FRMy pet is panting or struggling to breathe: the panting is not the problem; the effort and the context are
Your dog is panting while lying in the living room, at night, when it is not hot and he has not been running. For a dog, panting is first of all the way he cools down: after exercise, in the heat or when he is excited, it is normal, and it stops when the reason goes away. At rest, in the cool, for no reason, it is a sign: of pain, of fear, of an illness settling in, or of a medication. This page helps you tell the difference and know when to go, when to call and when to book. What it will never say: wait and see.
This guide helps you triage; it does not replace your veterinarian's exam. When in doubt, call us at 514 223-1197.
Is your cat breathing with its mouth open? Cats almost never pant the way dogs do. Go straight to section 2, then leave for the vet. Everything else on this page is about dogs.
Go now: the signs that cannot wait
Any single one of these is enough. You do not have to tick several, or decide which is worst. Read the list in two passes: first what you can see, then what you already know about your pet.
Emergency: go now, do not recount
Real difficulty breathing is a life-threatening emergency that can tip over in minutes. Do not wait: head to the emergency clinic and call on the way so the team can ready oxygen. The signs to recognize:
- A cat breathing with its mouth open, or panting
- Gums or tongue turning blue, grey or very pale: a serious and late sign, never wait for it to appear before acting
- A belly pumping hard, laboured or noisy breathing
- Neck stretched out, elbows held away, refusing to lie down
- Restlessness you cannot calm, or loss of consciousness
A cat in distress: as little handling as possible
A cat that is struggling to breathe is extremely fragile: the stress of being restrained can worsen its state all at once. Do not force its mouth open, place it gently in its carrier, keep the trip calm and cool, and let us know you are on the way.
Where to go. During our opening hours, call us on the way: we will tell you whether to come here or whether a 24/7 centre is safer for your pet. Outside our hours, evenings, nights, weekends and holidays, we have no emergency service: go straight to the nearest 24/7 emergency centre. At the wheel, no phone in your hand: have a passenger call, use hands-free, or call before you pull out.
What you can also see
- His belly is swelling, hardening or very painful to the touch; or he tries to vomit again and again and almost nothing comes up. A little foam or drool may come out: that still counts. Either one is enough, especially if he paces, keeps looking at his flank and cannot find a position. That is the picture of bloat with a twisted stomach (gastric torsion), and it is a race against time.
- He cannot stay standing, he is staggering, or he collapsed. And if your dog collapsed once and got back up on his own, it still counts, even if he looks fine now: a dog who goes down and comes back is not a dog who is well, he is a dog who had an episode. If he is still flat while you are reading this, it is now. If he is completely back to himself, it is the same day, no discussion. And panting or not, a dog who no longer responds to your voice, seems absent or suddenly becomes disoriented goes now. (After a seizure, our Seizures page says what is expected and what means go.)
What you already know about him
- He is panting harder and faster in the heat, after exertion, or after being shut in a car, a sunroom, a garage or a yard with no shade. At the first sign (abnormal panting, weakness, very red gums), get him out of the heat and cool him with cold water, over the whole body, with moving air. Cool first, then drive to the vet while you keep cooling. It is the one exception to leaving right away. And if he got very hot or worked hard in the last three days, panting at rest that does not settle means go as well: heatstroke damage can show up later.
- He may have swallowed something toxic: chocolate, grapes or raisins, sugar-free peanut butter or gum containing xylitol, cannabis, a human medication, antifreeze, a mushroom from the yard, compost. Do not make him vomit, and bring the packaging or a piece of the plant. A decongestant cold medicine, a caffeine pill, coffee beans or grounds, an ADHD medication or an antidepressant from the house: go as soon as you know he swallowed some, even if he seems fine. These products can cause panting, agitation and trembling, sometimes hours later.
- She is unspayed, her last heat was a few weeks to a few months ago, and she is flat, eating less or vomiting: pyometra, an infection of the uterus, often starts as a flat dog who stops eating and drinks a great deal. There is not always a visible discharge, and it is precisely the form without discharge that is the more dangerous one.
- She is nursing puppies, and she pants and is restless for no clear reason, even before any trembling; or, before, during or after whelping, she trembles, stiffens, walks oddly or has a seizure. The calcium in her blood can drop, mostly while she nurses, and that is an emergency.
- In the minutes or hours after a vaccine, an injection or a wasp or bee sting, he breathes fast and cannot settle, struggles or makes noise when he breathes, collapses, or his gums turn pale or bluish, even with no swelling and no hives. A sting in the mouth, on the tongue or in the throat, or swelling of the head or neck that keeps spreading, means the same thing, even if he is still breathing well. Give him nothing by mouth.
- He had surgery or was put under in the last few days, and he is working hard to breathe, has a cough that keeps getting worse or sounds wet, turns weak, collapses or will not wake, or his belly swells or a bruise spreads across it. Early in internal bleeding his gums can still look pink: do not rely on them.
- He is diabetic, or he has started drinking a lot lately, and he is vomiting, off his food, weak, breathing badly or his breath smells sweet.
- He has known Cushing's disease, heart disease or anemia, and his breathing changes all at once, within hours: clearly faster at rest, with effort, or he refuses to lie down. A slow rise from one day to the next, without effort, is the same day (section 4).
