Panting

[Claudette Kinkade]

How much panting does your dog do?

The end of July when Jake had a rash on his leg that he was licking at and it became infected the vet put him on CEPHALEXIN 500 MG. , 2 capsules, twice a day for 10 days. I did question that MG and number of times and it was correct. I checked the side effects and it did say he would drink more water and it would cause him to pant. So for those 10 days I saw him do this and the sore on his leg healed. I then took him in for his yearly shots which was the middle of August he had an ear infection and I was told to put Panalog cream in the ears twice a day for 10 days, which I did. The end of August I felt Jake was still panting more than usual so I took him back to the vet at which time he was given another very thorough going over, checked ears, mouth, lungs, heart, and she told me he was doing excellent and that the bloodwork I had done earlier in the month came back great. So, she really thought for a while and since both the antibiotic and the panalog cream had steroids in them she considered that maybe he was having a reaction to that. So, I was to take him off the panalog cream and the tablets I give him for his coat and joints and if the panting stopped to introduce them back into his system one at a time to see if we could figure what is causing it. By the 5th day I thought that maybe he was not panting as much, I am constantly listening to how much he is panting. He does not pant when he is laying down, only when he is sitting up. Now I am beginning to question myself if I am reading too much into this. On top of it all we had storms yesterday and today with thunder and Jake doesn't like storms and he has always gotten anxious and panted when a storm is coming so I had to take that into consideration. So when the vet's office called me today to check on him I told them I wanted to watch him over the weekend to make sure what is going on. She said they would call me back on Tuesday to check again. Sorry this is so long but it really is bothering me. Also because he is scheduled to have the tag removed on September 14th and I want to make sure nothing is wrong with him. Thanks for listening.

[patlvk]

Neither Cheyanne or Carmel pant that much unless they are really hot,or not feeling well. Cheyanne pants more than Carmel but she has a heavier coat. Carmel has been on Cephalexin a few times and that is the dose she was given (1000mg) but it was spread out to four times a day and usually for 10 days. I do notice to that both dogs will pant more when they are anxious as well. Hope all goes well and he's feeling better in time for his Tag removal.

[cheslyn1]

Oh poor Jake! I do not know what to say - Harley seems to be hotter than Maci and pants more but I am not sure why. Is he eating, etc okay?

Tammy, Maci and Harley

[Mom2Maddie]

Maddie only pants when she's really hot, otherwise not at all. If he didn't really pant before the medicine with steroids maybe that is a factor. Watch him over the weekend and maybe write down when you notice he's panting and take note of the weather etc to see if you see a pattern

Keep us posted

[Claudette Kinkade]

He is acting normal in every other way, just that I feel he is panting more. Now we have been having some really humid weather this summer and he does have an extremely thick, heavy coat, but he is in the air conditioned house most of the time. That is one of the question the vet asked me if I keep him inside when it was extremely hot. Now I am second guessing myself, maybe he always panted that much and I never paid attention to it, that the side effects listed for the Cephalexin put this in my mind. The other thing she mentioned if he didn't stop after taking him off his medication with steroids was that he could have allergies. I'll keep listening to him and pray I don't hear what I feel is excessive panting. She did say we know our dogs and if something doesn't feel/sound right then we should look into it. She really took a lot of time with me and Jake, she breeds labs so she knows big dogs, they just had a litter of four the day before.

[Sue]

Claudette, Nelson pants alot...ok not now since he's lying beside me on the couch but when it's hot out or he's out on his walk off leash out of town he pants like an ole dog and he's only 4.5. I think that's becuase he just too worried about what I'm doing or going to do on our walks. When it was hot out and he was walking he was pretty much dragging his ass panting some days. When we would get back home into the a/c from our walks on hot days it would take him what seemed liked hours to stop panting. I think some of those medications increase the thirst in dogs and makes them pant more.

[Claudette Kinkade]

Sue, That's about how I would describe how Jake is acting but on those really hot, humid days I did not walk him. He only pants when he is upright, when he is laying down he is quiet. It is supposed to be a little cooler on Saturday and we will be outside a lot at the cottage. I'll keep a close eye on him. Maybe he is just a dog that pants a lot and I did not notice it before I read the side effects of Cephalexin. It did say only some dogs would have a reaction. The vet did say it was a steroid and the Panalog Cream is a steroid also. But I would think by now 8 days off all the meds it would be out of his system.

[Sue]

Claudette, sometimes I think we worry more than needed. When I found out that Nelson's dad died of cardiomyopathy I started to wonder if that's why Nelson was panting so much on our walks and on hotter days or when I would take the dogs for a run he would be dragging his ass like an old man and panting up a storm. I thought maybe he has a heart condition...kinda crazy thinking really. Maybe your just worrying about Jakes' panting because you read the side effects on the medication and are just more aware of it now. You have to remember that some golden's have a lot of hair and Jake looks like a golden with a lot of hair. Probably like wearing a fur coat in the house when it's hot. I wouldn't worry to much about it especially since all his tests came back good and the vet's don't have any concern. See how Jake is once the fall comes and the cooler weather. This summer was so hot and humid it was more than enough to make me a cranky woman so I can only imagine how I'd be panting if I had to wear a fur coat also.

[DaveL]

Just a thought -- although I've been a Golden owner for 20 years, I've let our dogs coats get matted from time to time. Charlot was panting a lot; even inside. I've been more careful brushing and combing out his coat. He's panting far less.

A neighbour pointed that out to me. Matted coat...

DaveL

[Nano]

I've also worried about Connor's panting. He would pant when the a/c was on in the house or it wasn't that hot outside on our walks (even considering his thick fur coat) or when he hadn't even exerted himself. And, like Sue, I've worried about his heart because he seemed to tire so quickly. Just like Nelson, he would do his 'old man walk' - at least that's what I called it. I guess I expected all puppies to run and race around like crazy and he never did that. He'd run for short spurts then toddle around while the other dogs zoomed.

I think Connor pants when he's excited sometimes. And he just doesn't care to chase around after other dogs. I know he can run like the wind because he does it on his own when I let him off leash or when he spots his friends across the park. His heart is fine. He's healthy and fit.

You can drive yourself crazy worrying or even wondering if you SHOULD be worrying. I really understand that because I've done that, too. I've asked other people about it and they say I'm being a worry wart. Maybe you are, too? It's easy to do b/c we love them so much. Try not to second guess yourself so much and just see what the vet has to say. Some medications can cause panting as a side effect so that may well be what it is. Or, maybe you're just hyper aware b/c you're concerned about his recent health issues.

Let us know what the vet says. I bet Jake is fine!

[gpbarr1]

Panting more rapidly is normal in an aging dog and if there are warm temperatures in your area, but can also be a sign of other problems. I keep lots of water close by and keep a large fan on pointed towards the floor for my dogs to lay under if they are getting too hot. They know it's there and use it for that purpose. It makes a bit of a difference for my golden who pants the most but does not alleviate the problem altogether. I suspect it may just be the temperatures causing the problem, but only a close eye by you and a certified vet are going to really solve the mystery.