My old dog is out of breath easily. What causes it? Is it asthma?

This can be a number of respiratory issues including laryngeal paralysis, laryngeal obstruction, or just a benign condition called reverse sneezing, where it appears he is struggling to breathe but it is actually a tickling of the larynx and completely harmless. See this video for an example of reverse sneezing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IszRBYxsGI The event has to be seen to give you a better idea of if this is something to worry about or not. I would recommend recording the next episode on your phone and then showing the video to your vet for advise on what to do. If at any point your pet's tongue turns blue or he passes out or if you feel that he is in respiratory distress, then I encourage you to go to an ER vet.

Poor girl. Heavy breathing that just starts in an older dog is highly suspicious of things like heart disease, a primary lung disease or even cancer. The next best step here would be to get Lady to your local vet for an x-ray of her chest. This is a great diagnostic tool to help up definitively say what is causing her breathing issues so that we know how to proceed with Lady and get her breathing as normal as possible again. I hope that you are able to get Lady checked out soon! Best of luck and take care.

Hi and thanks for posting! If Hunter is having some breathing trouble, I would recommend he see a veterinarian ASAP for exam. Your veterinarian will listen to his lungs and heart and may take an x-ray to help determine the cause so he can get the most appropriate treatment. I hope this helps and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

I am sorry to hear about Pinta. These symptoms are unfortunately concerning, especially in an older dog. Difficulty breathing is a very serious condition and considered an emergency if she is struggling to get breath normally. Possible causes can vary from primary lung issues such as infections like pneumonia, chronic bronchitis, and tumors in the lung. Heart disease can also result in breathing problems, as can sudden anemia due to bleeding inside the body cavity. I would recommend getting Pinta into the vet as soon as possible, and if she is struggling to breath then she needs to visit the emergency vet if your vet is closed. They will examine her and likely recommend x-rays of the lungs. This will help them determine if treatment is possible or if she can be made more comfortable. Best of luck to you and Pinta.

This could be due to a few different problems that can likely be treated effectively. One possibility is heart failure. They tend to have a decrease in activity and tire more easily after exercise with this condition. It can also cause them to have labored breathing and wheezing after exercise. This can be dramatically improved with medication. Another possibility is that she has a condition known as laryngeal paralysis. This can cause very noisy breathing after exercise. This can be corrected with surgery. It's worthwhile to at-least have Sammie evaluated by a veterinarian. They can likely narrow-down the possibilities with an exam and possibly a few tests. I hope that helps and Sammie gets better soon.

Based on what you are describing I would be concerned that your dog has fluid in her chest and her lungs. This is usually the result of heart disease which is not uncommon in an older dog like Sufii. Other causes of fluidy sounding breathing can be something like pneumonia. My best recommendation would be to take her to your veterinarian where she can listen to her heart and lungs and see if they sound normal. Your vet may also recommend doing chest x-rays to evaluate the heart and lungs as well. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

This may be due to allergies, infection, laryngeal paralysis or hyperthermia just to name a few causes. In an older dog, heart disease cannot be ruled out. Respiratory distress should be addressed as soon as possible by your veterinarian or at the nearest veterinary ER. If it is hot outside or inside, remove Burt to a cooler area. Use a fan and cool cloths to gradually cool him off.