Dog Breathing Fast While Sleeping : 7 Reasons Why Does My Dog Breathe Fast When Sleeping

Although a dog breathing fast while sleeping might not seem like much of an issue, given your dog’s tendency for dreaming, it could be a symptom of an underlying issue. If the fast breathing continues even while they’re awake, it’s already an alarm signal for many health problems. When your dog’s breathing is faster than normal, they may not be getting enough air.

Is your dog breathing fast while sleeping? If you notice your dog is breathing fast while resting or sleeping, your dog could be experiencing respiratory distress. Contact your veterinarian immediately if you notice any signs such as Noticeably labored breathing pale(stomach muscles work harder to breathe), brick red gums, or blue-tinged gums.

Respiratory distress is something that cannot be underestimated. You should learn about why does my dog breathe fast when sleeping, how to treat it, and how to prevent it. In this article, we will discuss some questions about dog breathing heavy and fast.

Dog Breathing Fast – Is He Sick?

If you have taken your dog to exercise such as running together, walking around, playing together, it will be normal for their breathing to be fast.

When the dog has difficulty breathing, the first thing you should do is to check for any problems with your dog’s breathing. You may feel pressure in the chest or feel that your dog is trying to cough.

If your dog is coughing, there may be an infection causing the coughing. Look for the telltale signs of sickness and take your dog to the vet for a proper diagnosis.

When you feel your dog’s breathing fast is abnormal, or you see a dog breathing fast while sleeping, you need to immediately take your dog to the vet and tell him about your dog’s condition.

Do Puppies Breathe Fast?

Puppies have heart rates and respiratory rates faster than older dogs when they sleep. The problem of a dog breathing fast while sleeping does not only occur in adult dogs but also puppies. Most puppies will start breathing a lot quicker when excited.

So if you have noticed your pug breathing fast while sleeping, you should try to find out why and take steps to stop this sudden breathing.

There are a few things that cause puppies to breathe so rapidly. One of them is the abnormal growth of the thyroid gland in puppies. Some thyroid problems in humans lead to rapid breathing, but it is not the same in puppies.

You can always watch how your puppy acts. Does it wake up often in the night and pant? Does it wake up with a choking cry? Do they rub their face and mouth and make an interesting sound?

If you observe these behavior patterns, you might want to take them to the veterinarian to check out their respiratory issues.

Can Dogs Breathe Through Their Mouth?

Yes, they can breathe through their mouth, but it’s not a healthy way of breathing. Canine dogs, like people, can pant or snore. A canine’s mouth was always meant to do other things in the wild than bite and chew and make those awful noise sounds.

Their respiratory tract works in the same manner as humans through the trachea, bronchioles, and teachers.

A dog’s uvula, which is the dangly thing at the back of its head, acts as a tube to take air in and out of the lungs. However, unlike us humans, canines cannot open up their uvulas very wide.

If you are concerned about your dog when dog breathing loud while sleeping, consult your vet. He or she may be able to give you some sound medical advice.

Why Is My Dog Breathing Heavy?

Is your dog panting and having problems getting air into its lungs? If so, this may be a sign of a canine respiratory infection or lung inflammation. It is important to get your dog to the vet for a proper diagnosis for a dog breathing heavy while sleeping as soon as possible.

Dog breathing heavy in sleep is also a respiratory infection. Consult your vet and do not self-medicate. If you notice that your dog is getting heavy breathing due to bronchial pneumonia, your dog may need to be hospitalized.

What Causes Rapid Breathing In Dogs?

Normally, rapid breathing in dogs is caused by exercise or excitement. It can also be rapid dog breathing due to fear, hot weather, or stress.

But if your dog is breathing fast when sleeping or rapid breathing in addition to exercise or excitement, there is a possibility that your dog will have a heart stroke.

When a dog’s heart is not working normally, your dog can’t circulate oxygen normally. Due to the lower level of oxygen in the body, the dog begins rapid breathing to counteract that condition.

What Kind Of Disease When Dog Breathing Fast At Night?

Several diseases have unusually fast breathing symptoms, like a dog breathing fast in sleep. For non-respiratory issues, it can be anemia, bloat, or heart disease. As for lower-respiratory issues, it can be fluid in the lungs or bronchitis.

Dog breathing heavy while sleeping is a sign that your dog struggles to get normal oxygen, and their body is trying hard to keep oxygen at normal levels. For severe conditions, your dog will have difficulty breathing accompanied by a cough, which can be fatal.

Why Is My Dog Breathing Fast While Sleeping?

If you notice your dog breathing fast while sleeping and it happens only occasionally, your dog may be having an exciting dream. You can wait some time for breathing to return to normal.

If you feel your dog is breathing fast is more than just a dream, don’t panic. This can be seen from the size and age of your dog. It is also normal for puppies to breathe faster than older dogs.

If your dog heavy breathing at night and doesn’t stop or happens every day, there’s a good chance that your dog has anemia or congestive heart failure.

