My wire hair dog is panting a lot. Could it be a health issue?

I can understand your concern about Leona's increased panting. As you know, dogs can pant for a ton of different reasons. Some of these can include behavioral issues, such as anxiety, or medical problems, such as heart or lung diseases, heat stroke (unlikely in this case, I understand), or pain from an injury or arthritis. I'm glad that you've tried to actively cool Leona by using the air conditioner and by grooming her. Since it doesn't sound like that's changed her panting, I think it would be best to take her to the vet for a full physical exam. Your vet will be able to listen to her heart and lungs, and check her for sources of pain. It's really important to rule out any medical causes of this excessive panting, as some can be quite serious. If medical issues have been ruled out, your vet will be able to discuss possible causes and treatments of anxiety. I hope this helps and that all goes well!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm sorry to hear she may be having issues. Panting in dogs may be due to a variety of reasons, including stress, heat, heart issues, pain, or another underlying issue. If the panting continues, or if she starts to display other symptoms, such as vomiting or inappetence, I would reach out to her regular veterinarian to see if any underlying issues need to be addressed. I would also recommend reaching out to her owner to see if she has any known underlying medical conditions. Good luck!

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.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Storm! I wonder if the medications Storm was put on for the hot spot are causing the panting. Steroids are commonly prescribed for hot spots because it reduces the inflammation, itch and dries them out. Prednisone definitely makes dogs pant! If Storm is on steroids then the panting should resolve as the steroids are tapered. I hope this helps!

How lovely of you to take in this dog! This panting could be due to stress, pain, or a medical condition like heart disease. If you don't want to keep her, take her into the shelter in the morning; otherwise, have her seen by a vet tomorrow should you want to keep her.

Hi there and thank you for your post! Anxiety can defi itwly cause the excessive panting. Storm anxiety and a warm ambient temperature can definitely lead to the panting you are seeing. As long as he hasn't had any respiratory distress recently and that this started just when the thunderstorm hit, he should be ok to monitor at home. Reassuring him and turning down the temperature in the house may help. I would look into some things to help with anxiety such as adaption collar and diffuser. If the anxiety is getting bad enough, I would consult with your vet and see about anti anxiety medications as an option for goalie. I hope this helps Out! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns

While panting is a way dogs expel heat, there could be something else going on with him that is making him pant heavily. Panting can be a sign of discomfort or pain. It also can be do to an underlying metabolic problem. I would recommend taking Trouble in to your vet for an exam to see if he needs blood work or potentially pain medication for discomfort.