My New Dog is Breathing Really Heavily and Fast! What's Wrong?

[Ruth Licht]

Hi all --

I'm a new member to this site and a new mommy to Rusty, a Corgi mix we adopted from the county shelter about three weeks ago. He's absolutely the sweetest, most mellow, most loving dog we've ever met but does seem to be a bit on the timid side. He's not fearful of things, but just quiet and definitely a submissive male. My husband and I have noticed that since we adopted him he's been breathing harder than we thought was normal -- not so much panting, but breathing heavily with his mouth closed. It did get worse when the vet put him on Prednisone for allergies, but he's been off of the meds for just over a week and he's still breathing heavily. He also seems to be warm a lot and either rests on the tile floor or outside on the concrete patio.

Now after all this background (sorry to be so long) comes our question: has anyone seen this before? We've asked our vet as well as an emergency vet we went to one night when his breathing was so rapid and heavy it scared the heck out of us at 3 am. Both said he was perfectly healthy and that he may simply be adjusting still to the new home (that coupled with his submissiveness, which could manifest as panting). But he seems extemely relaxed, happy, and adjusted and even though the house is cool he still seems warm and breathes heavily. I feel stupid continually asking the vets, but I'm an overprotective first-time mommy! Any suggestions would be appreciated, even if it's that the vets are right and I should just calm down :).

Thanks so much,
Ruth

[Stefie C]

Hi Ruth, and welcome to DD. Even though two vets have told you Rusty's is okay, if your gut is telling you something different then I would seek the advice of another vet. My Sandy, a boxer, started breathing that way and it scared me too. The vet assured me she was fine and that was just a trait of bull breeds during hot weather. Even knowing this when she starts breathing heavily it stresses me to watch her. If Rusty is breathing like that all the time I would be worried too. I hope you find some answers and sorry I couldn't be more helpful. Good luck to you.
Stefie

[Ann Morscher]

When we brought our Misty girl home, her breathing was very loud and heavy. She scared us to death. I thought something was wrong with her for sure. The first night we had her, it was awful. It lasted a few days and then she settled down. Yet, even now (we've had her almost 3 months), she will breath very heavy when she gets scared.

Does your little one breath heavy all of the time or just sometimes?

Ann

[Amber]

I agree with Ann--

When I brought Sally home from the shelter, she would do the exact same thing (breathing-wise) that your Rusty is doing. I've had Sally for 6 months now and she will still breath heavy and fast if she gets nervous or scared. And she is definitely a shy, timid dog! As you read more posts on this site, you will probably run across Sally's background.

Now, that being said, the fact that Rusty was on medication when the heavy breathing started and the breathing problems haven't gone away either means that he is still adjusting as Ann suggested, or that the medication started it. I have two dogs and I am on the cautious (sometimes OVER cautious side) with them, but I would suggest to go to another vet just to see what they say about Rusty's breathing.

[Ruth Licht]

Hi all --

Thanks for your responses...we've noticed that in the last day or so Rusty's heavy breathing has gotten better, although he still seems to seek out cool spots in the house. The only time I've seen him really breathing heavily is when he lies on the bedroom carpet at bedtime, and for the last three nights I've had him sleep out on the tile floor in the kitchen/dining room. He seems to be more comfortable, so I guess he's just warmer than other dogs we've seen. I'm researching those dog beds that you fill with water that cool the dogs off (Canine Cooler brand??) and may get him one of those, figuring it'll only get warmer here in San Diego. So we'll see how it goes...

Thanks again for all the input and good wishes!

[Ann Morscher]

Ruth,
We had a Canine cooler bed for our previous dog who had Cushings. It was a really great concept. She wasn't thrilled with it and more often than not, chose to sleep on the tile instead. It ended up being a very expensive play mat for my son!!! I just think our dog was too old to adapt and just couldn't get comfortable on it. It does stay nice and cool and requires very little if any maintenance once it is filled.

Ann

[Monika Lisak]

When i got my Husky/lab mix at 7mths she would do the same thing, I placed her bed near the window and opened it a little so the cool night breeze could blow on her some but not so much that we would get cold, and when the breathing got really extreme i kept a bowl of ice water in the room to give it to her right away, that would calm her down too, now i always just wash her face a little with a cool towel before bed to get he in the sleepy relaxed mood and it seems to have helped a lot i think it's a new home thing, they are stressed and scared and that's the only way they can let it out really.

Hope that helps somewhat!

[Lesly Stevens]

It could be that he's overly warm, or, that he's stressed. My two go into fast, deep breaths when they're excited to see me, and competing for my attention. Dogs communicate with breathing patterns, and I've learned how to utilize it to change behavior, and get a dog to calm down. Fascinating stuff, breathing patterns!

[Luciann]

Though i have not had this with either of mine, i have to say i took Frodo to the vet cause at night especially when he was sleeping he would huff. I worried that he was having chest congestion due to his pollen allergies but the vet said that he was fine and had a clear chest. I have noticed being less frequent now that the pine trees have stopped pollinating.

I too notice the rapid breathing when i first get home which i attribute to excitement.

Ruth, is Rusty long or short haired? if he has long hair you might consider during the summer months giving him a buzz haircut. I had a australian shepherd mix that was 50% hair in her body weight and that is what we did here in texas and she was a lot more comfortable.....