Panting

[Guest katieandpadfoot]

My 9 year old female greyhound is panting all the time. She's been doing it since late winter. She doesn't seem to be in pain. Eats and drinks just fine and even plays and runs some too. So is panting normal in older grays? And how do I tell when she is panting in pain?

 

Thanks

[Walliered]

Could she be too hot? I have to keep a box fan on my large male or he pants. I don't think it is normal to pant. What does your vet say?

[Guest katieandpadfoot]

She never really does good with temps above 70. We always have fans and stuff running to keep her cool. Vet never says much about it...says her heart and lungs sound good and her blood work is almost perfect.

[Guest katieandpadfoot]

When she is sleeping she sleeps well and peaceful. Her breathing is not to rapid when she is sleeping.

[EllenEveBaz]

If you've asked the vet specifically about it and s/he says it's ok -- I have a 13-yr-old grey who has become very sensitive to heat and cold the last 4-5 years. In summer, I keep the a/c on 70 and wear long sleeves inside. She pants a fair amount, too, but not as much as you're describing.

 

Panting in pain -- is the body language different from what you remember before the panting started? Does she shift position a lot or pace? Does she stare off in the distance when she's panting, and not pay much attention to you when you call her name or make a noise?

[Guest katieandpadfoot]

EllenEveBaz....I keep the house around 72, but ever since we got her 4 years ago she never has liked the heat. As for the panting pain...she doesn't move or shift a lot no pacing. When she is panting and I call her name she will look at me which is something only in the last year has she started...she used to just ignore us. She is so much more active than she was even a year ago. She now has a yard and loves to jog around it and play a little. I know what her nervous panting is like cause she gets that way with thunderstorms. I'm just not sure what to think..my main thought is I don't wanna miss anything.

[cristar]

We have a nine year old girl that pants a lot too. If it's above 70 degrees in here she starts in. We have the airconditioner

on most of the summer because I hate the heat too. We had to put a fan in front of her kennel because even with the air on sometimes she's just not comfortable.

We go for a walk every night and she pants really hard for about a half hour and then it starts to taper off. We don't walk far, about

4-5 blocks.

She pants after she's played with her stuffie in the living room. She pants when she runs from the living room to our T.V.

room (small house so not very far). She pants after she's run up or down our steps. She pants when she's nervous. She pants when

she's excited.

 

She's been checked. She's just a heavy panter, but it does put the fear in you that something might be really wrong.

[DesiRayMom]

I've got an panter, as well. He's very heat intolerant and anything over 60 deg, he's panting. I keep the a/c on full blast most of the time and

unless he's flat out on his bed under the ceiling fan, he's panting. I keep the bedroom nearly frigid so he doesn't pant all night. It freaks me out

sometimes & he's been vet-checked every 3 months for the past few years. Bloodwork always good, heart strong, lungs clear......I've finally just

tried to accept the fact that he is what he is. I just keep him as cool as possible & summertime walkabouts are really short.

[tra708]

Jackie was a panter too. I kept the AC set at 71 degrees usually, but she still panted a lot. When friends would come over, they would put on a sweater!

[greytpups]

Ben pants a lot more now (he's 12) and my vet said a lot of older dogs pant more. We didn't discuss it any further so I didn't ask why. She said she'd be concerned if it was raspy, but it's normal every day panting.

[Guest FordRacingRon]

I have a couple of threads about my dog and I won't go into details,,but my 11 year old pants almost all the time too. She is absolutely heat sensitive and as she ages it seems to drop 3-4 degrees a year as far as what she can take. Now we are down to about 70-72 as the top end of what she can handle. Southern California edison loves us.

[EllenEveBaz]

Maybe we need to start a club, or a support group? Panters Anonymous

[Guest katieandpadfoot]

Well it sounds like Katie isn't the only one. I'll just keep make sure I keep an eye on it for changes. But she seems like a pretty happy pup. She was running in the back yard after her younger brother today!! Thanks for all the info. I do think Panters Anonymous is a good idea!! Lol.