Increase in dog’s panting could have a number of causes

Q:

My 11-year-old Golden retriever, Bailey has been panting more often lately. He does it a lot even when he’s resting. Sometimes he even wakes up in the middle of the night panting. Is he anxious? Hot? Might he have a heart condition? It’s a little annoying but mostly I’m just worried.

A:

Almost all older dogs seem to pant more often than they did when they were in their physical prime. Having said that, there are a great many reasons to explain why a dog might pant. But first, a definition:

Panting is defined as an increase in respiratory rate (between 200 and 400 respirations per minute). This describes shallow breathing, which is typically characterized by an open mouth and tongue protrusion (this latter feature is a stylistic preference that varies from dog to dog).

The goal of panting is to increase air flow over the surfaces of the upper respiratory tract. This allows for heat exchange so that cooling can take place, especially in the event of a fever or high environmental temperature. But there are other reasons for panting, too, including anxiety (or fear), pain, diseases that make the blood more acidic (such as kidney diseases), medications (like steroids or thyroid medications), diseases of the endocrine system (like Cushings or hyperthyroidism), high blood pressure, obesity, some heart diseases and respiratory diseases (including laryngeal paralysis, tracheal collapse, some lung diseases, pneumonia, pulmonary edema, and cancer, among others).

Though not formally recognized, you’ve raised one more reason to explain why dogs pant: old age. We don’t properly understand why but ask any veterinarian and they’ll tell you that old dogs tend to pant more –– for no good reason. Sure, there may be a specific cause lurking somewhere, but in most cases we have a hard time finding one.

Some of the theories as to why old dogs pant have to do with an inability to regulate temperature appropriately, anxiety as a result of dementia, or fibrous changes to the lung tissue itself. The reality, however, is that we don’t know. Which is why veterinarians tend to perform some of the simpler tests, including basic bloodwork, urinalysis and chest X-rays, to determine why they might be panting.

If Bailey has been checked by his veterinarian and still keeps panting at night, consider giving him three to five milligrams of melatonin to make him sleep more easily. Best of luck!

Dr. Patty Khuly has a veterinary practice at Sunset Animal Clinic in South Miami. Her website is drpattykhuly.com. Send questions to khuly@icloud.com.