My dog is restless before sleep. Why does she keep lifting her head?

This is pretty non-specific behavior, so it's hard to know exactly what's going on. Hero may be having some gastrointestinal issues at night, like vomiting or diarrhea, and is asking go outside to the bathroom. Or, she could be worried about something going on in the neighborhood like other dogs barking. Or, she could be having neurologic issues at night like a small seizure that wakes her up and worries her. Or, this could be purely behavioral, like if she is going into heat and there are intact male dogs in the neighborhood. I recommend a full exam by a veterinarian to make sure she looks healthy and has no underlying health concerns.

I would recommend that you have Rousey checked out by a vet. Breathing that quickly is not normal. While sleeping, she should breathe less than 20 times in a minute. Increased respiratory rate at night could indicate heart or lung disease, anemia, or pneumonia. If she has fractured ribs, she could benefit from pain medications. She should probably also be checked for intestinal parasites, which are easily picked up while hanging out on the streets.

52 breaths per minute is considered tachypneic and points to some breathing problem such as an upper respiratory or pulmonary congestion or a heart condition. The fact that this is even worse when she is resting is also pointing to a possible heart condition. I suggest you schedule an exam with your veterinarian for an exam.

While this respiratory rate is higher than the normal resting respiratory rate for a normal dog, some dogs have a higher resting respiratory rate and this May be hers. As long as her activity level is normal, she is eating and drinking and going to the bathroom okay I would just keep an eye on her and continue to monitor this. If it appears that she is in any sort of respiratory distress and she is using her abdominal muscles to breathe more, I would get her seen by a vet immediately. If she hasn't had a health exam since you adopted her I would get her seen by a vet for a routine check-up just to make sure everything is okay. I hope this helps! Please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available via phone or text consultation.

Hello. If his lungs sound normal when he is awake, then you might be hearing the equivalent of a snore. Try to obtain a sleeping respiratory rate. Count the number of breaths he takes per minute. Normal is 30 breaths per minute or less, so unless he is having a puppy dream ( which may temporarily increase the respiratory rate ), I would not be too worried. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It is a little high. I would wait after a few minutes of calm and quiet and recheck it. A dog at rest should have a respiratory rate under 30/minute. At sleep, preferably under 20/minute. Increased respiratory rates, even without distress, could be caused by heart or lung disease or anemia.

Lola may just be worn out and over-tired from playing so hard with the other dog. One thing I would be concerned about is if she may have become over heated while playing. If you are able to take her temperature rectally it would be very helpful. Normal temp for a dog is 101.5. Anything over 103.5 would be concerning enough to take Lola to the vet. You can also monitoring her respiratory rate. Count the number of breaths she takes in 1 minute, anything over 60 would be concerning (unless she is panting). If her temperature and respiratory rate are normal then I would recommend monitoring her for the next 12-24 hours. If she is still acting abnormal after this time then I would suggest take her to the vet.