Why Is My Dog Panting So Much? Causes, When to Worry and How to Help

Normal Panting vs. Problem Panting

Normal: panting after exercise, play, excitement or in warm weather, which settles within minutes once your dog rests, drinks and cools off.^2,3

Worth a vet visit: panting when your dog is resting in a cool room, panting that's new, getting worse, or happening at night, or panting with restlessness, pacing, coughing, more drinking or weakness.^2,4

Check Your Dog's Resting Breathing Rate

Count breaths while your dog is asleep or resting quietly and not panting: one rise and fall of the chest is one breath. Count for 30 seconds and double it.^11,8 Healthy dogs usually breathe about 15 to 30 times a minute at rest, and often fewer than 20 while asleep.^12,11,13 A resting or sleeping rate that is consistently above about 30 to 35 breaths a minute is a reason to call your vet, especially in a dog with heart disease.^11,12,8 Your vet may ask you to track it at home, since a rise above your dog's normal rate is an early warning of heart failure.^14,15

Why Is My Dog Panting So Much?

• Heat and exercise: the most common reason. Overheating can quickly become heat stroke (see below).^2,7
• Anxiety, fear or excitement: thunderstorms, fireworks, car rides, vet visits or being left alone often cause panting, pacing, trembling and hiding.^16,17
• Pain: panting when your dog isn't hot or active can be a sign of pain, often with restlessness, frequent position changes or reluctance to move.^4,2
• Cushing's disease: the body makes too much cortisol, usually because of a small pituitary tumor. It's common in middle-aged and older dogs. Panting often comes with increased thirst, urination and appetite, a potbelly and hair loss.^18,19 See Cushing's disease in dogs.
• Heart disease and heart failure: fluid in the lungs makes dogs breathe faster, often with coughing, tiring easily and restlessness.^15,12 See heart disease in dogs.
• Laryngeal paralysis: common in older Labradors and Golden Retrievers. It causes noisy, raspy breathing, heavy panting, a change in bark and poor tolerance of heat and exercise.^6,20
• Flat-faced (brachycephalic) breeds: Bulldogs, French Bulldogs, Pugs, Boston Terriers and similar breeds have narrow airways, so they pant and overheat more easily.^5,21
• Lung disease, such as pneumonia^22,3
• Medications, especially steroids such as prednisone, which commonly cause panting along with thirst and hunger²³
• Obesity, which makes breathing harder for flat-faced dogs and raises the risk of heat stroke and of dying from it^5,24,25
• Bloat (GDV): restlessness and heavy breathing with retching and a swollen belly is an emergency.⁹ See bloat in dogs.
• Eclampsia: low blood calcium in nursing mothers, usually 2 to 3 weeks after giving birth, most often in small breeds nursing large litters. Panting and restlessness are early signs, followed by tremors and seizures.¹⁰
• Poisoning, including some human medicines and rat poisons^2,26

Heat Stroke: The Panting Emergency

Heat stroke can kill dogs. In UK studies of dogs seen by general vets, about 1 in 7 cases of heat-related illness ended in death, and about three-quarters were triggered by exercise rather than hot cars.^24,27 Brachycephalic breeds, overweight dogs, older dogs and large dogs are at higher risk.^24,28,7

Signs: heavy panting that won't stop, fast breathing, dry or sticky gums, abnormally colored gums, weakness, confusion, wobbliness, collapse or seizures.^7,2

What to do:^7,29,1

• Move your dog out of the heat and start cooling right away, before and during the trip to the vet. Experts now stress "cool first, transport second."
• Pour or spray cool or cold tap water (not ice) over your dog, especially the belly, armpits and feet, and use a fan or the car's air conditioning.
• Don't use ice or ice packs, and don't drape wet towels over your dog, which can trap heat.
• Stop cooling once your dog's breathing calms or they start shivering (about 103°F if you can take a temperature). Keep water away from the nose and mouth, especially in flat-faced or unconscious dogs.
• Go to a vet even if your dog seems to recover; heat stroke can damage organs hours later.

Why Is My Dog Panting at Night?

Night-time panting can come from a warm room, anxiety, pain such as arthritis, Cushing's disease, heart disease, or medications.^2,4,18 Older dogs with canine cognitive dysfunction often wake at night and become restless, pacing or whining.³⁰ Check the room temperature and your dog's sleeping breathing rate, and see your vet if night-time panting is new or keeps happening.^11,12

Panting and Shaking

Panting with trembling is often fear or anxiety, but it can also mean pain, overheating, poisoning or, in a nursing mother, eclampsia. See a vet promptly if there's no obvious cause or the shaking doesn't stop.^16,2,10

How to Help a Panting Dog

• Move your dog somewhere cool and shady, and offer fresh water.^2,7
• For fear-related panting, create a quiet safe space, close the blinds, use a fan or white noise to mask sounds, and stay calm. Gentle petting is fine.¹⁶
• Use a harness instead of a collar for dogs with breathing problems.⁶
• Avoid exercise in the heat of the day, especially for flat-faced, overweight and older dogs.^6,24,5
• Help an overweight dog lose weight, which eases breathing, especially in flat-faced dogs.^21,5
• Ask your vet about medication for noise fear or anxiety; some are approved specifically for dogs.^17,16

Don't give human pain relievers such as ibuprofen, naproxen or acetaminophen, which can be toxic to dogs.²⁶ Benadryl (diphenhydramine) isn't a treatment for panting, can itself speed up breathing, and should be given only at your vet's direction.³¹

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my dog panting so much?

Usually because they're hot, excited or have been exercising. Panting at rest, at night or for no obvious reason can mean pain, anxiety, heat stroke, Cushing's disease, heart or airway disease, or a medication side effect.

When should I worry about my dog panting?

Worry when panting happens at rest or doesn't settle, or comes with pale, blue or very red gums, noisy or labored breathing, weakness, collapse, retching or a swollen belly. Those need a vet right away.

Why is my dog panting at night?

A warm room, anxiety, pain, Cushing's disease, heart disease and medications are common reasons. In older dogs, cognitive changes can also cause night-time restlessness and pacing. See your vet if it's new or keeps happening.

Does panting mean my dog is in pain?

It can. Panting when a dog isn't hot or active is a common sign of pain, often with restlessness or reluctance to move.

What is a normal breathing rate for a resting dog?

About 15 to 30 breaths per minute at rest, and usually under 30 while asleep. A sleeping rate consistently above 30 to 35 needs a vet check.

How do I calm a panting dog?

Move your dog to a cool, quiet place with water. For anxiety, provide a safe space and mask noises. If the panting doesn't settle or your dog seems unwell, call your vet.

Can I give my dog Benadryl for panting?

Not without your vet's advice. It doesn't treat the cause of panting and can cause rapid breathing as a side effect.

Why do dogs pant at the end of life?

Panting in a very ill or elderly dog can be a sign of pain, breathing difficulty, heart failure or distress. Labored breathing always needs prompt veterinary attention, and your vet can help with comfort care and pain relief.