They could be restless, laid out flat, and/or not responding to you because they are so focused on cooling themselves. Treating heatstroke requires emergency veterinary care.ĭogs that are overheated pant very heavily and will likely appear uncomfortable in some way. Overheating, or heatstroke, will cause heavy panting in dogs, which can quickly lead to dehydration and death if untreated. This is a common side effect, and if your dog’s panting is excessive, you should talk with your vet. Medications, especially prednisone or other steroids, may cause increased panting even when your dog is not hot, excited, or stressed. Your veterinarian can assess whether your dog is panting because they are in pain by conducting a thorough examination and possibly diagnostic tests. It is important to know that dog panting can indicate nausea, discomfort, and pain. Are their eyes wide and weary? Are they looking away and yawning? These are some common body language cues that indicate your panting dog is stressed.Īssess the situation to determine how you can make your dog more comfortable to prevent them from becoming fearful or more stressed. If you see your dog panting, take note of their body language. Similar to dog panting that’s brought on by excitement, dogs also commonly pant and whine when they are stressed. This type of panting can be rapid and shallow, and it’s often accompanied by whining. Panting is a normal behavioral response when something exciting happens, like meeting new people or getting a treat. Excitementĭogs also pant when they are excited. This type of normal panting can be quite heavy, but the level of heavy breathing should correlate with the air temperature or amount of activity your dog is doing. The evaporation of water cools the body from the inside out.Ī large amount of water can be evaporated in a short amount of time when a dog’s panting, so always make sure that your dog has access to plenty of fresh water on hot days. Panting allows a dog to rapidly inhale, humidify, then exhale the air, which increases the evaporation of water from your dog’s nose and lungs. It helps dogs cool themselves down because they can’t sweat like humans do.

Panting is a normal behavior for happy and active dogs. Here are some common reasons why dogs pant. So how do you know when your dog’s panting is a sign that something’s wrong? Here’s what you need to know about dog panting.

Panting can be a normal behavior for a dog, but it can also signal an underlying medical issue.

Your dog painting