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panting

sannie

Well-known member
folks quickie question. Does your cav pant a lot after walks? We take dogs out in the evening when its cooler for a walk of about 40-50 mins at a pretty slow pace. Very safe area and Max is allowed off the lead and runs, and runs and runs, back and forth, back and forth the whole time we are out. It takes us one minute to return home where after having a nice cool drink, he flops down on the floor and pants and pants and pants for ages and ages. I know its a way of dogs cooling themselves down but our very old springer spaniel doesn't take nearly as long to recover although in fairness she just trots along after us, no long distance training for her. I have him routinely at the vet for the usual once over check up, and he checks his heart out all the time and says he's fine. Max was one year old in July. Does anyone else notice this about their CKC?
 
Jake and Shelby can run for the same amount of time and Shelby takes much longer to recover than Jake. She'll pant so loud sometimes it scares me. But she does recover. I kind of wonder if it doesn't have something to do with her shorter nose. She's was checked 2 weeks ago and is heart clear...so I don't worry about it too much. I give them both ice cubes when we get home and they sprawl out on the kitchen linoleum.
 
Cavaliers which pant excessively may suffer from brachycephalic airway obstruction syndrome, which is a disorder common to dogs with shortened skulls, called brachycephalic breeds, of which the Cavalier King Charles spaniel is one. It can be a serious problem. Some Cavaliers die from it. Please read about it at http://www.cavalierhealth.org/brachycephalic.htm It is a particular problem in hot weather, and especially for over weight Cavaliers.

Rod Russell
Orlando, Florida USA
 
Wow, thanks for the information.

What if the dog is not panting, but just seems to breathe faster than the other dogs much of the time?
 
Cathy, I think heavy breathing could be a symptom, too. It is difficult to be sure about such behaviors, as most any dog can get overheated and out of breath when exercising in hot weather. The upper breathing passages of brachycephalic dogs can get swollen or inflamed, narrowing the passages and making it more difficult for them to breathe, and this tends to happen more often in hot weather after exercise.

Of course, heavy breathing can be due to fluid in the lungs from advanced MVD. So, it all depends upon the other health conditions of the dog. The key is to notice it when it happens, and get your dog calmed down and into a cool environment as soon as possible.

Rod Russell
Orlando, Florida USA
 
Thanks, one of my dogs used to breathe a little faster than the other two, even when sleeping (and not dreaming), but I haven't noticed it recently. If I notice that again, I'll ask our vet to take a look at him.
 
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