Why is my dog panting so much? Normal vs. worrying causes

Your dog is lying on the living room floor, hasn’t exercised, the house isn’t hot… and they’re panting like they just ran a mile. Or they come back from a walk and take forever to catch their breath. Panting is normal for dogs, but when your dog is panting so much without a clear reason, it can be a sign of pain, stress or illness.

This guide explains how to tell normal panting from the worrying kind, how to count your dog’s resting breathing rate, the most common causes, from heat and anxiety to heart disease and Cushing’s, and which signs mean you should head to the emergency vet.

Why do dogs pant?

Dogs barely sweat: their only effective sweat glands are in their paw pads. Their main way to shed heat is panting, fast, shallow, open-mouth breathing that evaporates moisture from the tongue, mouth and airways. That’s why dogs pant during exercise and in the heat, but also when they’re excited, nervous or scared, because an aroused nervous system speeds up breathing.

A healthy dog at rest in a comfortable temperature breathes quietly with the mouth closed or nearly closed, about 10 to 30 times per minute. Flat-faced breeds and overweight dogs start panting sooner and keep it up longer, but that doesn’t make it harmless for them.

Normal vs. abnormal panting: how to tell the difference

How to count your dog’s resting breathing rate

This is the most useful tool for monitoring your dog at home, especially if they have heart disease. While your dog is deeply asleep or lying quietly in a cool room, count how many times the chest rises in 30 seconds and multiply by 2. Avoid counting while they’re dreaming, twitching or whimpering.

• Under 30 breaths per minute while asleep: normal for most dogs.
• Consistently between 30 and 40: mention it to your vet within the next few days.
• Over 40 while asleep, or with visible effort: call your vet the same day.

Write down the numbers for several days in a row: the trend tells you more than a single count.

Common causes of heavy panting in dogs

Heat and heatstroke

Dogs handle heat worse than we do, and flat-faced breeds, overweight dogs, thick-coated dogs, seniors and puppies handle it worst of all. If panting is extreme, with thick drool, a wide, bright red tongue, stumbling or vomiting, it may be heatstroke: cool your dog with cool, not icy, water and get to a vet. Our guide to heatstroke in dogs has the details.

Pain

Panting at rest is one of the most common and most overlooked signs of pain, especially in stoic dogs who don’t whine. Watch for restlessness, trouble getting comfortable, trembling, a hunched posture, limping, licking one spot or not wanting to be touched. Learn the other signs your dog is in pain.

Fear, stress and anxiety

Fireworks, thunderstorms, car rides, vet visits or being left alone can trigger stress panting: a tense mouth with the corners pulled back, ears pinned, yawning, lip licking, trembling or hiding. It starts with the trigger and fades once it’s gone. If that sounds familiar, see how to help a dog afraid of fireworks and thunder.

Heart disease

With congestive heart failure, fluid builds up in or around the lungs and the dog breathes faster, even while asleep. It often comes with coughing (frequently at night), tiring easily on walks, fainting or a swollen belly. It’s common in older small-breed dogs with mitral valve disease, like Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and Poodles, and in some large breeds with dilated cardiomyopathy, like Doberman Pinschers and Great Danes.

Airway problems

• Brachycephalic airway syndrome: in French bulldogs, pugs and English bulldogs, narrow nostrils and an overly long soft palate restrict airflow. These dogs snore, breathe noisily and handle heat and exercise poorly.
• Laryngeal paralysis: typical of older large-breed dogs such as Labrador Retrievers. It causes loud, raspy panting when breathing in, a change in bark and heat intolerance.
• Others: collapsing trachea, pneumonia, fluid in the chest or lung tumors.

Cushing’s disease

Hyperadrenocorticism, or Cushing’s disease, is caused by too much cortisol and is one of the classic hormonal causes of panting at rest. It usually affects middle-aged and older dogs and comes with increased thirst and urination, a bigger appetite, a pot-bellied look, symmetrical hair loss on the sides and thin skin. It’s diagnosed with blood work and specific hormone tests, and it can be treated.