- He took a knock in the last 48 hours: a car, a fall, a fight, a door, a shoulder-check from a big dog at the park. Major trauma, hit by a car or a fall from a height, is seen now, even if the animal seems fine. After a knock, panting at rest counts, even with gums that still look pink.
One is enough. You do not have to work out which of these matters most. If one of them speaks to you, go. If you are unsure, call anyway: triage is our job, not yours. Outside our hours a 24/7 emergency centre answers, and describing the situation on the phone commits you to nothing.
On the way. Do not hold off leaving to film, recount or check gums. Keep the car cool and the ride calm: heat makes him pant harder, and stress can make him worse. Let him pick his own position: a dog struggling to breathe often refuses to lie on his side, so do not make him; if he is weak, lay him on his belly with his chin on a pillow and his neck stretched out. A big dog who can no longer walk takes two people and a blanket held like a stretcher; our guide Helping a pet get up and walk shows how. No muzzle: he needs his mouth to breathe. Protect yourself another way, because a dog in pain or afraid can bite, even the gentlest one: keep your face away from his mouth, do not hug him, never put your fingers in his mouth. A cat rides in her carrier, and nobody takes her out to check on her.
The pages that take over: gastric torsion has its own page, vomiting in dogs; in the heat, cool first, drive second; for poisons, toxic foods and plants, the chocolate calculator and the animal poison lines on our emergency page.
Is your cat breathing with its mouth open?
In cats, an open mouth is a strong signal
Unlike dogs, cats almost never pant. Breathing with the mouth open, at rest, is most often abnormal and can be an emergency. It may be brief right after hard effort, intense play (especially in a kitten), strong heat or a stress like a car ride: in that case it should ease within a few minutes once the cat is calm and cool. Otherwise, or if it comes back for no reason, call us without waiting.
On this page, the callout reads together with section 1: a cat breathing with its mouth open at rest, or whose open mouth does not go away once calm and cool, or comes back for no reason, means you go. During our hours, call us on the way; outside our hours, go to the nearest 24/7 emergency centre.
What matters with cats
- Distress can be quiet. A cat who is short of air does not always thrash about: he may sit or crouch quietly with his neck stretched out, or go and hide under a bed. Fast breathing while he lies still, or a belly that pushes with every breath, counts as much as an open mouth.
- As little handling as possible. Do not force his mouth open, place him gently in his carrier, keep the trip calm and cool, and call ahead: us during our hours, otherwise the 24/7 emergency centre you are heading to.
- After surgery or sedation. Some pain medications used around surgery can push a cat's temperature up in the hours that follow, but only an exam can tell. A cat who pants or breathes open-mouthed after surgery goes now, as in section 1: during our hours, call us on the way; otherwise, the nearest 24/7 emergency centre.
- What looks like an open mouth but is not. A purring cat can seem to breathe fast: never count while he purrs. And a grimace that lasts a few seconds, mouth slightly open and upper lip curled, right after sniffing something, is not breathing: it is how he analyzes a smell. It lasts as long as a sniff; an open mouth that stays open is what counts.
- No home medications. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is fatal to cats, even a single tablet. The full list is in section 7.
Counting at rest and the signs of effort: Counting breaths at rest. A cat who coughs or wheezes: Asthma in cats. The feline heart: Heart disease in cats. Heat: Heatstroke.
The rest of this page is about dogs.
Normal panting, and what is not
In dogs, open-mouth panting can be perfectly normal (heat, exercise, excitement). What should worry you is the effort to breathe or distress, not the panting itself.
A dog's air conditioner
A dog sweats very little, and almost only through his paw pads. To cool down, he pants: fast, shallow breathing with the mouth open and the tongue out, which evaporates water from his nose, mouth and throat. It is expected in four situations:
- Heat, especially humid heat: damp air gets in the way of panting, so a muggy day is harder on him than a dry one.
- Exercise: the walk, play, the stairs.
- Emotion: the excitement of seeing you, the car, a visit to us, a thunderstorm, fireworks.
- Whelping: a female at term pants as labor begins (see drawer 12 in section 6).
Normal panting has a reason, and it stops when the reason does
Normal panting ticks three boxes: there is an obvious reason; it eases when the reason goes away, in the cool, at rest or in the quiet, without you having to do anything; and meanwhile your dog can lie down, relaxed, his face loose. This text deliberately gives no time limit: a number of minutes would turn into permission to wait. What counts is that it settles, and that you see it settle.
Six questions that make the difference
- Is there a reason? Heat, exercise, excitement, fear. At rest, in the cool, without having run, at night: there is none, and panting without a reason is a sign worth having looked at.
- Does it settle when the reason goes away? Panting that carries on once the dog is cool and resting is no longer just cooling down. In hot weather, it is one of the first signs of heatstroke: cool him first, then go (section 1). And if he got very hot or worked hard in the last three days, panting at rest that does not settle means go as well: heatstroke damage can show up later.
- Is there effort? A belly pumping with each breath, neck stretched and head low, elbows held out, refusing to lie down, noise when he breathes: that is no longer panting, it is a struggle to breathe. Section 1, go.
