Why is my senior Lab having trouble breathing and gagging at night?

I'm sorry Roxy has been so sick lately! Her symptoms could be caused by cardiac disease, respiratory disease, or even cancer. Unfortunately, cancer is always a possibility in a senior Lab. I would have her seen by a vet in the morning for a physical exam, blood tests, urinalysis, and x-rays. Using these tests, the vet can diagnose what is causing her symptoms and can discuss treatment options with you.

There are many things this could be: * laryngeal paralysis * congestive heart failure * severe pain * hypothyroidism * pulmonary thromboembolism * pneumonia * bloat * many more possibilities.... He really needs to get to the vet for an exam and possibly some blood testing and/or x-rays so you can get a diagnosis. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Zeta has been having labored breathing. Difficulty breathing can be a sign of primary respiratory disease, such as pneumonia, fluid in the lungs or chest, or even lung cancer. Heart disease can also cause fluid to build up in the lungs, which can lead to difficulty breathing, especially at night. I recommend monitoring her breathing rate and effort. If she is breathing more than 40 breaths per minute, or using her abdomen to help her breathe, I recommend having her evaluated by a veterinarian. I hope this is helpful!

I would discuss other treatment options with your vet. I understand that ultrasound can often be cost prohibitive, but your vet may be able to prescribe medications based on their best guess of the cause of the illness. Based on the labored breathing, weakness, and gagging, I would be worried about Donny's heart and lungs. I know heartworm disease is not terribly common, but it is still a possibility. Other possibilities include heart failure, pneumonia, hypertension, or cancer. You might discuss radiographs with your veterinarian to look inside Donny's chest. Increased potassium could indicate lab error, renal failure, gastrointestinal issues, or possibly Addison's Disease, or it could be normal. Elevated white blood cells can indicate bacterial or viral infection, inflammation, or cancer.

I think you may be able to share videos with a consult, but the best thing to do is have Sadie seen by a vet. You can show the vet the video and they can examine her to see if there are any serious problems with her breathing. If there are, the vet can diagnose them and discuss treatment options. I'd take her into a vet today. Best of luck.

Poor Zoe! I would be very concerned that she has a serious medical problem causing her symptoms such as heart disease, which is common in senior dogs. Heart disease leads to exercise intolerance, and it would cause her to become weak during normal activity and fall over. These symptoms are certainly not normal, and she needs a visit to the vet as soon as possible for a physical exam, routine blood tests, urinalysis, and chest x-rays. Once the cause of her symptoms are found, the vet can discuss treatment options with you. Heart disease cannot be cured, but it can be medically managed. I would get her into a vet tomorrow or first thing Monday. Good luck, I hope this helps!

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.