My older Shih-Tzu is panting and snorting, vets can't find why?

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.

I'm sorry to hear about Mimi not feeling well. If she is panting that heavily and isn't somewhere where it is very warm, I would be concerned that this is a sign of pain or distress. It would be hard to tell if it is medication related or not, but it is a good idea to let the vet treating her know this is going on. They may want to further change her medication routine, or even have her come in for additional tests such as X-rays or bloodwork to rule out any additional issues that could be causing her stress.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Lady! I love your pictures! There are many possible reasons for Lady's symptoms. The heart rate is fine, it is normal to have a low resting heart rate at home. The fact it isn't high is reassuring that she isn't in pain or distress. The panting can be from: canine cognitive dysfunction or dementia, Cushing's disease, feels over heated and a lot of older large breed dogs just overall pant more. Causes for the bloated belly are: overweight (fat in belly), enlarged liver from Cushing's, low thyroid, tumor in her belly. I think a Vet exam, blood work and belly X-rays are a good idea to see if there is a medical reason for the symptoms you are seeing. I hope this helps and I wish Lady the very best!

It is hard to say the exact cause of her breathing. I would be concerned about a possible upper respiratory infection, pneumonia, heart disease, heartworm disease or pain. I would recommend taking her to a veterinarian for a good listen to her chest and possible chest x-rays.

I'm sorry to hear Lala is having issues. There can be multiple causes for wheezing in dogs, including heart disease, a collapsing trachea, upper respiratory tract infections, allergies, or another underlying issue. If she does not seem in distress, you can monitor her to see if it is persistent. If she is having trouble breathing or you are concerned, I would have her evaluated by a veterinarian right away. Otherwise I would touch base with her regular veterinarian to discuss what may be going on and if she needs an exam or X-rays to get to the bottom of it. Good luck!

It seems like something neurologic is going on with Luna based on the description of pacing and panting. I'm assuming this was the original problem with her when you took her to the other vets. It's encouraging that those tests were normal and helps to rule-out many life threatening problems, but it looks like more tests would need to be done to find the cause. I'm not sure what the stomach coating pills, antibiotics and pain are all attempting to correct, but I would need to know all of her previous information in order to comment on that. You may consider requesting a consult with one of our experts, so that you can send all the information, pictures and have the ability to chat back and forth for as long as necessary. It appears that an accurate diagnosis is lacking with Luna. I recommend scheduling a recheck appointment with one of the vets that has seen Luna and ask them what it will take to get a definitive diagnosis. Sometimes we attempt to treat for the common causes of a problem prior to suggesting costly diagnostics. If the treatment doesn't appear effective, then a new strategy is in order. I hope that helps and Luna gets better soon.

If he truly has something caught in his trachea then this is an emergency. I would highly encourage you to have him evaluated by a veterinarian immediately. Other causes of Cough and snoring type behavior include upper respiratory infection such as kennel cough, tracheal collapse in small breed dogs, And even heart disease. The veterinarian will likely recommend a chest x-ray to help determine the diagnosis and best treatment plan. Best of luck and I hope Chucho improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.