Avon Lodge Veterinary Group

Each month we intend to put a number of popular questions to our vets relating to general pet health and care. Whilst in no way intended to replace a professional diagnosis, we hope that the information and advice provided on these pages are useful. There is also a number of excellent fact sheets created by the Blue Cross pet charity, to the right of this page.

Dog Questions:

Why do dogs pant so much?

There are two reasons why dogs pant:

1)When they are overheated

Dogs cannot sweat to lose heat by evaporation from the skin as we humans do – they cannot sweat through their pads either like cats are able to. The only way for a dog to lose heat by evaporation to cool themselves is via the respiratory system, which means panting.

Dogs can get heatstroke just as we can. Never run your dog for a long time in hot or very humid weather and then leave them in a confined space e.g. your car, even with fresh water to drink.
Always offer fresh water after a period of exercise and if you are concerned that he is struggling to cool down then you must wash him with cold water using buckets or a hose pipe.
Swelling of the larynx is caused by excessive panting and can lead to laryneal oedema and respiratiory distress. It is also important to keep your dog at their correct weight and keep their coats trimmed and light.

2)When our dogs become elderly and muddled or have chronic low grade discomfort.

Older dogs can become increasingly muddled and confused, especially when their hearing and sight deteriorates. They worry when they cannot be with you for reassurance and so tend to pant partly as an attention seeking behaviour and partly as a way of comforting themselves. This may be coupled with low grade joint or arthritic discomfort which is slightly relieved by panting.

Older dogs will also tend to pant around the time you are going to bed or giving them signals that you are going to leave them. They will often pace around the house and sometimes whine or howl as well. This again is an attention seeking behaviour.

More Questions:

Why should I vaccinate my dog?

How often should I have it vaccinated?

What diseases does the vaccination guard against?

What is a microchip and should I get one for my dog?

What are worms and how can I tell if my dog has them?

How can I tell if my dog has fleas?

If I find fleas, how can I treat them?

Are ticks a problem in South Wiltshire?

How can I stop my dog from barking at the postman?

My dog thinks it’s the boss – how can I reassert my role as “top dog” in the household?

Why do dogs pant so much?