Why is my senior dog breathing heavily and pacing restlessly?

I am sorry missy is not feeling well. With her older age I would be concerned about heart disease, lung disease, heartworm disease and pain. Unfortunately pain can cause increase in respiratory rate. I would recommend considering a second opinion to re check her heart and lungs and start her on proper pain medications. Also the diarrhea can be secondary to the above issues. I would recommend some basic bloodwork to make sure missy doesn't have any internal problems that can lead to the diarrhea.

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.

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.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. With these symptoms I am very worried about what could be going on with Miss Piggy. If she was exhibiting respiratory problems last night and then fell over, she could have passed out due to lack of oxygen / blood to the brain. I would be worried about primary heart disease / failure and respiratory disease that has lead to these symptoms. Seeing that Miss Piggy is older in the photos, heart disease and respiratory disease are definitely my top suspicions. I would strongly recommend that you get her seen by an emergency veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I would have her blood tested and have x-rays taken of her chest to see what is going on. Unfortunately, there is not much you can do in the meantime for her if this is her heart or respiratory disease. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

It really depends on the situation. They can breathe fast normally with exercise, excitation and an increase in environmental temperature. If you are sure that none of those are a factor and her breathing rate has definitely increased from normal, then it could be due to a problem affecting the heart, lungs, or red blood cells. In this case it's best to have her evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible to prevent further complications. Below is a link to a good guide on how to evaluate her breathing before scheduling a visit to the vet. I hope that helps and all is well with Maisie.

Hi. It sounds like he is having respiratory signs. This could be from many things such as....upper respiratory infection, cardiac disease, primary respiratory disease, cancers, or other infectious causes. With his age, he needs a full exam, labs, and chest x-rays. If he is in respiratory distress, you will want to go to the ER.

I am so sorry that Dylan is having a hard time. You are right to be worried. At his age, I would be worried about heart failure or cancer potentially making his breathing abnormal and causing him to be restless. Pneumonia is another concern. Unfortunately there isn’t anything you can do at home to help him breathe better. You need to get him in to see a vet right away. Seek a veterinary ER now. If you don’t have an ER in your area, call your regular vet—they likely have a recording for how to reach a vet after hours.