Is my dog's heavy panting and drinking after playing in 95F normal?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It sounds like Lassie may have gotten very hot outside and needs to pant to cool off. Dogs cannot sweat to release heat, so they have to pant to breathe off heat. As long as Lassie can settle down and act normally, eat, drink, etc, he should be OK. I hope this is helpful!

About an ounce per pound per day is the upper limit of normal. If she is drinking more than this then I would recommend that she be seen by your veterinarian for blood work and urinalysis to help define the problem such as diabetes, kidney disease, and cancer among others. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hello, yes these sings if persistent could be indicative of certain deseases such as cushings or diabetes. Other causes of these signs may include something more benign such as a UTI. If he continues to have these signs or if you note increased urinations, lethargy and loss of appetite than he should be evaluated by his veterinarian. He may need blood work and a urinalysis to screen for these. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Normal temperature in dogs can be up to 102.5 degrees so I don't think he has a fever, but the heavy panting and increase in water intake can indicate he is in pain or has an issue such as metabolic disease causing distress and symptoms. It would be best to bring him to your vet, especially if he also has sores or skin issues in addition to these symptoms. Your vet will likely want to do some tests such as bloodwork to help determine the cause of all his symptoms and get him on the right treatment plan.

Dogs can handle the heat fine if they are lazy and not expending much energy. You can give him cool water with a small amount of chicken broth in it to encourage drinking, or add some water to his food. Using a fan to circulate the air may cool you both. Take him for a slow walk tonight after it cools down. It doesn't sound like there is anything wrong, he'll probably perk up when it cools down. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Houdini.

That seems unusual for a young dog so I do recommend a veterinary exam to make sure there is no problem with his heart and lungs. They will listen to his heart and lungs and perhaps take an X-ray too. A blood panel to check for anemia is also indicated. Then if they find a medical problem they can prescribe the correct treatment. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Panda.

Poor Happy! Good on you for checking her gums to make sure they look normal. Even though it's not hot outside, she could have worked herself up running around outside leading to her panting. Her drinking could be an effort to cool herself down. You can put a fan on her to see if that helps with the panting, and make sure she has plenty of access to fresh water at all times. Keep monitoring Happy, and if you do notice that her gums turn red or pale, she starts vomiting, becomes dizzy, shows weakness, has a bright red tongue, or the heavy panting continues over the next few hours despite trying to cool her down, I would have her seen by a vet right away. There is also a chance her panting could be due to a medical illness, such as cardiac disease, respiratory disease, or heartworms. Even if her panting stops, I would still have Happy seen by a vet tomorrow for a health check to be safe.