For reference, a puppys normal resting breathing rate is 15-40 breaths per minute, a little higher than an adult dogs 10-30. More than likely, you just have a very excitable puppy who wont calm down! Only the most serious heart defects cause disease and tachypnoea as a puppy many will either cause no effects or result in disease later in life. Okay, okay. Required fields are marked *. Registration confirmation will be emailed to you, By joining the Forum, I agree that I am aged over 18 and that I will abide by the Community Guidelines and the Terms. In these cases, the puppy will often be breathing quite fast. Our bodies are pretty good at knowing what they want. Special receptors in arteries and on the brainstem called chemoreceptors detect the levels of CO2 and O2 , and the bloods pH (acidity) constantly. The abdomen is close to the lungs and the abdominal organs even push up on the diaphragm when animals breathe out to help expel air. Newborn puppies are very vulnerable, so a puppy like this will need a lot of veterinary care. Your email address will not be published. You probably want a bit more information than that. Finally, remember that control of the breathing rate is related to specific parts of the brain. due to severe vomiting and diarrhoea. If your puppy has bumped their head, please speak to a vet quickly, especially if they are breathing fast, are collapsed or bleeding, or are an abnormal colour. A faster heart leads to tachypnoea as the lungs compensate to bring more O2 to the heart. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Brain damage can sometimes result in tachypnoea, as well as other serious neurological issues. These events are obviously an emergency as there could be other issues going on like internal bleeding. If a puppy loses too much blood, there wont be enough to supply all the tissues with oxygen, so breathing increases. Cortisol is also responsible for an increased breathing rate due to pain. When our bodies are metabolising (producing energy) fast, such as during exercise, we use up oxygen and produce more carbon dioxide. Lets break down the specific causes of fast breathing in puppies into groups, and go from there. My dog has a cough is it a cold or COVID-19? These cause the blood to flow in the wrong direction, or the heart to have to work harder against pressure. If the heart isnt doing its job properly, the lungs sometimes have to compensate by breathing faster. Most heart diseases in puppies are present from birth developing heart disease at such a young age is rare. Finally, the red blood cells themselves (the cells that carry oxygen) can be low (anaemia) or damaged. Puppies with these issues are often pale, cold and have blue gums. A fever due to illness can cause rapid breathing for the same reason. Secondary infections after inhaling objects such as grass seeds (or just a simple blockage) are also a common cause of tachypnoea. We hope that you all remember from biology class that breathing in brings oxygen into our lungs, swapping it with carbon dioxide to be expelled. Increased carbon dioxide leads to a drop in the pH of the blood it becomes more acidic. These include kennel cough, bronchopneumonia, viral infections like influenza, and lungworm. All of the above are emergencies that need to be seen by a vet ASAP. There are many causes of red blood cell dysfunction, including chronic disease, parasites, autoimmune diseases, carbon monoxide or onion poisoning. There are many kinds of lung disease. Once the levels are normal, the receptors tell the lungs to slow down again. Breathing fast will help correct this quickly. Puppies with heart disease may have soft coughs and be very lethargic. Home All Posts Dogs Why is my Puppy Breathing Fast? Be especially wary of exercising puppies on hot days, as the two heat sources can overwhelm their compensation mechanisms and lead to heatstroke heatstroke can be fatal, especially in puppies, so always help them cool down if they are panting too hard. Sometimes newborn puppies can be born breathing very rapidly as a result of their lungs not functioning properly. Hypovolaemia can also occur due to bleeding. Also known as the fight-or-flight hormone, when it activates it increases the heart rate. When animals are born, the lungs are often immature and full of fluid they usually clear within a few hours of life but they can sometimes take longer, especially if the puppy was born premature. So why is your puppy breathing fast? One of the most common reasons for a swollen belly in puppies is worms puppies should be treated for worms regularly to prevent this. Can dogs and cats have blood transfusions? But if the organs get too big they can start to compress the lungs too much, they reduce its capacity for