My dog's heart is beating fast all night. Is this an emergency?

Hello. The normal heartbeat of a dog should be around 120-160 beats per minute. If his heartrate is greater than 200 beats per minute at rest or when sleeping, this is abnormal & could be due to a conduction disorder in the heart. He may also have an abnormal rhythm that mimics a elevated heart rate. The only way to sort out what might be happening is to have your veterinarian auscultate his heart & possibly do any ECG to identify the rate & any rhythm abnormalities. I hope all is OK & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. No, this isn't a dumb question at all! When a dog gets excited or plays heavily, the heartbeat naturally increases. It's normal to see this increase, and in some dogs, it may be super fast and hard. Now without seeing Yeti in person, I can't say for certain it is normal, so I do recommend a vet visit just to be safe. I hope this helps!

From this description, I'm worried about a heart murmur. An heart murmur is turbulent blood flow in the heart and if it's severe enough you can actually hear it or feel it from the outside. This can lead to congestive heart failure. I would recommend scheduling a vet appointment tomorrow morning, or going to an emergency clinic if he is breathing rapidly (more than 30 breaths a minute while resting) very lethargic, or his gums look pale. Best of luck

A sudden onset, rapid heartbeat is something that should be investigated by your veterinarian as soon as possible. The licking and the chewing may indicate that he is extremely itchy, perhaps from some kind of exposure to an allergen, a new cleaner in the environment, even a food allergy. Itching can cause anxiety, which in turn could be responsible for the rapid heat rate. The swelling in his belly could be due to gas, or any number of other conditions. The symptoms may or may not be caused by the same problem. Your vet will do an exam, blood work and x-rays to determine the cause of the illness and suggest an effective treatment plan.

I recommend that you have your dog examined by a veterinarian as soon as possible. A dog at rest takes about 10 to 30 breaths per minutes. Breathing at a faster rate may indicate fever, pain, anxiety, or a problem with the lungs or chest. Rapid, labored breathing is indicative of congestive heart failure and/or lung disease, shock, heat stroke, dehydration, and ketoacidosis associated with diabetes, kidney failure, and some tyes of poisonings.

Hi and thanks for posting. This sounds a bit concerning. Something certainly sounds off with Sophi today. In order to get a better idea of what is going on, I would recommend Sophi see her veterinarian very soon. Your vet will do an exam to help pinpoint the issue. Your may recommend diagnostic testing such as blood work or x-rays to further evaluate her so they can help her feel better soon.

It sounds like Diesel had some kind of significant stimulation. Is there any possibility that Diesel got into something that could have caused those signs? If he is on any medication or anyone in the house is on a medication that can cause stimulation, that would be one possibility. There are some internal diseases that can cause abnormal excitement and an increased heart rate, but they are relatively rare. Unfortunately, it sounds like we may not be able to figure out what has caused Diesel's signs without some additional testing. I would certainly recommend having your veterinarian examine him, check his blood pressure and some blood work to make sure there isn't any evidence of something going on internally that caused it and needs to be treated. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.