There are many kinds of lung disease. We hope that our big long list of causes of rapid breathing in puppies hasnt frightened you too much. Puppies with heart disease may have soft coughs and be very lethargic. Registration confirmation will be emailed to you, By joining the Forum, I agree that I am aged over 18 and that I will abide by the Community Guidelines and the Terms. Be especially wary of exercising puppies on hot days, as the two heat sources can overwhelm their compensation mechanisms and lead to heatstroke heatstroke can be fatal, especially in puppies, so always help them cool down if they are panting too hard. Finally, remember that control of the breathing rate is related to specific parts of the brain. If the heart isnt doing its job properly, the lungs sometimes have to compensate by breathing faster. Whether its from running a marathon or just running up the stairs too quickly! due to severe vomiting and diarrhoea. Generally, puppies with lung infections also have a fever, a cough and are quite poorly, so please speak to your vet if you suspect a lung infection. The developing heart undergoes a lot of changes before a puppy is born. Lets break down the specific causes of fast breathing in puppies into groups, and go from there. Cortisol is also responsible for an increased breathing rate due to pain. Swollen tummies can also occur due to blockages from swallowed objects or stools, twisted intestines or fluid in the abdomen. These cause the blood to flow in the wrong direction, or the heart to have to work harder against pressure. Lung diseases affect the lungs capacity or performance, resulting in reduced oxygen intake. If your puppy has bumped their head, please speak to a vet quickly, especially if they are breathing fast, are collapsed or bleeding, or are an abnormal colour. Stress, excitement or fear are all linked to the stress hormone cortisol. Today we will go over the various reasons why your puppy might be breathing fast. Joe Dunne BVMedSci (hons), BVM BVS (hons), MRCVS, Causes of Tachypnoea/Breathing Fast in Puppies. Required fields are marked *. These diseases damage the lungs, fill them with infection and reduce the area available for oxygen and carbon dioxide to be exchanged. The heart is closely linked to the lungs. It pumps blood to the lungs, allowing oxygen and carbon dioxide to be exchanged. Very sick puppies can become hypovolaemic this means there isnt enough blood fluid to transport the oxygen the puppy needs, so the lungs compensate. Breathing fast will help correct this quickly. If a puppy has been running around all afternoon, its body will have a huge demand for oxygen to supply the hard-working cells, and a lot of CO2 to remove. A fever due to illness can cause rapid breathing for the same reason. But if the organs get too big they can start to compress the lungs too much, they reduce its capacity for oxygen movement and causing tachypnoea. Question answered! Finally, the red blood cells themselves (the cells that carry oxygen) can be low (anaemia) or damaged. This might be the cause of the fast breathing rate. We can sometimes hear these defects with a stethoscope as a heart murmur. For the majority of puppies, breathing fast is a short-lived and normal effect and shouldnt worry you. So if the chemoreceptors detect low blood pH and O2, and high CO2, they tell the lungs and associated muscles to work faster (tachypnoea or breathing fast). Secondary infections after inhaling objects such as grass seeds (or just a simple blockage) are also a common cause of tachypnoea. More than likely, you just have a very excitable puppy who wont calm down! My dog is panting excessively What could be wrong? However, not all tachypnoea is directly linked to the heart or lungs. The abdomen is close to the lungs and the abdominal organs even push up on the diaphragm when animals breathe out to help expel air. Has your puppy just had a fright or gotten excited? Hypovolaemia can also occur due to bleeding. As the heart is a muscle, it needs oxygen to function. These events are obviously an emergency as there could be other issues going on like internal bleeding. Breathing fast is usually normal, though it can be a sign of a lack of fitness or even disease. Well, we hope you enjoyed this article about. In these cases, the puppy will often be breathing quite fast. My dog is panting excessively - What could be wrong. So why is your puppy breathing fast? Finally, the lungs have a secondary function of helping to cool the body down by expelling warm air and inhaling cooler air. Your email address will not be published. There are plenty of normal reasons why your puppy might be breathing fast. As mentioned above, the most likely reason is exercise. There are many causes of red blood cell dysfunction, including chronic disease, parasites, autoimmune diseases, carbon monoxide or onion poisoning. My dog has a cough is it a cold or COVID-19? Increased carbon dioxide leads to a drop in the pH of the blood it becomes more acidic. There is also a rare congenital disease that allows abdominal organs to enter the thorax where the lungs are, pushing on them we can correct this with surgery. Most heart diseases in puppies are present from birth developing heart disease at such a young age is rare. The oxygen goes round the body to our cells, providing them with energy to function, producing more CO2 as a waste product. All of the above are emergencies that need to be seen by a vet ASAP. Home All Posts Dogs Why is my Puppy Breathing Fast? A member of our team will investigate this further. You probably want a bit more information than that. You should only consider talking to a vet if the puppy is breathing fast for prolonged periods of time, or there are other signs of disease. Save my name and email in this browser for the next time I comment. Only the most serious heart defects cause disease and tachypnoea as a puppy many will either cause no effects or result in disease later in life. Also known as the fight-or-flight hormone, when it activates it increases the heart rate. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. If there isnt enough oxygen in the blood, the lungs compensate, breathing faster sometimes there isnt enough oxygen in the blood because of an issue with the blood itself. A puppy with a big swollen belly should always be investigated for these diseases. To compensate, the lungs speed up lung disease often results in very fast but shallow breathing. Finally, the lungs can also be physically damaged, reducing their capacity and resulting in compensatory tachypnoea. Brain damage can sometimes result in tachypnoea, as well as other serious neurological issues. If your puppy sadly hurts themself, they may breathe faster. Puppies with these issues are often pale, cold and have blue gums. These include kennel cough, bronchopneumonia, viral infections like influenza, and lungworm. Examples include bruising or puncture after an accident, or damage to the ribs or diaphragm that control lung movement. Sometimes newborn puppies can be born breathing very rapidly as a result of their lungs not functioning properly. Learn how your comment data is processed. A faster heart leads to tachypnoea as the lungs compensate to bring more O2 to the heart. Heat is produced secondarily to exercise or just because of the environment if your puppy is too hot, it will pant fast to lose some of that heat. When our bodies are metabolising (producing energy) fast, such as during exercise, we use up oxygen and produce more carbon dioxide. Okay, okay. If a puppy loses too much blood, there wont be enough to supply all the tissues with oxygen, so breathing increases. These puppies are often dehydrated, e.g. For reference, a puppys normal resting breathing rate is 15-40 breaths per minute, a little higher than an adult dogs 10-30. Newborn puppies are very vulnerable, so a puppy like this will need a lot of veterinary care. Thank you for your help. Special receptors in arteries and on the brainstem called chemoreceptors detect the levels of CO2 and O2 , and the bloods pH (acidity) constantly. The result is excessive strain on the heart. We hope that you all remember from biology class that breathing in brings oxygen into our lungs, swapping it with carbon dioxide to be expelled. There is usually an underlying cause, and in puppies is probably due to an accident. However, sometimes these changes go wrong or dont take place, resulting in congenital heart malformations, such as narrow vessels, holes in the heart or leaky valves. We all get out of breath occasionally. One of the most common reasons for a swollen belly in puppies is worms puppies should be treated for worms regularly to prevent this. Our bodies are pretty good at knowing what they want. Once the levels are normal, the receptors tell the lungs to slow down again. Can dogs and cats have blood transfusions? As dogs only sweat through their feet and noses, the lungs are particularly important in regulating heat. If your new puppy is breathing fast, you might be wondering if its normal or if you need to visit a vet. Your email address will not be published. In puppies, the most common are probably infectious lung diseases. 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