Hi All.....my Cooper (14 months) pants a lot after running, playing ball, etc. By "a lot" I mean like for half an hour after. Is this normal?
If the weather is warm and he is hot and not able to cool down quickly then I'd say it's not unusual. I'd do what you can to help hin to cool down though. Dogs dont sweat (except through their paws) and so about the only way they have to cool down after exercise or when it's hot is through panting. A better measure of how quickly he is physically recovering after exercise is his heart rate. Your dog's normal heart rate will vary depending on his size and age, so it's hard to say what is normal for him but you can work that out by taking his pulse when he's resting. Measure how many beats you get in 15 seconds and then multiply by 4 to give you the number of beats per minute. Do this half a dozen times and that shousl give you an idea of what is normal. Then, after exercise when he is panting, measure it again and do that every few minutes and see how long it takes to get down to his normal rate again. It should be more like 5 minutes, definitely not half an hour.
Yvonne, I agree with Oberon and want to make sure his heart rate is within normal range first. My 5 1/2 month old is pretty hot natured and pants very easily. I literally have to keep the house cooler than I am comfortable with to keep him comfortable (ok maybe he's a bit spoiled ). All that said I have found ways to help him cool down. If we are going on a walk and it's warm outside, I will poor water over his head or hose him down a bit before we even start walking. This helps him last longer and keeps him from getting too hot. And then when we get home, or anytime he's hot from playing, again water on his head (I will use ice water) and sometimes give him a bowl of crushed ice which he loves. He loves to lay on cold tile floors to cool down as well. Feels good on his belly. My boy prefers to sleep on hard floors vs a couch or bed because he's so warm natured. But I pay close attention to how heavy he is panting. Doing these things he may paint for awhile but it's a light pant. If Cooper is panting heavily for that long, and if he can't seem to cool down even with doing some of these things, definitely worth talking with vet.
Hi Yvonne, I think if it were me I'd pop along to see the vet, just to make sure all is well. Half an hour does seem along time to take to recover from exercise even on a hot day.
Thanks, All. Am off to vet. Cooper had his first year physical last week and all was well, but I forgot to ask about the panting. Better safe than sorry so, hopefully, vet will put my mind at ease.......
Well, I guess what I consider panting is heavy breathing!!! Vet asked how long does he "pant" with mouth open....maybe 5 minutes/10 at most. Then his tummy goes up on down rapidly (which I considered panting) but she does not......vet says in takes some time to get back to normal breathing when they come into the house and you have the heating system running!! So, I am going to do what some of you have said.....wet his heat with cold water, maybe make him rest outside for a few minutes before coming inside the house. And see how he does. Vet says he is 100% fine!.....guess I'm a worried human of a dog I love! Soon the heating system will not be working (we have had cold mornings but temps go up during the day) and the A/C will be on so then I should notice a difference. Thanks All for your responses. Maybe I worry about these things because I am a first time dog human and all is new to me.....but better safe than sorry, right? Thanks again. Have a great day.
Good to hear that all is well with Cooper. If in doubt it's always best to check with the vet - our dogs are too precious not to.