Other causes

• Fever: a high temperature speeds up breathing.
• Anemia: fewer red blood cells mean less oxygen; look for pale gums and weakness.
• Excess weight: fat makes it harder to breathe and to shed heat. Our guide to overweight dogs shows how to check your dog’s body condition.
• Medications: some treatments, such as steroids, increase panting. Don’t stop them on your own; talk to your vet.
• Poisoning: chocolate, snail bait or certain human medications can cause panting along with tremors. Check the dog poisoning symptoms.
• Bloat (GDV): restlessness, panting, unproductive retching and a swollen belly in large, deep-chested breeds. It’s a life-threatening emergency.
• Labor and nursing: panting is normal in the hours before giving birth, but in a nursing mother, panting with trembling and restlessness can signal eclampsia, a dangerous drop in calcium that needs emergency care.
• Canine cognitive dysfunction: some senior dogs with cognitive decline pant and pace restlessly at night.

When panting is an emergency

What to do at home if your dog is panting heavily

1. Move your dog somewhere cool, shaded and quiet, and offer water.
2. Stop any exercise and remove any muzzle that keeps them from opening their mouth.
3. Check their gum color and, if you can, take their temperature.
4. Count their breaths once they’ve settled.
5. If you suspect fear, move them away from the trigger and offer a quiet hiding spot without forcing them out.
6. Record a short video of the panting: it helps a lot if your dog breathes normally once you’re at the clinic.
7. Don’t give human medications to calm them down or ease pain.

What your vet will do

Your vet will listen to the heart and lungs, check gum color, temperature and the belly and, depending on the findings, may recommend blood and urine tests, chest X-rays, an echocardiogram, hormone tests for Cushing’s or a sedated exam of the larynx. Treatment depends on the cause: pain management, heart or hormone medication, weight loss, behavior therapy for fear, or surgery for problems like brachycephalic airway syndrome or laryngeal paralysis.

To prevent avoidable panting, walk your dog during the cooler parts of the day in summer, keep them at a healthy weight, work on fears with a trainer who uses positive reinforcement and keep up with yearly checkups, or twice-yearly ones for seniors. Our guide to senior dog care has more ideas for older dogs.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my dog panting at night?

It may be something as simple as a room that’s too warm or a bed next to a heating vent. If the room is cool, consider pain (arthritis that hurts when lying down, for example), anxiety, cognitive decline in seniors, Cushing’s disease or heart disease. Count your dog’s breaths while they sleep: if it’s repeatedly above 30 per minute or the nighttime panting is new, bring it up with your vet.

Is it normal for an older dog to pant a lot?

Age alone doesn’t explain heavy panting. Older dogs are more likely to have arthritis and other sources of pain, heart disease, Cushing’s disease, laryngeal paralysis or extra weight, and any of these can show up as panting. Seniors also handle heat less well. If your older dog is panting more than they used to, especially at rest, it’s worth a checkup even if they otherwise seem fine.

Why does my dog pant in the car?

Stress and motion sickness are the usual reasons. A carsick dog tends to drool, lick their lips, yawn and sometimes vomit; a stressed dog trembles, whines or can’t stop moving. Heat matters too: the inside of a car warms up very quickly even on mild days, so never leave your dog in a parked car. If your dog pants heavily on every ride, talk to your vet.

Why is my dog panting and shaking at the same time?

That combination usually points to intense fear, pain, fever, nausea or, in some cases, poisoning or heatstroke. If there’s an obvious trigger like a thunderstorm and it stops once the trigger is gone, fear is the likely cause. If it starts for no reason, lasts more than a few minutes or comes with vomiting, weakness, abnormal gum color or stumbling, call your vet right away.

Do flat-faced dogs pant more than other dogs?

Yes. French bulldogs, pugs and English bulldogs have narrow airways that make them work harder to breathe and cool down, so they pant sooner and face a much higher risk of heatstroke. Still, loud snoring, noisy breathing or tiring after a few minutes of walking aren’t normal for the breed: they’re signs of brachycephalic airway syndrome that your vet can assess and often improve with surgery.

Sources

• Merck Veterinary Manual: canine vital signs, hyperadrenocorticism and heart failure.
• American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM): consensus statement on myxomatous mitral valve disease in dogs.
• Royal Veterinary College (RVC): research on brachycephalic airway syndrome and heat-related illness in dogs.
• American Kennel Club (AKC): why dogs pant and when to worry.