- Is it new? More often, harder or longer than before, or at night when he used to sleep quietly: the change matters more than the panting itself.
- Is there something else with it? He trembles, paces without settling, drinks a lot, eats less, vomits, coughs, seems flat. The second sign sets the clock: see the table in section 4.
- Has something changed in his life? A new medication or a new dose, surgery, a vaccine, a recent heat in an unspayed female, puppies.
Panting, fast breathing, distress: three different things
- Panting: mouth open, fast and shallow, to cool down or in a moment of emotion.
- Fast breathing at rest, mouth closed: especially while asleep, it is often the first sign that a heart or the lungs are struggling, before any cough. It can be counted: at rest or while asleep, a healthy dog or cat breathes fewer than 30 times a minute; in practice, often well below that. Panting can hide it, which is why you count while he is sound asleep, somewhere cool. Our guide Counting breaths at rest explains the technique and what we do with the number.
- Distress: visible effort. It is not counted, it is seen, and it means you go.
While he sleeps
When he dreams, with paddling paws, little twitches or whimpers, his breathing can turn fast and irregular for a while: that is not true rest, and it is not the time to count. The very young naturally breathe a little faster. What counts is his breathing in deep, quiet sleep, and above all any rise above his own usual.
Flat-faced dogs
In a flat-faced dog, noisy breathing is common, but that does not make it harmless: it means air is squeezing through airways that are too narrow, and it deserves an appointment. Panting also cools him less well. What sends you out the door is the change: noisier than usual, out of breath sooner, struggling in heat or humidity, tongue or gums turning blue (section 1). Heat is more dangerous for him than for other dogs: our Heatstroke page covers it in detail.
A dog short of air does not always look sick
A dog that is short of air is often restless and worried, not necessarily dull: look at the effort, the posture and the gum color rather than how alert he seems. And whether or not he is panting, a dog that no longer responds to your voice, seems absent, suddenly becomes disoriented or collapses: go now, calling us on the way during our hours, otherwise to the nearest 24/7 emergency centre.
A dark tongue from birth
Some dogs naturally have a blue-black, purplish or spotted tongue: that is their color, and it means nothing. What counts is a change from his usual, and the color of his gums or of the inside of his lower eyelid (section 5).
Nothing from section 1? Here is how to sort it
If no sign from section 1 applies, find your line below. No line in this table says "wait and see": the lowest level is an appointment. If two lines seem to fit, take the higher one. And if a section 1 sign shows up along the way, section 1 rules.
Level 1: the same day
These do not necessarily mean the overnight emergency, but they do not go through a watching phase either. Call us, or take the first available appointment without letting the day go by. If we are closed and you are unsure, a 24/7 centre will tell you whether it holds until morning.
The same day means today. If we are closed until tomorrow or until Monday, do not wait for us to reopen for any of these lines: call a 24/7 emergency centre, and they will tell you whether it can wait. A Friday evening is not a waiting room.
| What you see | What we make of it, and what you do |
|---|---|
| He is panting lying down, somewhere cool, since this evening or for a few hours, and it does not settle. Nothing explains it: no heat or hard exercise in the last three days, no knock, no fall. No effort to breathe, pink gums. | New panting, for no reason, that does not settle, is looked at the same day: pain is often behind it, and pain does not show. |
| He pants and trembles, paces without settling, keeps getting up, whimpers or reacts when touched, with no storm or fireworks to explain it. | That is the picture of a dog in pain. While you call, keep your medicine cabinet shut: see section 7. If his belly is very painful to the touch, he drools, tries to vomit and nothing comes up, or nothing settles him: section 1, go. |
| He started a medication this week, or his dose changed, and he is panting. | Call before the next dose, us during our hours or a 24/7 centre if we are closed, and stop nothing on your own, apart from the two exceptions written in section 7. |
| He had surgery or was sedated, he pants the evening he comes home, but he wakes properly, settles when you talk to him, breathes without effort and keeps pink gums. | Call us the same day; if we are already closed, evenings, weekends or holidays, call a 24/7 centre rather than waiting for us to reopen. He may be sore, waking up may still have him unsettled, or it may be an expected effect of a pain medication he got here: that is for us to say. |
| His resting rate is clearly high, or high alongside a mild sign such as a new cough, tiredness, less appetite or restless sleep, but with no visible struggle to breathe. | When in doubt, call: we sort it out with you. |
| He has been drinking a lot and panting for weeks, and lately he eats a little less, with no vomiting and no weakness. | The same day: that is no longer the slow picture of a hormonal disease. If the thirst is recent, if he vomits, stops eating, weakens, breathes badly or his breath smells sweet: section 1, go. |
| She is an unspayed female drinking more than usual since her last heat, a few weeks or a few months ago, even if she seems fine. | The same day. If she is flat, vomiting or eating less: section 1, go. Pyometra often starts with no visible discharge. |
| He coughs, seems flat, feels feverish, and breathes faster than his usual. | The same day. A feverish, flat dog can breathe faster, and a cough with a fever needs a look. See also My dog is lethargic. |
| After a vaccine or a sting, he has hives, or a small swelling of the muzzle or eyelids that is not spreading; he breathes normally, stays alert, and the sting was not in his mouth or throat. | Call us right away; outside our hours, call a 24/7 centre. If the swelling spreads over the head or neck, he goes weak or he is breathing badly: section 1, go. |
Level 2: an appointment, this week
None of these will sort itself out, and none is a normal part of aging. They call for an exam, not a night at the emergency centre.
