Breathing fast most of the time, is normal for dogs: during fever, when it is hot, during intense physical activity, after a period of excitement, play, etc.
Dogs don’t sweat, they have very few sweat glands. They mainly regulate their body temperature by panting, so their breathing is faster. This is what happens when they are too hot or have a fever. The respiratory rate quickly returns to normal when the dog is calm in a sufficiently cool room.
Dogs can also breathe fast while dreaming. This may be associated with moaning, pawing movements, etc.
Warning: dogs are very sensitive to heat, they can get heatstroke. Polypnea (rapid breathing) then turns into dyspnea (breathing difficulties). Dogs of brachycephalic, overweight, etc. breeds are particularly susceptible to it. Do not hesitate to read our sheet on heat stroke in dogs for more information.
When should you be worried about breathing fast?
fast breathing is abnormal if the animal:
- has other associated symptoms: discharge, cough, respiratory rales, etc.
- can’t catch his breath
- often exhibits rapid breathing (as soon as he walks, for example)
- breathes fast for a long time for no apparent reason (dog at rest)
- Certain respiratory conditions can lead to rapid breathing: diaphragmatic hernia, pulmonary oedema, pleural disease, etc.
Rapid breathing in dogs can also be due to something other than a respiratory condition: obesity, heart failure, nerve damage, anemia, poisoning with anticoagulant rat poison… Stress and pain in dogs can also lead to an increase in respiratory rate.
In this case, it is advisable to consult a veterinarian: a clinical examination and, if necessary, additional examinations will make it possible to determine why the animal is breathing quickly.
Why is my dog breathing faster than usual?
When a dog accelerates his breathing, this can be a physiological phenomenon of adaptation to the environment (this is polypnea) or the sign of a pathological problem (this is called tachypnea).
Thermal polypnea
The dog hardly sweats. When he is hot and/or he has to provide intense physical effort, the dog normally regulates his internal temperature by accelerating his breathing: during panting, the respiratory rate can rise to 200 movements per minute! As the bucco-nasal mucous membranes and the tongue are always moist exchange surfaces, the evaporation of water allows excessive heat to be evacuated. In addition, the dog has a special gland near the nostrils which provides the water necessary for the loss of heat by evaporation.
The different modes of panting
Depending on the ambient temperature and their level of physical activity, dogs pant in several different ways; they can inhale and exhale through the nose only, inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth, or use both inhale and exhale routes. In the last case, the evaporation is maximum because it takes place at the same time by the nasal mucosa, the tongue and the oral surface. When it is necessary to further increase the intensity of the cooling, the blood vessels of the nasal mucosa expand.
The physiological limits of thermal polypnea
When a dog pant, he limits the volume inspired and expired with each respiratory cycle but he still requires a lot of his respiratory muscles. This thermal polypnea therefore consumes energy and puts a lot of strain on the heart. If the external temperature becomes too high, the dog gets tired and can no longer cope with the situation: the conditions are then met for heat stroke to occur. This accident is always very serious and even if urgent care is practiced, the vital prognosis of the dog remains reserved.
Short-faced dogs, such as bulldogs or pugs, do not tolerate heat very well because their airways are too short to allow them to properly cool the air they inhale.
The stress
Like us, dogs tend to breathe faster when they feel strong emotions, especially when veterinary visits make them nervous! In front of the veterinarian, it is common for the respiratory rate to be much higher than 30 movements per minute while the rate goes down at home. This is called the “white coat effect!” »
Diseases
A dog that breathes abnormally quickly, even if the temperature and the environment are normal, tries to compensate for an insufficient supply of oxygen, the causes of which can be very varied: circulatory problem, cardiac, obstacle in the respiratory tract, alteration of the lung tissue , etc.
If your dog is suffering from breathing difficulties, your veterinarian may ask you to measure his respiratory rate regularly to check that the treatment is working. If the disease is well controlled, its respiratory rate will in principle remain below 30 movements/minute; conversely, a persistent increase is a warning sign that should cause the treatment to be reassessed.
