Why Do Golden Retrievers Pant So Much?

The good news is that in most cases, panting is normal and doesn’t threaten a dog’s health. Any dog can pant from exercise, heat, or emotional arousal.

However, sometimes, panting is a troubling sign of health conditions that require urgent veterinary intervention, so dog owners should learn to identify panting causes.

Knowing how to tell if a dog is panting too much is vital to providing timely help to your pet.

To Cool Off

The primary purpose of panting is thermoregulation. Panting is a colling mechanism triggered by exercise or hot weather. Dogs don’t sweat through their skin as humans do – they only sweat through their paws.

Since the paw surface is insufficient to cool off the entire body, dogs additionally pant to release heat and breathe in the fresh air.

When a dog pants, water evaporates from its lungs and nose, and the heavier the panting, the more water evaporates from the dog’s body. For this reason, golden retrievers should always have access to fresh water in hot weather to prevent dehydration.

Panting from heat can be intense, heavy, and rapid, which is normal for extreme temperatures. However, if the extent of panting doesn’t correlate with the temperature, the owners should watch out for other abnormalities and seek veterinary help.

When Stressed Or in Fear

Dogs also pant when they’re stressed, anxious, or scared. Veterinarians commonly refer to stress panting as behavioral panting because it’s a neurological system response.

You may have noticed behavioral panting in your golden retriever when you went to the vet, were trimming its fur for the first time, or came across an aggressive dog during a walk.

When a dog is stressed, panting is usually accompanied by yawning, attempts to hide, whining, and shaking.

To determine whether your dog is panting from stress, assess the situation. Consider whether anything has changed in your dog’s environment that could have caused such a reaction.

When in Pain

Sometimes, panting is an indicator of pain. Unfortunately, because panting is natural for dogs and occurs due to many reasons, owners often overlook excessive pain panting.

Think of how people breathe when they suffer an injury – dogs are no different. Heavy breathing is a dog’s instinctive way to ease the pain.

If your dog isn’t panting because of heat or stress, assess any other changes in its behavior. Other signs of pain in dogs include whining, growling, change in affection, appetite changes, and excessive licking of a particular body part.

After Play

All dogs pant after exercise, similarly to how humans breathe heavily after visiting the gym or taking the stairs. Golden retrievers are highly energetic dogs that can pant heavily after a long walk, swimming session, or play.

Dogs pant after exercise for two reasons. Firstly, a dog’s heart rate increases during exercise, and heart rate is directly linked to respiration rate.

When a dog exercises, its muscles work harder than usual and need extra oxygen. As the level of activity increases, the lungs begin working faster to deliver more oxygen into the muscles – that’s the simple explanation.

Secondly, exercise makes a dog feel warm, and since dogs can’t sweat as humans do, they use panting to cool off.

If your dog’s panting after exercise is too heavy, you can help it cool off by offering it water and something cool to lie on.

When Happy

Dogs often pant when excited, and golden retrievers are some of the happiest dogs. They are always glad to meet new people, go for a walk, play, or swim. It may seem that golden retrievers are excited non-stop.

Panting from excitement in golden retrievers is typically shallow and rapid, often accompanied by whining. You may have noticed your golden retriever suddenly beginning to breathe rapidly when you say, “let’s go for a walk” – that’s excitement panting.

Allergic Reactions

Sometimes, panting indicates trouble breathing caused by an allergic reaction. Like humans, dogs can have various allergies categorized into several types, including environmental, food, and parasite allergies.

Flea, tick, and other parasite bites typically cause skin reactions such as rash, itchiness, and swelling, and food allergies cause a gastroenteric upset. The most common cause of respiratory symptoms is environmental allergies.

A dog can be allergic to pollen, dust, pesticides, hairspray, dander, or other allergens present in the air. Such allergies may also affect the dog’s skin, often causing atopic dermatitis.

If you’re sure that your dog isn’t panting due to stress, excitement, pain, exercise, or heat, check it for other symptoms of canine allergy.