| What you see | What we make of it, and what you do |
|---|---|
| He has been panting at night or at rest for weeks, with no sign from the lists above, and he eats well. Especially in an older dog. | This change is not a normal effect of getting older: it is a reason to book an appointment, and it has causes that can be treated. Bring a short video of him at night (section 5). |
| He drinks more, his belly has rounded out, he pants a great deal, his coat thins symmetrically, and he still eats with gusto, without vomiting. | The Cushing's picture: an appointment, booked this week. If he eats less or vomits, move up a level. See Cushing's disease. |
| A resting rate that stays above 30 across several counts, in a dog that is otherwise comfortable, with pink gums, breathing without effort. | Let us know, during our hours: recount calmly once or twice over the next few hours; if it holds, write your numbers down and call us. This is not an appointment to push to the end of the week. If he has a known murmur or heart disease, it is the same day (level 1). |
| A large older dog whose panting has slowly turned raspy over weeks, even when cool and calm, without effort, whose bark changes, or who coughs when drinking. | An appointment, and until then, no heat and no hard exercise. If the noise came on suddenly or is getting worse, if he works to breathe in, if his tongue darkens or he does not settle in the cool: section 1, go. See Laryngeal paralysis. |
| An older dog who is restless at night, pacing, seeming lost or getting stuck in corners, for weeks. | An appointment. If it started suddenly, move up a level: a sudden start points to pain or illness before brain aging. |
| An overweight dog who pants at the slightest effort. | An appointment: extra weight makes breathing harder work and heat more dangerous. |
| A flat-faced dog who breathes noisily, snores or tires quickly with exercise, as usual, with no recent change. | An appointment to assess his airway: in these dogs, the surgery that opens it up is done here, by appointment (section 8). Any change, especially in the heat, is section 1. |
| He pants and trembles during every storm or fireworks show, and calms down when the noise stops. | Not an emergency: a plan to build before next time. See Noise and fireworks fear. |
If you are torn between two lines, take the higher one. And if you cannot decide, call: triage is our job, not yours. Outside our hours a 24/7 emergency centre answers.
What you can check, film and write down
These checks do two jobs: catch the dog who should have left, and give us information we may not see at the clinic, where the stress of the visit speeds up breathing and hides pain. Read the rule that governs them first.
The one-way rule
Everything you can check at home only works in one direction. These observations can send you out the door. None of them can keep you home. Pink gums do not prove all is well: early in internal bleeding they can still be pink, and blue comes last. A few minutes of quiet breathing do not prove the heart is fine. And if your dog is breathing with effort, check nothing: go.
1. His breathing at rest
Watch him breathe while he is lying quietly, not hot, not just after moving. Normal breathing at rest is almost invisible and silent: a slight movement of the chest, no sound, no push from the belly.
What is not normal, and what counts whatever the number: the belly pumping hard on every breath, the neck stretched and the head low, the elbows held out, the nostrils flaring wide, noisy breathing, and a dog who refuses to lie down.
You can also count, while he is sound asleep, somewhere cool, never while he is panting. At rest or while asleep, a healthy dog or cat breathes fewer than 30 times a minute. In practice, often well below that. The technique, how often, and what we do with the number are in Counting breaths at rest.
2. His gums
Gently lift his upper lip and look at the gum just above a canine tooth. In a dog who is well, it is pink, moist and glossy.
- Pale, white, grey or bluish: go. No call first, no second check.
- Bright red or brick red across the whole gum, away from the tooth line, in a dog who seems feverish or has been hot: go as well.
- Pink: that is good information, keep it for us. It closes nothing.
- Dry or tacky under your finger rather than slippery: note it and tell us, it says something about hydration.
Three cautions. Plenty of dogs have naturally pigmented gums, mottled or fully black: on them this check does not work on the gum at all. Look instead at the inside of the lower eyelid, easing the skin under the eye down, or at the underside of the tongue. If you cannot get a look, that is not a failure: it is one more reason to call rather than decide. And never force open the mouth of a dog who is in pain or confused: you risk a bite, and seeing nothing would prove nothing.
For later: photograph his gums on a day when he is perfectly well. Normal pink varies from dog to dog, and the comparison that counts is with himself.
3. Film and write down
At the clinic, the stress of the visit can speed up his breathing or hide his pain. What you see at home matters: a short video and a few notes show us what we may not see in the exam room. If your dog needs to go now, go: a video never replaces leaving, and never film while driving.
- Film your dog lying quietly, from the side, his whole body in the frame, so we can see his chest and belly move; then his head, closer up: mouth, nose, how he holds his neck.
- Keep the sound on: a noise, a wheeze or a cough is easier to hear than to describe.
- Keep the phone still, propped up or held in both hands, in good light, without waking or moving him, long enough to catch several breaths in a row.
- For an episode that comes and goes (a cough, a collapse), start as early as you can, because the beginning matters, and keep going until he is himself again.
