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Why is my senior dog panting more? Is it anxiety from cataracts?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Male | neutered | 13 years and 5 months old | 11 lbs

Thanks for this service. My dog is a 13 year old dachshund mix. He's recently started panting more than normal. I noticed this about a month ago and then he stopped doing it so I ignored it. Then he started doing it again in the past few days. He has cataracts in both eyes just starting to develop and maybe it's a possibility that the loss in vision is giving him anxiety. Are there any low cost options for treatment? Can you give me any peace of mind while I save for treatment?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on August 3rd, 2017

Thank you for your question! The increased panting could be due to a number of things. Based on your location, the outside temperature could be making things a bit more warm for Reese and as he is an older guy, he most likely does not tolerate the heat as well as he used to. Due to his age, I would certainly want a basic blood panel run on Reese to see if there are any systemic causes of the panting. I know this is not necessarily a low cost option but it would give you the most information to start with. If the cataracts are causing blindness and consequently causing anxiety due to this, there unfortunately is not much for a low cost option to help with the cataracts. I would see if putting a fan nearby reduces his panting. For anxiety, you can try an Adaptil collar and diffuser (all available online) to see if this helps with anxiety and the panting. If no improvement, I would definitely get in to see your regular veterinarian for a further, more detailed workup. Hope this helps and do feel free to contact me with any further questions / concerns you may have.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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