If your dog has runny eyes, swollen face, inflamed or itchy skin, coughs, or sneezes, consider whether it was recently exposed to potential allergens and make an appointment with your veterinarian.

Unfortunately, diagnosing allergies in dogs is often tricky. First, the veterinarian will have to rule out other potential causes of panting. Then, they can conduct a lab test, but some allergies can only be diagnosed with the exclusion trial method.

In severe cases, allergies in dogs can lead to canine asthma. The symptoms of dog asthma include panting, wheezing, coughing, difficulty breathing, bluish gums, and loss of appetite.

Heart Conditions

Apart from natural causes, panting can be triggered by health conditions, so owners should watch out for other behavioral and physiological abnormalities if the panting becomes excessive.

Excessive panting is often a symptom of heart disease, either acute or chronic. If a dog suddenly starts panting heavily, tilting its head, vomiting, pacing, circling, or making odd eye movements, it may be having a stroke.

It’s important to note that some vestibular system conditions may cause stroke-like symptoms, but they typically aren’t accompanied by respiratory symptoms such as panting.

Unfortunately, strokes are widespread among active dogs of large breeds, and golden retrievers fall into this category. Therefore, owners must know the symptoms of stroke in dogs and seek veterinary help as soon as possible if they notice any abnormalities.

Heart failure may also cause panting, along with persistent coughing, reduced stamina, loss of appetite, enlarged abdomen, and muscle loss. Heart failure is more common in senior dogs but may occur at any age.

If you notice any of the above-mentioned symptoms, visit a vet to conduct a chest X-ray, blood and urine tests, electrocardiogram, and echocardiogram.

Some heart conditions may be present at birth – such diseases are referred to as congenital conditions. Although congenital heart conditions in dogs are genetic, they often manifest only in adult age.

One of such common golden retriever health problems is subvalvular aortic stenosis (SAS). SAS symptoms in golden retrievers include constant panting, exercise intolerance, lethargy, and fainting.

In severe cases, the symptoms are present at birth, but in mild cases, they occur at six to 12 months old. If left untreated, SAS can lead to heart failure and death.

Respiratory Conditions

Golden retrievers are prone to some respiratory conditions, which can occur at any age and be triggered by viruses, bacterial infections, environmental factors, or be inherited.

One of the most common canine respiratory conditions is kennel cough, scientifically referred to as Canine Infectious Tracheobronchitis.

Dogs may also develop chronic bronchitis. Unfortunately, chronic bronchitis in dogs is irreversible and progresses slowly, so owners often miss the first symptoms, which may include panting and coughing.

The list of respiratory diseases causing panting in dogs is long, so diagnosing a dog and finding the proper treatment may take a while. For this reason, owners should seek veterinary help as soon as they notice any breathing abnormalities or exercise intolerance.

Other Health Conditions

Panting is a common symptom of canine cognitive dysfunction, a condition similar to dementia in humans that primarily affects senior dogs. Other signs of the disease include restlessness and difficulty sleeping, disorientation, accidents in the house, and behavioral changes.

In the case of canine cognitive dysfunction, panting is caused by behavioral changes – a dog may suddenly start feeling anxious, scared, or aggressive.

Another potential cause of excessive panting in dogs is anemia. Anemia refers to red cell deficiency in a dog’s bloodstream.

Since red blood cells are responsible for delivering oxygen throughout the body, their lack causes a dog to breathe rapidly, striving to fuel vital organs with oxygen.

Pancreatitis may also cause a golden retriever to constantly pant. Other symptoms of the condition include a bloated abdomen, hunched posture, dehydration caused by vomiting and diarrhea, and depression.

How To Know Panting is Out Of Control

A lack of behavioral and physiological abnormalities doesn’t yet mean that a dog’s panting is normal because symptoms of health conditions don’t always onset simultaneously. Golden retriever owners should know when to see a vet for dog panting.

Assess the potential causes of normal panting. If your dog doesn’t pant because of stress, excitement, heat, or exercise, evaluate whether panting is heavier than usual.

If a dog starts panting suddenly or the panting is constant and intense, seek veterinary help even if you don’t yet notice other symptoms.

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