- Write down when it started and how long it lasted; what happened just before (exercise, heat, excitement, a meal, a new medication); whether he settles at rest and in the cool, or not; whether he will lie down, and in what position he sleeps; whether he coughs, when, and whether anything comes up; his sleeping breathing rate, if you have counted it.
- Bring his medications and supplements, in their boxes or with a photo of the labels, and show us the video when you arrive.
A video cannot make a diagnosis on its own: it adds to what you tell us and to our exam.
4. What we will ask you on the phone
- Since when, exactly? Tonight, or are you realizing it has been going on for weeks?
- At rest, or only after exertion? Does it ease in the cool?
- How is he breathing: without effort, or with his belly pumping, neck stretched, refusing to lie down?
- His gums, if you could see them safely: pink, pale, grey, bluish?
- Does he respond when you call him? Is he trembling, pacing without settling?
- Has he eaten, drunk, peed, vomited or coughed in the last 24 hours?
- What has changed: a knock, a fall, a fight, a seizure, a medication, a dose, surgery, a vaccine, a sting, heat, a storm, a heat cycle, puppies?
- Could he have swallowed something: a medication, chocolate, a household product?
- His known conditions, his current medications, and the time of the last dose.
Why a dog pants at rest or at night
Panting at rest is not a disease: it is a sign that something hurts, worries him, needs more air, or is throwing his body off balance. We start with the questions you can ask yourself tonight, then the leads, one per drawer. Every drawer closes on the same sentence, and it is the one to remember: a lead may explain why; it does not change when to call.
At night: the questions to ask yourself
- Is the room hot? Does he sleep against the heater, under a blanket, in the sun?
- Does he hurt somewhere? Does he get up stiffly, hesitate at the stairs, limp, lick a joint?
- Is he drinking and peeing more than before? Asking to go out at night? Eating more, or less?
- Is he coughing, especially at night or when he gets up?
- Does he wander, seem lost, get stuck in corners?
- Did he start a medication, have surgery, get a vaccine?
- Was there a storm, fireworks, a noise, a change at home?
Write your answers down: they are exactly the ones we will ask for.
Pain
A dog in pain rarely cries out. He pants at rest with no heat or exercise to explain it, paces without settling, gets up and lies down again, whimpers, hunches, and sometimes trembles. At night is often when it shows, when nothing else distracts him. Arthritis, the back, the belly, a wound, recent surgery: pain can come from anywhere, and at the clinic, fear can hide it. That is why what you see at home counts as much as it does.
Osteoarthritis in dogs · After-surgery care · My dog is limping · Intervertebral disc disease
A lead may explain why. It does not change when to call.
Fear and anxiety
Fear speeds up the heart and the breathing: panting, trembling, drooling, ears back, hiding, pacing. It almost always has a trigger, and it stops when the trigger does. Home alone or in the car, the signs are often the same. In Montreal the triggers come back every year: the fireworks of June 24 and July 1, the ones from L'International des Feux in July and early August, New Year's, and thunderstorms from April to October. Almost all of them fall in the evening, when we are closed. A dog panting with fear during a storm who settles afterward is not an emergency; a dog panting with no trigger, or who does not settle once the noise is over, needs someone to look for another cause. And fear and pain often add up: a dog in pain becomes more fearful.
Noise and fireworks fear · Anxiety in dogs · Separation anxiety · Traveling with your pet
A lead may explain why. It does not change when to call.
The older dog who is restless at night
In an older dog, restlessness at night (pacing, not settling, waking, whining, seeming lost) can come from brain aging, called cognitive dysfunction. But new panting at night or at rest should first prompt a look for pain, heart disease or Cushing's disease. Cognitive dysfunction is confirmed last, after an exam and tests, and a sudden start points elsewhere instead. It is never "just age" until an exam has ruled out a cause that can be treated.
Cognitive dysfunction in dogs · Caring for an older pet
A lead may explain why. It does not change when to call.
Cushing's disease
When the body makes too much cortisol for months, the dog drinks and pees a great deal (accidents at night), is always hungry, grows a round, sagging belly, loses hair evenly on both sides, copes badly with heat, and pants more than before, even at rest. It is a slow picture, in middle-aged and older dogs, and it gets planned: an appointment, this week. Two details change everything. This disease does not cause vomiting or loss of appetite: a dog who drinks, pants and eats less does not have "just Cushing's". And an affected dog who is suddenly short of breath goes now, because the disease makes clots in the lungs more likely.
A lead may explain why. It does not change when to call.
The heart
In small older dogs especially, a heart valve can leak for years without showing anything, and then fluid builds up in the lungs. The first signs are quiet: breathing that speeds up during sleep, a dog restless at night, coughing, sleeping sitting up or refusing to lie on his side, tiring sooner on walks. Panting can hide that fast breathing, which is why you count during deep sleep: the rise above his own usual is the earliest warning. A known murmur plus sleeping breathing that creeps up from one day to the next, without effort, is the same day; a sudden jump within hours, effort or refusing to lie down is section 1.
Heart disease in dogs · Counting breaths at rest
A lead may explain why. It does not change when to call.
