Why does my dog pant at night?
Dog panting at night is a very common concern of many dog lovers. Excessive panting in dogs is usually due to warm weather conditions or body exertion. Some factors like age, genetics and medical conditions also add up to this restlessness in dogs. Here we will try to understand the underlaying health issues also and resultantly finalize if your dog is acting normal or need immediate medical checkup.
Some most commonly observed reasons of why do dogs pant at night are:
1. Thirst
Regular water intake is very important for every living body and so dogs also need to drink water on regular intervals. Lack of water availability for a longer time results in panting. So, if you are wondering why is my dog Panting at night and showing restless condition, give him water, soon it will come to normal after sufficient water intake.
2. Excitement
Sometime dogs show excitement on seeing some new people and things around. It is of no worries because new things excite almost everyone. So, Panting on such a situations should be taken as normal.
3. Body Exertion
Dog is a very active animal and loves to play joyfully. We also love keeping dog as a pet because of its charming play. But sometimes after excessive body exertion during the day results in initiating panting in dogs at night. But don’t worry, it goes away soon perfectly.
4. Age-related Changes
Aging, like in humans, induce changes in everyone’s body. Similarly, aged dogs get tired and show exertion most often. So, if the dog is physically okay and showing no signs of pain and disease then your dog is all healthy and normal.
5. Medications
Medicines affect the body physically or mentally in a way or other. Some medicines increase blood pressure, body temperature or nausea which results to panting in some dogs. If this situation ends up after sometime then it is of no worries. However, if the condition persists then you should note the symptoms and consult your vet.
6. Sleep Disorders
Sometime due to certain reasons dogs show unusual sleeping disorders. It maybe due to aging issues, pain, digestion problems, medication or hormonal changes. Sleep disorders can also contribute to Panting in dogs at Night. Take it normally, pat or calm your dog, it will slowly reduce panting and restlessness in your pet.
7. Heart Disease
In certain serious conditions like heart diseases dogs show panting patterns in certain times of the day and night. This is a serious medical condition and showing some underlying health problems. If you have been to vet then note these panting patterns and consult to the vet again. And if you haven’t been to the vet then you should immediately visit the vet clinic.
8. Allergies
Pets are very prone to allergies so, a proper medical check-up and regular vaccination is very necessary. Allergies induce a restless behavior that leads to panting in most of the cases. In such a conditions, don’t panic, just notice the symptoms and visit your nearest pet clinic in the morning.
9. Environmental Changes
As discussed earlier, environmental conditions effect the living creatures in many ways. In hot weather conditions almost all breeds of dogs show panting behaviors. It is kind of a reaction to such a hot environmental change, panting helps in cooling dog’s body by evaporation. This is a very natural and normal behavior in dogs so, relax, nothing to worry about.
10. Canine Cognitive Dysfunction
Cognitive dysfunction in dogs is similar to dementia in humans. This dysfunction gradually comes with aging in most of the dogs. As it is a health condition, it causes physical and mental stress which can initiate panting sometimes. Therefore, this not something to panic but needs a good medical check-up. You should visit your vet doctor, he might possibly advice some calming treats for dogs to ease your pup’s condition.
11. Parasites
Dogs often get body parasites which causes itching and irritation on their skin. You might often felt them trying to rub and scratch their body parts to calm that disturbing itching. This causes a continuous restless mood in dogs which they often show you by panting.
Understanding a pet is difficult but with time you got their feelings and understand their needs. Its the time when your dog should see a vet and get its parasites off. After treatment the panting especially at night time goes away but if it persists then it is alarming.
12. Exercise
Excessive body exertion or exercise results in increased blood flow and heart beat. Both of these factors raises body temperature which as a reaction starts panting in dogs. This is pretty normal and a body cooling mechanism which comes to normal very soon.
13. Loud noises
Loud noises sometime alerts the dogs. As it is a very caring and guarding pet so noticing such an alarms like loud noise, strangers, fire etc. makes them cautious. If your dog pants at night, you don’t need to panic and all you need to do is to look around and observe your surroundings. Panting is sometimes a helpful sign to judge bad things around.
14. Nausea
Nausea is a common reason of nighttime anxiety in dogs. In certain conditions, we are unable to understand the underlying health issues in our dogs. Due to physical illness arise nausea which results in showing slow or fast panting. This indicated that you should go for veterinarian checkups properly.
15. Stomach issues
Stomach issues trigger panting because it sometimes induce blood pressure disturbing problems. Notice the symptoms like gut sounds, vomiting, too much water intake, oral discharge etc. It will help you to understand your pup’s stomach condition.
16. Separation Anxiety
Dog is a loving and loveable buddy in your life. It loves closeness and you also get used to its company all day. At night times they feel separation anxiety and show their concern by panting in front of you. Letting him come to you will relive their situation and anxiety.
17. Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia is a condition of low glucose level in the body. It arises due to a number of reasons like, excessive exercise/ Low food intake, hepatitis, infection, renal failure and may more. If your dog is panting more often without any external stimuli or environmental change then notice his physical signs. If you notice your dog panting at night more often then you should take veterinary advice for dog panting.
18. Obesity
Aging and obesity are two major noticeable factors that enhance panting in dogs. Obesity is a key factor to start other diseases in dogs also. They start feeling tired, high blood pressure, high heart beat rate with a little physical activity like playing. Steps should be taken to reduce their body fat and keep them engage in more physical activities.
19. Respiratory issues
Respiratory diseases will surely induce breathing issues in dogs, both in day and night time. Facing issues while breathing, feeling choked induce anxiety and excessive panting in dogs, especially at night time. If you feel any of these symptoms then you should immediately go to the vet clinic and consult the doctor.
20. Cushing’s disease
Cushing’s disease triggers when it grows a tumor on pituitary gland or adrenal gland. It cause some irregular patterns of :
- water intake
- urination
- abdominal enlargement
- skin allergy
- hair loss
- low energy state
These factors induce excessive panting and restlessness in dogs, which shows that they are suffering from the disease painfully. You should consult your doctor to understand the calming tips and therapies while medication process for Cushing’s disorder.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How to Calm a Panting Dog?
If your dog is showing no signs of pain or discomfort then it might be due to hot weather. So, by giving him enough water to drink and regulating room temperature mostly calm a panting dog.
2. Why is my Dog Panting heavily at night?
Several reasons can contribute to dog panting at night, some are normal and some are the indication of underlying health issues. Some most common causes are:
- Obesity
- anxiety
- Body exertion
- thirst
- heat stroke
- medication
- fear
- parasites
- Hypoglycemia
- metabolic diseases
3. Why is my senior dog panting at night?
Like Human, dogs also show some aging signs with the passage of time. In addition to age other factors like obesity, low energy state, tiredness also triggers panting in senior dogs. However, this is a normal behavior in aging dogs which gradually settles after sometime.
4. When should I worry about Panting dog?
When Panting starts suddenly and intensely without any external environmental change then it might points towards pain or some physical health issue. In such a condition you should immediately consult with your vet doctor.
5. Why is my dog panting for no reason at night?
Panting is a normal body cool mechanism in dogs. They pant when they are thirsty or feeling hot, But their is always a reason behind panting. If the panting intensity is normal then it is all okay but if it is intense then you should visit a pet clinic.
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