oxygen movement and causing tachypnoea. As the heart is a muscle, it needs oxygen to function. Learn how your comment data is processed. My dog is panting excessively What could be wrong? If a puppy has been running around all afternoon, its body will have a huge demand for oxygen to supply the hard-working cells, and a lot of CO2 to remove. We all get out of breath occasionally. As dogs only sweat through their feet and noses, the lungs are particularly important in regulating heat. There is usually an underlying cause, and in puppies is probably due to an accident. The result is excessive strain on the heart. Whether its from running a marathon or just running up the stairs too quickly! If your puppy sadly hurts themself, they may breathe faster. Stress, excitement or fear are all linked to the stress hormone cortisol. We can sometimes hear these defects with a stethoscope as a heart murmur. Your email address will not be published. Finally, the lungs can also be physically damaged, reducing their capacity and resulting in compensatory tachypnoea. In puppies, the most common are probably infectious lung diseases. Very sick puppies can become hypovolaemic this means there isnt enough blood fluid to transport the oxygen the puppy needs, so the lungs compensate. Finally, the lungs have a secondary function of helping to cool the body down by expelling warm air and inhaling cooler air. So if the chemoreceptors detect low blood pH and O2, and high CO2, they tell the lungs and associated muscles to work faster (tachypnoea or breathing fast). A puppy with a big swollen belly should always be investigated for these diseases. As mentioned above, the most likely reason is exercise. Joe Dunne BVMedSci (hons), BVM BVS (hons), MRCVS, Causes of Tachypnoea/Breathing Fast in Puppies. A member of our team will investigate this further. This brings oxygen into and CO2 out of our bodies more quickly, restoring balance. These diseases damage the lungs, fill them with infection and reduce the area available for oxygen and carbon dioxide to be exchanged. The heart is closely linked to the lungs. You should only consider talking to a vet if the puppy is breathing fast for prolonged periods of time, or there are other signs of disease. Swollen tummies can also occur due to blockages from swallowed objects or stools, twisted intestines or fluid in the abdomen. To compensate, the lungs speed up lung disease often results in very fast but shallow breathing. My dog is panting excessively - What could be wrong. Question answered! There is also a rare congenital disease that allows abdominal organs to enter the thorax where the lungs are, pushing on them we can correct this with surgery. However, not all tachypnoea is directly linked to the heart or lungs. Today we will go over the various reasons why your puppy might be breathing fast. We hope that our big long list of causes of rapid breathing in puppies hasnt frightened you too much. This might be the cause of the fast breathing rate. Generally, puppies with lung infections also have a fever, a cough and are quite poorly, so please speak to your vet if you suspect a lung infection. These puppies are often dehydrated, e.g. For the majority of puppies, breathing fast is a short-lived and normal effect and shouldnt worry you. Probably because its chemoreceptors have detected low O2 and blood pH, and high CO2, and are compensating. Without this critical action, we pretty much cease to function we die! Breathing fast is usually normal, though it can be a sign of a lack of fitness or even disease. Well, we hope you enjoyed this article about. If your new puppy is breathing fast, you might be wondering if its normal or if you need to visit a vet. Thank you for your help. Lung diseases affect the lungs capacity or performance, resulting in reduced oxygen intake. Has your puppy just had a fright or gotten excited? Heat is produced secondarily to exercise or just because of the environment if your puppy is too hot, it will pant fast to lose some of that heat. Save my name and email in this browser for the next time I comment. If there isnt enough oxygen in the blood, the lungs compensate, breathing faster sometimes there isnt enough oxygen in the blood because of an issue with the blood itself. However, sometimes these changes go wrong or dont take place, resulting in congenital heart malformations, such as narrow vessels, holes in the heart or leaky valves. The developing heart undergoes a lot of changes before a puppy is born. There are plenty of normal reasons why your puppy might be breathing fast. Examples include bruising or puncture after an accident, or damage to the ribs or diaphragm that control lung movement. 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