My husky randomly pants, coughs, or gags. Should I be concerned?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is not necessarily concerning if he is otherwise doing fine. Panting is a way of regulating their temperature so panting alone is not necessarily concerning. If at any point you notice other signs associated with that such as inappetence, lethargy or difficulty breathing then have him evaluated. Good luck!

Huskies are certainly able to overheat more easily than other breeds due to their thick coat. All of the clinical signs could potentially be related to something like that as well, but could be an indication of something entirely different. If there has only been episode of vomiting and some mild lethargy, I don't think it is entirely unreasonable to take a wait and see approach. If the rapid breathing becomes even more labored or Midna actually appears to be in any true distress, I would not delay and would take her into the veterinarian as soon as possible. As of now, it sounds like she's still eating, drinking, and functioning pretty normally. Keep a close eye on Midna, particularly the breathing, and should it worsen have her looked at right away.

I am concerned that she is having such trouble breathing. This could be another pneumonia, an upper respiratory infection, a fungal infection, a congenital heart problem and much more. If your vet has already done X-rays and they were normal, you may want to talk to them about having an ultrasound of the heart done. Also, I would have her blood work checked to see how her liver and kidney values are and see what her white blood count looks like. Finally, I would talk to your vet about whether see needs some antibiotics and medicine to help her breathing. I hope this helps and she starts to feel better soon.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I don;t think panting for a few seconds is considered heat stroke. Huskies are arctic breeds and are very susceptible to the heat. Keep him indoors during the hot, humid days. You could take his temperature if worried. Use a digital thermometer rectally. Normal temperature is 99-102. I would consider 104 or higher potentially heat stroke. I hope this helps! Good luck!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If he is otherwise normal and has only exhibited this symptom twice now, I would keep an eye on him for the next 24 hours and see if he continues to have the same problem. If he continues to heave or the heaving worsens, I would recommend having him examined by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

The most common reason for a dog this age to be coughing would be kennel cough. However, usually it is a dry cough and not a wet/congested cough. It could be from overheating but it is not very likely. I would just monitor her for now and if she is eating/drinking and acting otherwise normally then I would not be overly concerned unless the behavior continues. If she is not acting normally then she needs to see a vet for an exam.

There could be many different reasons for a cough. I would video tape the cough since certain coughs can indicate certain things. Is it from a collapsing trachea or maybe a reverse sneeze. I would recommend chest xrays first to rule out lung pathology also. I would recommend asking your veterinarian if he has a heart murmur. To rule out a heart condition he would need to see a cardiologist. If he has a murmur I would strongly recommend a Cardiologist. If no heart murmur he can still have heart disease and a cardiologist would be indicated just to state it is not heart-related. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.