Dyspnea in a dog: symptoms, causes, treatment

Dogs like to frolic and play, rush along the playground, with pleasure to go with the owner for a long walk. But suddenly something strange happens. The pet begins to suffocate, catches air while moving, or when it lies on its litter.

Shortness of breath is a dangerous symptom.

The scientific name for lack of air is dyspnea. If the dog breathes heavily during the hours of active physical stress after training on the site, this is a normal condition. After a short period, everything will work out. But, when during a walk, having walked several meters, the pet stops and breathes heavily - it's time to contact the veterinarian.

Shortness of breath has several reasons. It may arise due to:

1. Hypoxia. This means that there is too little oxygen in the body. Such a pathology leads to irritation of the respiratory center located in the brain. There is a feeling that there is not enough air, and breathing quickens completely involuntarily. Most often, the cause of this is many diseases.
2. Hypoxemia, when oxygen levels drop in the blood.
3. Without the proper amount of oxygen, breathing is lost according to several noticeable parameters: its rhythm, depth and frequency are violated at the same time.

Clinical picture

To understand that the dog does not have enough air, you should pay attention to the following symptoms:

1. When inhaling or exhaling, the animal has to exert force.
2. With breathing, extraneous sounds break out from the chest, most often it is a whistle or wheezing.
3. Pet breathes only with open mouth, greedily swallowing air.
4. Gums and lips become cyanotic or pale in color.
5. Unusual behavior. Most often, it manifests itself in the fact that the dog begins to stretch its neck and tries to spread its legs, but cannot lie down.
6. The dog is in a state of excitement, and then signs of oppression appear.

What can cause shortness of breath in dogs

The safest reasons are too active games or a long journey without rest, as well as the lack of water in the bowl. In turn, serious reasons that the owners cannot be ignored, divided experts into three categories.

Respiratory disease
Infectious diseases, impaired functioning of internal organs and injuries are attributed to them. This type of pathology is caused by lung diseases, types of pleurisy, the occurrence of tumors, fluid accumulated in the sternum, mechanical damage, primarily a fracture of the chest.

If the owner turned to a specialist for help due to shortness of breath in a pet, it is first of all checked whether there is a foreign body in the airways.

Disturbed breathing can be caused by bronchial asthma, but then signs of suffocation also appear. Pneumonia is also accompanied by an increase in body temperature.

With anemia, all body tissues need oxygen, but it comes in very small quantities, which affects the dog’s respiratory system.

Cardiogenic ailments
Not only people are affected by heart disease. In dogs, the following can also be observed:

1. Myocardial infarction, in this case, weakness periodically appears, palpitations and shortness of breath begin, and suddenly pain in the heart occurs.
2. Heart failure. It can have several types - chronic or acute;
   heart defects.
3. Coronary artery disease.

In this category are all diseases that characterize a weak heart or impaired circulation. The first signs of such ailments are constant shortness of breath when walking while walking, when the dog is forced to stop, sit or lie frequently due to a lack of proper oxygen levels.Or the animal cannot run, because it does not have enough air.

Most often, the appearance of dyspnea provokes pulmonary edema, and it, in turn, occurs due to weak heart muscle.

CNS pathology
There are breeds in which, due to natural data, there will certainly be shortness of breath. They belong to the brachycephalus, and all dogs with a flattened nose are prone to the brachycephalic syndrome, and a specific position of soft palate tissues is observed. Such a special anatomical structure is observed in bulldogs, pugs, and Pekingese. Representatives of these breeds cannot tolerate strong physical exertion, stressful situations, too intense heat. In all these situations, their health begins to deteriorate sharply, and if you do not provide qualified assistance in time, the pet may die.

But also this category includes reasons such as:

• hematomas;
• tumors developing in the brain;
• head injuries;
• severe electric shock, as a result of which the animal suffers a pain shock;
• stressful conditions.

In bitches, after the birth of puppies, dyspnea may also appear. Usually she disappears quickly. However, if symptoms such as bleeding, vomiting, fever, impaired coordination are added to difficulty breathing, this is a bad sign. So, mom’s life is in danger, and a veterinarian is needed.

It should be borne in mind that obesity and pregnancy cause shortness of breath, since in these cases the mobility of the chest and lungs is limited.

An allergic reaction can overtake a dog. In this case, shortness of breath is associated with the fact that swelling begins, the larynx or bronchi narrow, and it is difficult to penetrate the air into the lungs.

Help from the owner and veterinarian

If breathing is lost after stress, the dog should be taken to a quiet, cool place, stroked, massage the chest, back and soothe. It is advisable to wipe the wool if it turned out to be a damp, soft, natural cloth. But it is not recommended to make the dog go to bed and try to feed, even a favorite treat. It is impossible to give chilled water, otherwise there may be a threat of pneumonia, edema or collapse of the lungs.

If the dog does not want to lie down, there is no need to insist, as the lungs may be too full of oxygen, and when lying down there is a risk of lung tissue rupture.

But, if there are other causes of the pathology, an influx of fresh air will be required. There are also drugs that are necessary for those dogs who have problems of this nature too often.

It:

1. Medications that relieve swelling. First of all, it is suprastin. It needs to be crushed and rubbed under the tongue, the dose is half a tablet for 5 - 8 kg of weight.
2. Immunostimulants. Intramuscularly injected into the paws. The dose is given strictly as indicated in the instructions.
3. Potassium chloride. It is administered intravenously, but still it is better to entrust such an injection to a specialist.

If the condition of the dog is worrying, a veterinarian will be needed. Based on the examination, he will make the correct diagnosis, identify the cause of shortness of breath, and develop a treatment plan.

Video: shortness of breath in a dog