The blood, and anemia
When red blood cells run short, the blood carries less oxygen, and the body makes up for it by breathing faster and speeding up the heart. The gums pale, the dog gets winded and weak; sometimes the whites of the eyes or the gums turn yellow, or the urine darkens. Bleeding inside the belly does the same, with not a drop of blood in sight. Pale gums: section 1, go, even if he still seems bright.
Immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) · My dog is lethargic
A lead may explain why. It does not change when to call.
The throat and airways
The larynx of a large older dog. When the muscles that open the larynx weaken, air struggles through: the panting turns raspy or noisy, even when cool and calm, the bark goes hoarse, he coughs when drinking, tires quickly and overheats easily. Families often say "he's getting old". In the heat it can tip into an emergency: a loud noise on every breath in, a dark or purplish tongue, distress, that is section 1.
Flat-faced dogs. Narrow nostrils, a soft palate that is too long: breathing is noisy, especially breathing in, and panting cools poorly. Exercise, excitement, heat and humidity can turn the tongue blue or make the dog collapse: section 1. Extra weight makes all of it worse.
The windpipe of a small dog. A windpipe that flattens causes a dry cough, like a goose honk, when the collar pulls or he gets excited. If he turns blue or faints, it is section 1.
Laryngeal paralysis · Managing a persistent cough · Choking
A lead may explain why. It does not change when to call.
Heat, humidity and air
Panting has its limits: in strong heat, during exercise, in a poorly ventilated space or in humid weather, it stops being enough, and heatstroke sets in. In Montreal, Environment Canada heat warning days (yellow, orange or red) are the days for walks early in the morning and late in the evening, in the shade, with water. In Quebec, a dog must not be left in an enclosed space such as a car above 27 °C without a way to cool off, and rolling the windows down does not count as one. On smog days or days of wildfire smoke, as in Montreal in June 2023 and summer 2025, a dog with a fragile heart or lungs can struggle more: keep outings short and exercise light.
Heatstroke · Winter, dogs and cats in Montreal
A lead may explain why. It does not change when to call.
A medication, surgery, a vaccine
Cortisone (corticosteroids), as tablets or an injection, often makes a dog drink, pee and eat more, and some dogs start panting, even at rest. It is a known effect, and it follows the dose. Do not stop the treatment or change the dose on your own: stopping suddenly can make him ill. Call us the same day if the panting keeps him from settling; if we are closed, a 24/7 centre. If he vomits, stops eating, weakens or passes black stools: section 1, go, with the medication box.
Some strong pain medications given at the clinic, around surgery or sedation, can cause panting, mostly soon after the injection; how long that lasts once he is home is not known. On the evening he comes home, pain and the agitation of waking up can also make him pant. The section 4 table and the "He had surgery or was put under" sign in section 1 say when to call and when to go.
Too much thyroid hormone gives the opposite of the disease: hyperactivity, panting, more thirst and urination, weight loss despite appetite, fast heart rate. It is not an emergency, but call us promptly to reassess the dose; if we are closed, a 24/7 centre will tell you whether it can wait. Do not correct it on your own.
An anxiety or behavior medication can sometimes make him pant or restless: call us the same day, or a 24/7 centre if we are closed, without stopping or doubling the dose, and add nothing, not even a "calming" supplement.
Several common veterinary medications list panting among reported effects: some anti-inflammatories for dogs, some flea and tick tablets, one medication for urine leakage, one insulin, one of the treatments for Addison's disease. If your dog starts panting after a treatment begins or a dose changes, call before the next dose: us during our hours, a 24/7 centre if we are closed.
In a diabetic dog on insulin, panting that comes with sudden weakness, trembling, disorientation or confusion can be low blood sugar: that is not a call before the next dose, it is an emergency. What to do is in Spotting low blood sugar; outside our hours, that means a 24/7 emergency centre.
A vaccine can leave him a little flat, sore at the injection site and less hungry for a day; panting, though, is not an expected effect of a vaccine. In the minutes or hours that follow, breathing that does not settle, effort, noise or a collapse means go: see section 1.
After-surgery care · Hypothyroidism in dogs · Vaccination · Addison's disease
A lead may explain why. It does not change when to call.
Something he may have swallowed
Several household products upset the heart and the brain and can cause panting or fast breathing, agitation, trembling, and sometimes a rising temperature: chocolate, coffee and caffeine pills, decongestant cold medicines (some speed the heart up, others slow it down), ADHD medications and antidepressants. Aspirin, for its part, makes breathing fast and deep. Signs can appear within half an hour or several hours later: do not wait for them. That means go (section 1): leave with the packaging, and without making him vomit.
Toxic foods and plants · Chocolate calculator · Emergency: what to do
A lead may explain why. It does not change when to call.
Other illnesses that make breathing fast
An infection, pneumonia: cough, fever, dullness, loss of appetite; after vomiting or a recent anesthesia, fluid may have gone down into the lungs.
Fluid or air around the lungs: fast, short breathing, hard to breathe in, weakness. That is an emergency.
Diabetes going off the rails: the dog who drinks a lot starts vomiting, stops eating, weakens and breathes badly. That is an emergency, even in a dog whose diabetes is not yet known.
An infection of the uterus in an unspayed female, weeks or months after her heat: she drinks, goes flat, eats less.
