Odd panting episode

Yesterday morning after Nalu played with her new kitten she started panting and her eyes were big. She wouldn't drink water so all I could do was try and calm her down. I took her to the vet who recommended a half dose of allergy med such as Benadryl, since the pollen count here is extreme right now and her eyes have been goopy. He also mentioned her heart beat was scattered and wanted to do xray and EKG testing. Should I just take her to a cardiologist or do you think she is just stressed from losing a cat, getting kittens and pollen?

I don't think I have enough information to help you, but I do have some questions that may help.

First, is the panting continuing today? Lucky was panting last week but he was also limping so it was clear to me it was a pain response from hurting his paw (think the groomer clipped a nail to short). It was late at night so I watched him and in the morning he was fine.
Is Nala limping or exhibiting any pain symptoms? My sister has an allergy dog (tested and gets daily sublingual drops). He doesn't pant. I'd be concerned if the panting was continuing, especially given you mentioned an irregular heart beat.
Does Nalu have a heart murmur?

In short if the panting is continuing, I'd have it looked at. I personally would not assume it was from the stress of losing a cat or adding new kittens to the household since they have been there for a little while. Hopefully the vet checked, but I might check to make sure a kitten didn't injure Nalu with her claws.

So far Nalu seems fine today but I'm keeping her activity level down. The vet has never noticed a problem with her heart and would like to check it on a "normal" day.

Lani I think Nalu's panting episode was a reaction to pain. I noticed today that she hasn't been willing to jump up on furniture. I think when she jumped off a tall bed the other day she may have hurt herself. A knee perhaps?

Sounds as if it could be a twisted muscle or similar, so Nalu could need an anti-inflammatory, and rest will certainly help. If she wants to be on tall beds, some steps might prevent it happening again.

Kate and Ruby

I agree with Kate. You might want to do a quick vet visit just to get her checked out. My vet usually will feel around on all the bones and joints to see where she elicits a pain response. Anti-inflammatories and rest would probably help. At the very least rest and keep her from jumping as Kate said. Good luck. I hope she feels better soon. I use steps for my dogs to get on the bed and it's surprising how well they take to them. They use them both for getting on and off. I'm happy to recommend them if you want an inexpensive but solid brand. I've had mine for probably 7 years.

I'd appreciate a recommendation for steps. There's a bench at the end of the bed she uses but when she saw a kitten dash she took the short cut. R & R has helped her. She took a nice walk yesterday.

I'll leave Lani to answer that one, as Nalu and I live in different countries!:lol:

Kate and Ruby

I have these steps from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/PetStairz-Pet...TF8&qid=1432765467&sr=1-4&keywords=pet+stairz They come in 4,5, or even I think 6 step versions. They're all light-weight foam, so easily moved to other areas of the house if you only want to buy one set and they're very stable. My dogs love them. I've tried other ones over the years, but these are the ones that work the best. I've had one set for 7+ years now and they are holding up like brand new. Even Madison, who doesn't need to use them, likes them. Good luck. I hope Nalu feels better soon.

These are the stairs I have.

http://smile.amazon.com/Solvit-PupS...TF8&qid=1433112383&sr=1-1&keywords=pet+stairs

They re very durable and you can easily move them to vacuum or store under the bed if you don't want them out all the time. (mine stay out all the time, ;-) )