AshleyK
Tampa, FL
MH
Posts:68
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| 03/31/2009 9:28 PM |
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Well this is actually about my Lab...I hope that's ok. She has been panting a lot lately. She's almost 9 but doesn't act like it at all, she's not overweight, she is still very playful and has her appetite and acts normal, it's just this panting that's new. I mean, yes we just moved to Florida from Georgia, but she stays in the house most of the time and she does it at random times like when she first wakes up or at night. Could this just be a sign of getting older??? I've tortured myself by Googling possible causes and of course got everything from stress to internal hemmoraging. If the only symptom is panting, should I take her to the vet?
Sorry again for this not necessarily being GSP related....I just know you all are very experienced and I trust your opinions!!! |
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"Saving just one dog will not change the world, but it will surely change the world for that one dog!" |
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Marie
Wisconsin
MH
Posts:2721
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| 03/31/2009 10:54 PM |
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| My guess is it may be nerves. With your new home in Florida, she just may be stressed out about the change. She may hear a strange noise in the middle of the night, instead of barking, she pants. Labs live best in temps below 70 degrees. If your temp is too high, Labs will pant. In the car when riding with both Rocky and Snickers, if my car temp rose too high Snickers would be panting up a storm and Rocky no panting at all. Rocky doesn't pant unless it is 94 degrees. Once I road my friend's Saluki and Rocky in the car. The Saluki was soo nervous she panted the whole way. I opened the window thinking she was hot, but no it turned out to be nerves. He mother told me she pants everytime she gets in the car cause she is not used to the car and it is her reaction for being nervous. |
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Marie and Rocky, a tall, high energy GSP
http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab18/Annette_Merryfield/100_0285.jpg?t=1287205231 |
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lauralee
Plainfield, CT.
MH
Posts:449
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| 04/01/2009 4:59 AM |
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| Dogs use panting as a way to reduce their body heat, but they also will pant if they are nervous. Does she shake when she is panting ??? Florida can also be more humid than Georgia, dogs have a hard time regulating body temps. in humidity.. Have you taken her temp ??? |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:7921
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TessaGA
Georgia
MH
Posts:2387
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| 04/01/2009 5:25 AM |
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I'd say Georgia is pretty darn humid, probably coming close to Florida, although not all year round. A sudden change from Georgia winter to Florida winter would be noticable. Also, depends on where you lived in Georgia - north or south - in regards to climate.
That said, I would definitely take the dog to the vet for a thorough check-up. If all checks out okay, the vet (a new vet in Florida, I reckon) at least will have a base line of all her stats for reference purposes in the future. My vet strongly recommends complete workup for senior dogs starting around age 8, for reference, and, if you catch something in the early stages, it may easily be managed before becoming full-blown. |
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To live without dogs would mean accepting a form of blindness. [Thomas McGuane]
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Polarbear
Coon Rapids, MN
MH
Posts:131
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| 04/01/2009 6:37 AM |
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| Excessive panting can be symptom of a condition called Acidosis. This is where the body's pH is too low. I won't go into too many details (BORING) but, the heavy panting is the dog's way of getting rid of carbon dioxide (which is acidic). I only mention this because we had our old lab had this symptom, among others, when her kidneys failed. |
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Marie
Wisconsin
MH
Posts:2721
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| 04/01/2009 7:22 AM |
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| I always make it a point to sign my dogs when new in an area with a Vet as soon as I can. Take the dog in for an initial exam with your current shot records so the new Vet get your dogs shot record into their sysytem. Example: When we adopted Rocky from the rescue, made an appointment the same week with my Vet for exam & sign up with his shot records. We did have to add on extra shot, lyme because of the White Tail Deer herd who lives in our back fields and frequents our backyards. Each geographic area is different. Good too to ask a neighbor who has dogs if they could recommend a good Vet in your area. Good Luck with your new move. |
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Marie and Rocky, a tall, high energy GSP
http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab18/Annette_Merryfield/100_0285.jpg?t=1287205231 |
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Morrison
Twin Cities, MN
MH
Posts:111
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| 04/01/2009 9:23 AM |
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After you make a trip to your new vet and have an all clear from them...
I also have an older lab (Monroe) and we moved when he was 5 yrs old. He showed the same type of behaviour with panting after just waking up or while wandering the house at night. We would say his name to get his attention, he would see us and settle back down. This lasted about six weeks and he got an all clear from the vet during that time. We moved in September from Delaware to Minnesota so I didn't think of the weather at all.
We chalked it up to stress and getting used to his new environment. Silly us, we washed his bedding when we moved. Perhaps if he had a spot with his old, familiar scents he would have been better.
Moving is hard on everyone and there is always a period of adjustment. But... it never hurts to start setting a baseline with your new vet.
Good luck and give him some ear scritches for me. |
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AshleyK
Tampa, FL
MH
Posts:68
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| 04/01/2009 9:03 PM |
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Thanks for all your advice! We've been here in FL for about 7 weeks and this has only been going on for a few days, so I'm thinking it's probably not stress related. Plus I've moved about 9 times since I've had her (that sounds terrible doesn't it?) and she's never had a problem. She's pretty laid back. So I'm hoping it's just the heat here although it did get pretty hot in Atlanta. But, just to be sure, I've got an appointment in the morning at the vet. As much as I'm in denial about it, she is getting older and if there's anything going on I want to catch it now. I'll let you all know how the appointment goes! Thanks again and keep your fingers crossed.....
And here's a silly picture of her doing her favorite trick just for good measure... 
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"Saving just one dog will not change the world, but it will surely change the world for that one dog!" |
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TessaGA
Georgia
MH
Posts:2387
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| 04/02/2009 5:56 AM |
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| LOL love that picture...cute! Please keep us posted. |
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To live without dogs would mean accepting a form of blindness. [Thomas McGuane]
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AshleyK
Tampa, FL
MH
Posts:68
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| 04/02/2009 9:02 PM |
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| Ok so I took her to the vet this morning. She gave her the initial exam which brought up a few possibilities. The vet said she could feel Kasey's spleen and it felt a little larger than it should, so she was thinking there could be a tumor on it. Also, she was stretching out her back legs and Kasey seemed uncomfortable when she did one of them, so of course we were thinking hip pain. So, she wanted to do some xrays and bloodwork so I had to leave her there for a while. After what felt like days (really only about 4 hours) she called and said I could come back and get her. They didn't find a single thing wrong! Her spleen looked fine, her hips and joints looked good, not even any signs of arthritis. So, she gave me some pain medication anyway and I'm going to give her that just to see if the panting stops, in which case we will know it was due to pain of some kind. So $500 later I do feel better that she's been totally checked and nothing was found, but I'm still wondering if something's going on... |
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"Saving just one dog will not change the world, but it will surely change the world for that one dog!" |
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TessaGA
Georgia
MH
Posts:2387
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| 04/03/2009 5:22 AM |
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Wow...weird. And expensive. But a good start.
I can not offer any guesses as to what else might be going on. What kind of pain med is she on?
It may be a good idea to put her on a daily glucosamine/msm/chondroitin supplement regardless of what causes the panting, for her aging joints.
Keep us posted. |
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To live without dogs would mean accepting a form of blindness. [Thomas McGuane]
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