Kidneys that fail suddenly, leptospirosis among the causes: the dog vomits, stops eating, drinks and pees too much, or on the contrary barely pees at all.
A tumor in the chest or the throat: a cough that lingers, breathlessness, and a changed voice when the throat is involved.
A twisted stomach: gastric torsion causes panting and agitation before collapse (section 1: swelling belly or retching with nothing coming up, go).
A seizure: in some dogs with epilepsy, restlessness and panting can come before a seizure, and after one it can be expected that he staggers and seems lost for a while. What means go is in Seizures: when to rush: a seizure of 5 minutes or more, a second seizure within 24 hours, a dog who does not regain consciousness, or who is breathing badly. Outside our hours, that means a 24/7 emergency centre.
Diabetes in dogs · Pyometra · Kidney disease in dogs · Lung tumors in dogs · Vomiting in dogs · Seizures · Epilepsy in dogs
A lead may explain why. It does not change when to call.
The pregnant female at term, or nursing
As labor begins, a female may pant, tremble, dig a nest, hide, refuse food and sometimes vomit: that is expected in the hours before the first puppy, and between puppies. Go if this phase has lasted 24 hours with no puppy born, if she strains hard for 30 minutes with no puppy coming, if more than 2 hours pass between puppies while some remain, if dark green or blackish discharge appears with no puppy following, if she bleeds heavily, or if she seems ill, exhausted or cries out. Before, during or after whelping, a female who stiffens, walks oddly, twitches or has a seizure goes right away; after whelping, so does a nursing female who pants and is restless for no reason (section 1). During our opening hours, help with a difficult whelping, cesarean included, is part of what we do here: call us on the way. Outside our hours, that means a 24/7 emergency centre.
A lead may explain why. It does not change when to call.
Give him no home medications
Faced with a dog panting at night, the temptation is to give him something "to calm him down" or "to take the edge off until morning". That well-meant reflex is behind a lot of poisonings: what calms a person can make a dog breathe fast, and what relieves a dog can kill a cat.
What you never give
Acetaminophen (Tylenol): Fatal to cats, even a single tablet. There is no safe dose. If your cat swallowed any, it is an immediate emergency. In dogs, it attacks the liver.
Ibuprofen (Advil), naproxen (Aleve), aspirin: Toxic to dogs, and even more so to cats: digestive ulcers, kidney damage. Never a human anti-inflammatory, for any reason. Aspirin poisoning, on top of that, makes breathing fast and deep: it can cause exactly what you were trying to calm.
Benadryl and other antihistamines, melatonin, human sleep aids and sedatives: Never without direction. Too much antihistamine can make breathing fast, race the heart and bring on a fever, and some melatonin products contain xylitol, which is toxic to dogs. A dog "settled" blindly is a cause still advancing while everyone relaxes.
Cannabis or CBD products, "natural remedies": Never. No cannabis product is approved for animals in Canada, and some CBD products contain THC without saying so. As for "natural remedies", nothing without talking to us first: "natural" does not mean safe for a dog or a cat.
Gravol, antacids, cough and cold syrups or tablets: Never without direction. Decongestant cold medicines can throw the heart off and cause panting.
Dog flea products on a cat: Several contain permethrin, a violent poison for cats (tremors, seizures). Never a "for dogs" product on a cat, even a small amount.
A painkiller or sedative he had before, a leftover prescription, another animal's medication: Same apparent problem, same weight, same household: none of that is ever enough. What relieves a dog can kill a cat, and a dose calculated for another patient is not a dose.
Already on a prescribed treatment?
Do not stop, skip or change a treatment because he is panting: call us before the next dose, or a 24/7 centre if we are closed. Two exceptions run the other way, and they are the same as on our My dog is lethargic page, where black stools also mean go:
- He is on a prescribed anti-inflammatory and he loses his appetite, vomits, or passes black tarry stools: stop the medication and call us. Those are possible signs of a digestive ulcer. Black, tarry stools or vomited blood in a dog who is panting: go, calling us on the way during our hours, otherwise to the nearest 24/7 emergency centre.
- He is treated for Cushing's disease and he is flat, weak, off his food or vomiting: do not give the next dose, stop the medication and contact us immediately.
In both cases: you hold, you call, you do not restart on your own. Outside our hours, that means a 24/7 emergency centre.
Already given him something?
No blame: it is what someone trying to help does, and plenty of people do it. But do not do it again, and call us now rather than tomorrow, or a 24/7 centre if we are closed, with the packaging to hand. Tell us what, how much, and at what time. It does not shock us at all, and it is information we need to interpret what we are seeing. The animal poison lines are on our emergency page.
What actually helps while you wait
- A cool, quiet room where you can see him. No blanket on a panting dog.
- Fresh water at all times. Do not take it away at night, even if he pees a lot: a dog who drinks a lot needs it.
- Let him choose his position; do not make him lie on his side.
- Do not walk him "to see how he does".
- Take notes, film (section 5), and keep his medication boxes within reach.
What we do at the clinic, and how far it goes
What we do depends on the time of day and on your pet's condition. Here is what happens here, what gets planned, and what happens elsewhere.
