Why is my 6-year-old dog suddenly acting strange and panting?

I strongly recommend you schedule a full health check and blood panel as soon as possible - heart, kidney and hormonal conditions can all cause similar signs and older dogs can sometimes also suffer a dementia like condition. All of these can be managed medically if diagnosed early

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.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Lady! I love your pictures! There are many possible reasons for Lady's symptoms. The heart rate is fine, it is normal to have a low resting heart rate at home. The fact it isn't high is reassuring that she isn't in pain or distress. The panting can be from: canine cognitive dysfunction or dementia, Cushing's disease, feels over heated and a lot of older large breed dogs just overall pant more. Causes for the bloated belly are: overweight (fat in belly), enlarged liver from Cushing's, low thyroid, tumor in her belly. I think a Vet exam, blood work and belly X-rays are a good idea to see if there is a medical reason for the symptoms you are seeing. I hope this helps and I wish Lady the very best!

Hello, and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Your description sounds most suspicious of generalized anxiety. There may have been something that spooked your dog recently to cause the behavior change, making him want to be near you all the time and causing him to seek reassurance. However, given his breed, it's also possible that he's just got too much pent-up energy - many high energy breeds can develop either anxiety or boredom if they aren't given an outlet for their energy and a way to tire themselves out. I recommend making sure your dog has a way to RUN his energy off daily. (with his breed and age, a walk probably won't cut it). You can take him running, or if he's ball motivated, throwing a ball is a great option to get him running. Fenced in dog parks are good options too. If tiring him out doesn't help reduce his clingy behaviors, I recommend consulting your vet and having them do a physical exam and likely some screening bloodwork. Sometimes panting, whining, and being generally clingy are the dog's way of telling us that something's not right, which can be the first sign of a disease or health problem. I hope this helps!

Any abrupt change in behavior without a known cause should be investigated by your vet as soon as possible. Sometimes this is the only sign we get of a medical condition. The behavior could be due to feeling ill, being in pain or may be because of a developing neurological condition. Your vet will do an exam, labwork and possibly some diagnostic imaging, x-rays or ultrasound to determine the cause for your pet's change in behavior and, based on the results, will be better able to advise you on treatment options.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be due to general discomfort. That can be due to many conditions. If this continues, I highly recommend that you have Molly evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check on what seems to be going on so that therapy can be used accordingly. Best of luck!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If you have noticed a change in her breathing pattern and she appears to have labored breathing, I would recommend getting her in to be examined by a veterinarian as soon as possible. Without a video, it is difficult to say for sure what the problem is. I hope this helps! Please let me know you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.