normal Panting or an Emergency?

Normal panting

Dogs sweat very little, so panting is their main way to cool down. Moisture evaporates from the tongue and airways and carries heat away. Panting is normal during and after exercise, in warm or humid weather, and when a dog is excited, such as at feeding time or when visitors arrive. Stress and fear cause panting too, for example during a car ride, a thunderstorm or a visit to the vet.

Normal panting eases once the reason goes away. After exercise, a dog that rests in the shade with water to drink should be breathing much more slowly within 5 to 10 minutes. Breathing that stays fast at rest, starts for no clear reason, sounds noisy or harsh, or looks like hard work is not normal panting.

How to count your dog's breathing rate

Counting breaths is the most useful thing you can do at home. It turns a worry into a number your vet can work with.

• Wait until your dog is resting quietly or asleep, not dreaming or twitching, and not right after exercise or in a hot room.
• Watch the chest or belly from a little distance, so you do not wake your dog.
• Count each rise and fall of the chest as one breath.
• Count for 30 seconds and double the number, or count for a full minute.
• Write the result down with the date and time, in a notebook or on your phone.

One reading can be misleading. If a count is high, count again a few times over the next couple of hours. If your vet asks you to monitor a dog with heart disease, a count once a day for a week gives a good baseline for that dog.

What is a normal rate?

Most healthy dogs breathe about 15 to 30 times a minute when resting or asleep. Some guides put the upper limit at 35, and lower rates are no cause for concern if your dog is otherwise well. A sleeping or resting rate that is consistently above 30 breaths a minute is generally considered increased, and a rate of 40 or more at rest is a real concern. Your vet may set a different limit for your own dog, especially if it has heart disease.

Watch how the breathing looks as well as how fast it is. A belly that pumps hard with each breath, a dog that cannot settle, or breathing that is noisy all suggest the dog is working hard to get air.

Common causes of fast breathing

Heat and heatstroke. When the weather is hot or humid, panting may not be enough to cool a dog. Heatstroke starts with heavy panting and fast or difficult breathing, then drooling, vomiting, bright red or pale gums, weakness and collapse. It is an emergency. Flat-faced breeds, overweight dogs, giant breeds, thick-coated dogs and very young or old dogs are at the highest risk, and most cases happen during play or exercise. See our guide to heatstroke in dogs for first aid.

Pain. Dogs often hide pain, and panting at rest may be one of the few visible signs. Arthritis, an injury, back pain or belly pain can all cause it. Trembling, limping, restlessness or reluctance to lie down often go with it.

Heart disease and heart failure. When the heart cannot pump well, fluid can build up in or around the lungs. The dog breathes faster even while resting or asleep, and often coughs. Other signs include restlessness at night, sleeping sitting up or lying on the chest instead of the side, tiring quickly on walks, fainting and a swollen belly. Small older dogs with mitral valve disease and large breeds with dilated cardiomyopathy are common examples.

Anemia. Anemia means too few red blood cells to carry oxygen around the body. Affected dogs tire easily, have pale pink or white gums, and may breathe harder and have a fast heart rate. Causes include bleeding, heavy flea, tick or hookworm burdens, tick-borne infections such as babesiosis, immune disease and some poisons, including rat poison, onions and garlic.

Airway and lung disease. Bronchitis, asthma-like airway disease, other lung problems and laryngeal paralysis, in which the voice box does not open properly, can all reduce airflow and make breathing faster or harder. Flat-faced breeds such as pugs, French bulldogs and bulldogs often have narrowed upper airways, a condition known as brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome, and struggle more in heat.

Hormonal disease. In middle-aged and older dogs, panting at rest can be a sign of Cushing's disease, especially with increased thirst, hunger and a pot-bellied look.

Stress and anxiety. Fear, a new home or loud noises can cause fast breathing in a healthy dog. It should ease once the dog feels safe again.

Emergency signs

Go to your vet or an emergency clinic immediately if your dog shows any of these.

• Blue, purple or very pale gums or tongue, or dark red gums
• Struggling to breathe, with the belly working hard, the neck stretched out or the mouth open while at rest
• Standing or sitting with the elbows held wide, unwilling to lie down
• Noisy, rasping or gasping breathing
• Collapse, fainting or severe weakness
• Fast breathing after time in the heat, especially with drooling, vomiting or wobbliness
• Fast breathing with pale gums, or after a possible poisoning
• A resting rate that stays high and does not settle, with coughing, restlessness or refusal to eat

Difficulty breathing is always an emergency. Call ahead if you can, so the clinic is ready for you.

What to do on the way

Keep your dog as calm and still as possible, and handle it gently, because stress and effort make breathing harder. Keep the car cool and well ventilated. If heat is the likely cause, start cooling before and during the journey by pouring cool, not ice-cold, water over the body and using a fan or open windows. Do not wrap the dog in a wet towel, which can trap heat. If your dog is not overheated, let it settle in whatever position it chooses.

What to expect at the vet

A dog in breathing distress often receives oxygen first, before much handling. Once the dog is stable, the vet will listen to the heart and lungs, check the gums, take the temperature and ask about the history. Chest X-rays, blood tests and an ultrasound scan of the heart are common next steps. Treatment depends entirely on the cause, from cooling and fluids for heatstroke to medicines that remove fluid from the lungs in heart failure, or pain relief for a dog that is hurting.

Monitoring at home

If your dog has been diagnosed with heart disease, your vet may ask you to count its sleeping breathing rate regularly. A rate that creeps up over several days can be an early warning that heart failure is starting or that medication needs adjusting. Contact your vet promptly if the rate stays above the limit they gave you. Keep a log you can show at each visit.

Rescue dogs and fast breathing

A newly adopted dog may pant a lot in its first days, simply because everything is new. That kind of panting eases as the dog settles in. Dogs rescued from the street may also carry fleas, ticks or worms that cause anemia. At Paw Squadron, every rescued animal sees a vet for a checkup and is dewormed and treated for parasites. Even so, if your new dog breathes fast at rest, has pale gums or tires easily, book a vet check rather than putting it down to nerves.

For more health guides, browse PawPedia. If you adopted your dog from us and have a question, write to us through our Contact page.