Health
He slept all evening, the room is cool, and now he is panting by the bed. One minute spent counting his sleeping breaths tells you more than any search.
Caution. Blue, grey or very pale gums, neck stretched out with elbows held wide, heavy effort from the belly, a loud noise on the in-breath, panting after heat with wobbling, or a swollen belly with retching: head now for the nearest open clinic and phone on the way.
Do not look for the answer in a Facebook group, on TikTok or on a forum. Look for someone trained for this: your dog's own veterinarian, the only person who can examine, investigate and treat them.
Use this page to know what to observe, what to note and what to ask at the appointment, not to treat at home. If you still have doubts after a consultation, ask another vet or a specialist (dermatologist, internist) for a second opinion, not a group. And if you do not have a regular vet yet, find one now, while your dog is healthy: how to choose a veterinary clinic.
Eleven at night, the bedroom is cool, your dog has slept all evening, and yet now he is sitting by the bed panting with his tongue out as if he had just been for a run. Or your old dog is asleep and you can see his flank going up and down fast, much faster than you remember. Or you have a French bulldog who snores and breathes noisily after five minutes of walking. Dogs cool down by panting, so most of the time there is nothing to worry about. What is worth knowing is the difference between panting after a run and panting at eleven at night, what to count at home to tell them apart, and which signs send you straight to the vet.
Some breathing problems are emergencies measured in minutes. Head for an open clinic and phone from the car if you see:
If none of that applies but he has been panting at rest, in the cool, for several days, call the vet the same day and book an appointment.
Count his breaths while he sleeps. Nothing else you can do at home is as useful, and it takes a minute. While he is sleeping peacefully (not dreaming, not paddling his paws), count how many times his chest rises in 30 seconds and double it. Most healthy dogs come out under 30 breaths a minute asleep, usually between 15 and 25. If the number is consistently above 30 to 35, or creeps up from one evening to the next, call the vet. Cardiologists ask owners of dogs with heart disease to do exactly this every day, because the number often rises several days before a crisis.
It helps a lot to know his number now, while he is healthy. Count two or three times a week for a few weeks and jot the results in your phone with the date. Some dogs breathe 14 times a minute asleep and others 24, and both are fine. What you are watching for is change. A dog who used to be at 16 and is now at 32 is telling you something, even if 32 does not sound like much. Your phone helps with the counting too: start the timer and tap the screen each time the chest rises, and apps made for this give you the number directly.
The context. Does he pant after a walk, in the heat, in the car, at the vet, when visitors come, during fireworks? Then it is usually heat, effort or emotion, and it stops within 10 to 15 minutes once the cause has passed. Does he pant at night, in the cool, for no reason, for hours? Write down the time and film him.
Video. A 30-second clip of him breathing, shot from the side with his whole body in frame, is worth more than any description. Plenty of problems vanish in the consulting room, out of nerves.
His gums. Lift his lip and press gently on the gum with a finger. Normal colour is pink, and after you take your finger away the pink comes back in under two seconds.
What you can hear. Does he snore when he is awake? Make a noise when he breathes in, especially on exertion? Has his bark changed or gone hoarse? Does he cough?
Other signs. Drinking more, eating more, a pot belly (Cushing's disease often causes panting). Limping, getting up stiffly, not settling (pain causes panting too). Losing weight, tiring quickly.
| Situation | What it looks like | How urgent |
|---|---|---|
| Heat, exercise, excitement | Panting with a long tongue, stops in shade and quiet | Normal, if it stops within 10 to 15 minutes |
| Pain | Panting at rest, restless, will not settle, trembling | Vet the same day |
| Fever | Panting, listless, off his food; a warm nose is not a reliable sign | Vet the same day |
| Heart disease | Fast breathing while asleep, coughing at night, tires quickly | Today, if the sleeping rate has gone up |
| Laryngeal paralysis (large, older dogs) | Noisy breathing, hoarse voice, worse in the heat | Emergency if he is choking, otherwise a prompt appointment |
| Flat-faced breeds | Snoring, noisy breathing, cannot cope with heat | Planned appointment; emergency in a heatwave |
| Cushing's disease | Panting at rest, drinks a lot, pot belly | Planned appointment |
| Anaemia | Pale gums, tiredness, fast breathing | Today |
| Heatstroke | After heat or exertion, thick saliva, staggering | Emergency, now |
Treatment depends entirely on the cause, and only your vet can set it. If it is his heart, ask at what sleeping breathing rate you should call or come back.
In summer we only train early in the morning and in the evening, with breaks in the shade and water after every trail. For flat-faced and older dogs, a heatwave day is a day for nose games indoors on a cool tiled floor. A dog panting with his tongue spread wide like a spoon, who has stopped looking at you, has done enough for the day.
That one-minute count while he sleeps, done now and then on a healthy dog, gives you a number to compare against on the day it really matters: a winter evening when he is panting in a cool room and you cannot tell whether it is something or nothing.
What dog owners search for most often on the internet about this problem, with the short answer. The answers are a guide only: the decision belongs to your dog's own vet, after an examination.
Sometimes the room is too warm or he had a busy dream. If it keeps happening, in the cool and for no reason, the usual suspects are pain (joints, back, belly), anxiety, Cushing's disease and, in older dogs, the heart or an ageing brain. Film an episode, count his sleeping breaths and see your own vet that week, or today if you notice anything else.
In calm sleep most healthy dogs breathe fewer than 30 times a minute, usually 15 to 25. Awake and relaxed, a bit more. Count the chest rising for 30 seconds and double it. If the sleeping figure sits above 30 to 35 or climbs from one day to the next, especially in a dog with heart disease, ring the vet.
Most often pain or fear: a noise, the trip to the vet, an injury you have not spotted. It can also be fever, nausea or poisoning if he has eaten something. If it came on suddenly for no obvious reason, or you also see pale gums, vomiting, heavy drooling or wobbling, call today. Do not give him anything of your own to calm him.
Common, yes. Normal, no. Bulldogs, pugs and other flat-faced breeds have narrow nostrils and an overlong soft palate, so every breath takes effort. Snoring while awake, tiring quickly and coping badly with heat all come from that. Ask your vet for an airway assessment; sometimes surgery makes a big difference to his breathing.
Keep him cool and quiet with water to hand, let him pick his own position and swap the collar for a harness. No exercise. If the panting comes from heat and stops within 10 to 15 minutes, it is usually normal. If it does not stop, or any of the warning signs show up, this is no longer one to manage at home: see the vet.
The information on this page is educational and does not replace an examination. For full details and a diagnosis, consult your dog's own veterinarian.
They often come together: the same causes, plans that complement each other.
Panting with a wide tongue, looking for shade, wobbling, then lying down. Cool him first with cold water, travel second, and do not stop at "he seems better".
A murmur picked up at the booster, a faint in the park, a cough that comes at night. Heart disease is common from middle age on, and you track it with one simple number.
Drinking like he has run a marathon, accidents indoors, panting at rest, a dropped belly. It may be more than old age: that combination has a name and can be treated.
A big, restless dog retching with nothing coming up, his belly as tight as a football. A twisted stomach is operated on within hours, not days.
We work with your dog's behaviour, not its health. For any sign described here, book an appointment with your own vet; the related services page explains how to choose a clinic.