If he arrives short of air, during our hours
During our opening hours, a dog who is short of air gets oxygen first, here, in an oxygen cage if needed, with as little handling as possible; any test that would stress him waits until he is stable. When fear or pain is making his breathing worse, we can calm him and ease the pain here. Fluid or air trapped around the lungs can be removed with a needle here, during our opening hours; the same procedure can both ease his breathing and tell us about the cause. That is why we ask you to call on the way: we tell you whether to come here or whether a 24/7 centre is safer for your pet.
Hospitalization here is day hospitalization: your pet is admitted, treated and rechecked on site during our opening hours, and a stay can run over several days, with a recheck each day. We do not provide continuous medical monitoring overnight. When an animal needs to be watched without a break, we stabilize first, then we arrange the transfer to a 24/7 centre, with the full record. In every case, we tell you at admission what the plan is for the night. If your dog still needs oxygen as closing time approaches, we arrange his transfer to a 24/7 centre, with the record.
If he is panting without distress
The exam starts with what you tell us and what you filmed, then with him: heart and lungs through the stethoscope, gums, temperature, belly, joints, pain. Depending on what we find, the next steps can happen in the same visit:
- Chest radiographs are taken here, during our opening hours: they show the size of the heart, fluid or air around the lungs, and the lungs themselves. Depending on the case, the images may also go out to be read, and how long that takes depends on the case.
- A blood sample is drawn here, and part of the answers come out of our own laboratory: the blood count, which shows whether he is short of red blood cells, the biochemistry and the electrolytes. Some tests are run here, in our own laboratory, and the result sometimes comes back during the visit itself. Other samples go to an outside laboratory. How long it takes depends on the test and on where it goes: ask your veterinarian which of the two applies and how long to expect, that is the question to ask when the sample is taken.
- We check blood pressure here, in dogs as well as cats, on an awake animal, with no needle and no anesthesia, when the picture calls for it.
- When the heart rhythm is in question, an electrocardiogram (ECG) is done here.
- A urinalysis rounds out the picture, especially in a dog who drinks a lot.
- For an older dog, the senior workup we offer brings together the exam, a blood pressure check, bloodwork, a urinalysis and radiographs.
What gets planned, or goes to an outside laboratory
- Looking at the chest with ultrasound, beyond the heart, is a separate appointment that is planned with the mobile imaging team that travels to us.
- A heart ultrasound is done here, by appointment: depending on the case, by our own team or by a mobile imaging team that travels to us, so your dog does not travel. It is a separate exam, planned ahead.
- There is also a blood test that helps assess the heart; in dogs, it is drawn here and analyzed at an outside laboratory.
- The hormone tests for Cushing's are analyzed at an outside laboratory. The stimulation test and the suppression test need several blood samples spaced out over time, drawn here; the urine cortisol to creatinine ratio is measured on urine that your veterinarian will often ask you to collect at home, away from the stress of a visit.
- When we need to look inside the airways or collect a little fluid from them, endoscopy and an airway wash are done here, under general anesthesia and by appointment; the fluid collected is then analyzed, here or at an outside laboratory depending on what we are looking for.
- In flat-faced breeds, the surgery that opens up the airway is done here, by appointment and during our opening hours.
What is decided case by case, or happens elsewhere
When the larynx is suspected, the diagnosis means watching its cartilages move, under light sedation; your veterinarian will tell you how and where that exam is done. If larynx surgery becomes an option, your veterinarian will tell you which procedure suits your dog and where it is done, and will refer you if needed to a surgical team that performs it, with the record. CT scans are not something we do here: when one becomes useful, your veterinarian points you to a centre that has one.
Outside our hours
We have no emergency service outside our opening hours: evenings, nights, weekends and holidays mean a 24/7 emergency centre. See Emergency: what to do and 24/7 centres.
What helps us
The video, your notes, his medication boxes, and the time of the last dose. Links: Imaging · Laboratory.
What to remember
Panting is a dog's air conditioner: normal when it has a reason and stops with it. At rest, in the cool, at night, new, or with something else, it is a sign, and a sign gets looked at. Effort to breathe, pale, grey or bluish gums, a dog who no longer responds, a cat breathing with its mouth open: you go, calling us on the way during our hours, otherwise to the nearest 24/7 centre. And if your dog is near the end of life and his breathing changes, call us too, or a 24/7 emergency centre if we are closed: a pet struggling to breathe does not wait for morning, even at the end of life. Our guides on quality of life and end of life can help you prepare.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my dog panting all the time, even for no reason?
My dog is panting and restless at night: is it serious?
How can I tell if my dog is struggling to breathe?
My dog is panting while lying down, at rest: should I worry?
Is it normal for my dog to breathe fast while sleeping?
My dog is panting a lot: what can I give him?
My dog has been panting since his surgery, a vaccine or steroids: is that normal?
My dog is panting and shaking: pain, fear or something else?
My older dog is panting and drinking a lot: is there a link?
My cat is panting like a dog: is it serious?
Also worth reading
Updated October 16, 2026
Worried about his breathing?
If you are unsure how urgent it is, call: we sort it out with you. For panting that has gone on for weeks, book an appointment, and bring a video of him at night. Outside our hours, a 24/7 emergency centre answers.