My golden retriever is whining and panting. Is she in heat or sick?

Poor Roxy! It doesn't sound silly at all! You know her better than anyone and it definitely sounds like a change. This is likely just her hormones being a little out of whack. As long as she is eating and drinking normally, I wouldn't be too concerned. If she gets to the point where she is always whining or lethargic or a change in appetite, I would have your vet take a look at her. Your vet will be able to do an exam to ensure nothing else is going on. I hope this helps!

Hello, and thanks for your question about Rhett. Dogs may pant for many reasons, including being overheated or out of breath, but also anxiety, pain, and illness. If Rhett otherwise is acting like himself then I wouldn't be too worried and you can monitor him tonight, but if you see any other signs that concern you, then it's worth a visit to your vet to have him checked. There's a good chance that he's fine, but sometimes panting is our first signal that something's wrong, so it's a good idea to keep a close eye on him.

I would recommend that Rebel get checked out by a vet. It is possible that these symptoms could be completely normal, but it is also possible that they could be caused by heart disease, lung disease, a narrowed trachea, among a few other things. One thing you can do to help out the vet is to get a sleeping respiratory rate. What you do is wait until Rebel is completely asleep (not just resting and not during a dream) and count how many times his chest moves/breaths in 1 minute. If the number is over 25, this would support heart or lung disease. An x-ray would help your vet determine if there is narrowing to the trachea.

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.

Hello Paula, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It does not sound to me like she is just trying to assert dominance over you. That would be very odd for a 6 year old dog to just start acting like that out of the blue. Her symptoms, to me, sound more like she has pain somewhere like her back. When dogs are panting excessively it is most often due to pain and/or anxiety. I suggest you get all her blood testing results and copies of her X-rays and go to another vet for a second opinion. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

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!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sometimes female dogs will urine mark when they are in heat (having their period). But if Chica is having small, frequent urinations with straining she may have a urinary tract infection unrelated to being in heat. I recommend collecting a urine sample and taking Chica to your Vet for an exam. They can check her urine for infection. I hope this helps and I wish Chica a speedy recovery!