What is panting?
Your dog with a wide open mouth, short quick breaths and the tongue lolling out the side of the mouth. The tongue often looks like it won’t even fit back inside the mouth! The panting cat has an open mouth, quick short breaths, but the tongue does not protrude much.
Why is my dog panting? Is it normal?
Dogs pant to regulate their temperature. Unlike humans, dogs aren’t able to regulate their temperature using sweat. Instead, they pant to circulate cool air through their bodies using the evaporation of water from the mouth and upper respiratory tract. For cooling only the sweat glands in their pads serve this purpose. Most of the time a dog panting is a normal sign of a dog being excited and hot – taking a rest from exercise. We have all seen our dogs run and play like they are in training for the next rugby game, then flop themselves down with a grin and heavy panting. Fairly quickly breathing starts slowing, becoming deeper and the tongue disappears back where it lives inside the mouth.
Can panting be abnormal?
Signs of something abnormal includes your dog is panting and restless, keeps panting, is panting abnormally, or is panting and shaking. This is especially the case if they’re panting at a time that seems unusual, are in discomfort, or their panting sounds louder or harsher than normal. Dogs can pant when they are feeling stressed or anxious. When you notice your dog panting, keep an eye on their body language, as this can help you determine if your dog is panting because they are feeling worried. Pinning their ears back, tucking their tail underneath them or hiding away and avoiding eye contact are all signs of stress. It is important to try to find the cause of their stress. Less common than other causes, there are some illnesses that can make your dog need to pant including a fever. Most often, your dog will show other signs of their illness, such as coughing, drinking and peeing more, or having low energy. Pain, and the stress it causes can make your dog pant. If your dog seems to be struggling to get his breath or there is a change in the color of his tongue or gums your dog needs veterinary assistance. Dogs panting should make us aware of dehydration and heat stroke.
How about cats?
It is not normal for cats to pant, except for short periods in some circumstances such as escape from a real or perceived threat, playing hard for an extended period of time in a warm environment or extreme stress (some healthy stressed cats may pant if travel in a crate is a new experience). What has your cat been doing? Did you just find him after he snuck out the door and went missing for a couple hours, or has he just been lounging in his favorite spot? Has he been playing hard for an extended period of time? Otherwise panting is a cause for concern. When cats get hot, their preferred means of cooling down are lounging in cool or shady areas often on cool floors of your bathroom or kitchen. You may see them grooming themselves – thought to allow the saliva on their fur to evaporate just like our sweat does. Cats can sweat through their paw pads and noses. Panting (rapid, openmouthed breathing) is a last resort for a cat that is extremely overheated. Clues to a cause come from observation. Observe your cat’s posture and behavior. How often is this happening, and under what circumstances? Normal breathing should be smooth and effortless, with no audible sound and just a gentle rise and fall of your cat’s chest as his lungs expand. Observations of your cat that are of concern include:
• Posturing with the head and neck stretched out and slightly raised. This indicates that the cat is having difficulty breathing and is trying to minimize resistance to air entering the lungs. • Abdominal breathing. The cat’s abdomen will violently expand and contract, helping to force air in and out of the lungs.
• Pale gums. This may indicate poor circulation secondary to a variety of conditions including heart failure, shock, or anemia.
• Rapid shallow breaths. Shallow breaths do not inflate the lungs properly, and may not be providing the body with sufficient oxygen.
• Exercise intolerance. A cat who is suddenly unable to undertake normal activities without panting.
• Signs of distress or illness. This includes signs like unusual hiding, weight loss, unkempt hair coat, and poor appetite.
An asthma attack or trauma to the chest usually will cause respiratory distress to come on suddenly. The other causes tend to be more gradual, with changes in your cat developing slowly and increasing in severity and frequency. For example, a cat going into heart failure may start off by only panting after playing hard, but then start to pant after going up a flight of stairs or even while resting. Although fairly rare in cats, a heartworm infection can cause respiratory difficulty, exercise intolerance, and panting.
Does my cat or dog need a veterinary visit?
What will they do? Bring your observation list and share with your veterinarian. In a veterinary workup for unexplained or frequent panting, your veterinarian will start by listening to heart and lungs for any obvious abnormalities. Bloodwork may be done to check for signs of infection or other illness. Radiographs (x-rays) will be taken to evaluate the chest. On a normal radiograph, lungs will show up mostly black, with the heart a clear, distinct shape and size. X- rays can reveal detail such as the presence of tumors in the lungs, or clouding of the lungs caused by infection or congestion. Other tests include ECG (reads the electric activity of the heart) and ultrasound exam which looks at structure and function of the heart. If your veterinarian suspects a viral, bacterial, or fungal infection to be the cause of your cat’s panting, they may collect a sample to send out to a diagnostic lab. Samples can be taken from the nostrils or the lungs depending on the case, and collection may require sedation or anesthesia depending on the technique used. Rhinoscopy, the use of a tiny flexible camera that is passed into the nasal cavity, can be used to check nasal passages for tumors or other issues and to take biopsies. The specific treatment recommended will depend on the cause of panting, but animals in respiratory distress will often be provided with supplemental oxygen while a cause and treatment can be determined. Panting brings to mind the potentially devastating conditions of dehydration and heat stroke.
Here are some guidelines on preventative measures:
1. Circulate cool air. If the animals stay inside, open the windows, turn on the fan or use air conditioning at a reasonable temperature. If they stay outside they need a shelter from the sun, and not confined in a small enclosed space.
2. Prevent sunburn. Cats and dogs can get sunburn – especially those with white coats, ears and noses, or very thin hair coat. Keep them inside a house or suitable outdoor shelter during times the sun is brightest.
3. Never leave animals in a parked car. Death can occur quickly. Temperatures inside cars can reach astronomical levels on a warm day, and it can take just 15 minutes for a dog or cat to start overheating. Even putting all the windows down leaves it uncomfortably hot. Hot truck boxes are not a good substitute – if you cannot stand in bare feet on the truckbox bed… neither can your dog.
4. On the subject of automobile journeys – keep the trip short if possible. Windows down, or AC on, with plenty of water and fresh air stops. Make sure you have a solid collar, harness and leash. And water and water bowl. For cats a harness that fits snugly, and a secure crate which is placed to allow air movement.
5. Always have clean fresh water in a large container for your cats and dogs. Cats especially prefer clean, fresh water. They will be first at the bowl when water is replaced – this should be done at least daily. Ice cubes floating in the water can be helpful, or even used as a snack.
6. Watch the time when dogs are playing in the sun. Pick early morning or evening for play and walks, and even swimming. Swimming in a safe place can be fun and cooling but overdoing it can cause exhaustion, low blood sugar and ‘swimmer’s or limber tail’ where the tail can be painful or immobile.
7. Check the surfaces your dog will be standing or walking on – pavement, cement and metal can get burning hot. If it’s too hot for your bare feet, it is too hot for your animals.
8. A paddling pool and a garden hose are good ways for your dogs to stay cool.
• DR JO OLVER is a doctor of veterinary medicine. The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the views of this newspaper.
