Difficulty breathing in dogs

Does your dog pant hard several times a day and apparently for no reason? We are not talking about a dog that has exhausted itself physically, but of one that is in a resting and relaxed state. If your dog breathes calmly and evenly through his nose and has closed his mouth, his breathing is normal. If you look at his chest, it should move up and down as you breathe. In the resting and relaxed state, the normal breathing rate of your four-legged friend should be between ten and thirty breaths. If the breathing rate rises above thirty breaths per minute, one can already speak of an increased breathing rate.

Most of the time, panting is nothing to worry about!

It's completely natural for your dog to pant every now and then. Basically, one can say that panting is an expression of overheating, physical exertion, stress or fear. In these cases you do not have to worry too much, as the breathing of your four-legged friend will normally stabilize again within a short time.

Noise and noise can also frighten your dog. In contrast to us humans, dogs have very sensitive ears and are accordingly more sensitive to noise than we humans. The breathing usually calms down again as soon as your four-legged friend comes to rest again.

Shortness of breath

If your dog is breathing heavily, you can usually tell by the gasping and rapid breathing; the causes can be as follows:

There is a foreign body in the airways

There is a risk that foreign objects can get into the airways and cause your dog to choke by getting stuck in the airway, obstructing breathing or damaging large blood vessels. These foreign bodies can be, for example, grasses and pollen, stones and pieces of wood, and pine needles. If your dog is bleeding from its mouth, you should see a veterinarian immediately.

It depends on the physique of your four-legged friend

Short-snouted dogs such as bulldogs, boxers or pugs generally have difficulty getting enough air. One cause of breathing problems could be too many pounds on the scales, among other things. Obesity has a strong impact on the cardiovascular system. Due to the fat masses, the breathing volume of your four-legged friend can drop sharply. Therefore, make sure that your dog is always fed a balanced and healthy diet so that it doesn't even happen.

A dog's heart can also get sick

There are some illnesses that are associated with breathing problems and for this reason there are also many symptoms that indicate breathing problems. However, you should pay attention if your four-legged friend seems exhausted and listless, refuses food and water, or suddenly appears aggressive, anxious or nervous. Smaller breeds of dogs are usually more affected than larger ones. Rapidly breathing or shortness of breath can indicate lung disease or heart problems. It is very important that you start the preventive care early enough, because heart diseases usually come unnoticed and a sick heart is no longer curable, but in the best case only treatable.

Abnormal heart murmurs can be traced back to the heart valves that no longer close properly. The mitral valve, which is responsible for the development of pulmonary edema, is most frequently affected. If a diseased mitral valve remains untreated, it can lead to an enlargement of the heart, for example. Eine angeborene Herzmuskelschwäche kann ebenfalls zu einer Vergrößerung des Herzens führen. Ist das Hundeherz vergrößert, werden mit der Zeit die muskulösen Herzwände dünner und dem Herzen ist es nicht mehr möglich das Blut weiterzubefördern.

Cardizoo is the right contact if you want to have your four-legged friend as a loyal companion in your life for as long as possible - a happy and healthy dog and thus a happy owner.