Dog’s respiration will increase to maintain blood circulation. That’s the cause of dog breathing fast while sleeping.

Why Does My Dog Breathe Heavy When Sleeping?

Dog breathing heavy while sleeping is one of the health issues. Your dog could have heart failure, poisoning from toxic food, lung cavity, or chronic bronchitis.

Pay attention to the rate of your dog’s breath. Normally, dogs will breathe 24 times when they are resting or sleeping. If your dog doesn’t have 24 breaths per minute, then they are having difficulty breathing. Take it to the vet immediately for a medical examination.

If your dog is a senior, there is a possibility that his respiratory rate has started to decline with age. Older dog breathing fast while sleeping can be normal because their organs also experience decreased function. But still, check your dog to the vet if your dog is heavily breathing during normal activities.

Labored Breathing In Dogs While Sleeping

It’s been said that the biggest cause of labored breathing in dogs is dyspnea. Dyspnea is when a dog has noisy breathing with its mouth open throughout the night. During sleep, the muscles in the chest are often relaxed and don’t feel like they’re working properly.

As a result, the dog panting while sleeping occurs. When this happens, the most common time is right before a dog goes to sleep or right after waking up.

When your dog breathing fast through nose while sleeping and extended tongue, and you see pale gums, immediately check with a veterinarian because there is a possibility that your dog has been injured or traumatized.

Is It Normal When My Dog Breathes Loudly At Sleep?

Dog snoring or dog breathing loudly while sleeping is not a sign your dog is healthy. Sometimes this behavior can be attributed to stress, so you may want to see your vet. Other times it is a medical issue that is needing attention.

Dogs in distress have difficulty relaxing during sleep, accompanied by loss of appetite. This can lead to other adverse conditions, such as a dog breathing fast while sleeping due to lack of oxygen due to dehydration or lack of energy from not eating.

Some abnormal breathing associated with dog breathing fast while sleeping is:

Why Is My Puppy Breathing Fast When She Sleeps?

Puppies are breathing faster than older dogs because their heart and respiratory rates are different. Normally, puppies can reach 15 to 40 breaths per minute. If your puppies are more than 40 or more than 50, immediately check with your vet for a medical examination.

Dog breathing fast while sleeping is also almost the same as puppies if they are small-sized dogs. Smaller dogs have faster resting respiratory rates than larger dogs.

Dog Breathing Fast Through Nose While Sleeping – Is It Bad?

My friends told me about their bulldog breathing fast while sleeping. This can be a very dangerous and potentially deadly problem for your dog. Your vet will know best what steps to take to help stop your dog from breathing through their nose when sleeping.

You need to determine the actual cause behind your dog’s snoring. Is it stress-related? If so, then you need to take your dog to a veterinarian right away.

Dogs do not tend to breathe rapidly at sleep. Does your dog do exercise before bed? Or are their bodies hot because of the warm environment? Because dogs are usually doing rapid breathing to cool their body temperature.

But if your dog breathing fast while sleeping through his nose all the time, or even he is not sleeping, then immediately check with your vet whether your dog is affected by lung disease, anemia, nausea, collapsing windpipe, or kennel cough.

Dog Breathing Fast While Resting – What Should I Do?

If your dog is having a heart stroke, anemia, or fluid in the lungs, you should ask your vet for advice, so that the dog breathing fast through the nose does not interfere with their sleeping.

If the vet has done a medical examination, the vet can do a blood transfusion to add red blood cells in anemia or do oxygen therapy if your dog is in respiratory distress.

Dog breathing fast while sleeping is indeed worrying because there are many dangerous diseases that your dog may experience. A good idea would be to speak with your vet about natural remedies. Giving your natural dog remedies may reduce their fast breathing symptoms so they can sleep soundly.

Is It Normal When Dog Breathing Hard Through Nose?

If your dog breathing heavy while sleeping and coughing up green or yellow mucous, he may have a respiratory infection in his nose. This can be very serious because it weakens the immune system. The dog’s resistance to other diseases will decrease, which will mean the dog will get sicker.

A virus or bacteria can cause these infections that either came from somewhere else in the body or were introduced into the nose accidentally. The typical treatment would include antibiotic drops and antibiotics.

If not treated properly, your dog can experience other severe diseases that can interfere with breathing. Dog breathing heavy is also a sign of compromised breathing because it can’t circulate oxygen normally.

Dog Breathing Heavily Through Nose While Sleeping – What Should I Do?

Your vet will do a medical examination first to determine what is causing your dog breathing heavy through nose.

For example, if your dog is in distress, your dog will receive special training for its behavior. For severe cases, your dog will be given oxygen therapy so that the oxygen circulation in the body returns to normal.

Try lifting their chin position a little while sleeping. Pay attention to whether their breathing starts to normal or not because the chin-up position will make it easier for your dog to breathe.

Asking for first aid on a dog breathing fast while sleeping needs to be asked to a vet because you also don’t know what the effect will be if you do something carelessly, making your dog’s condition worse.

Should I Worry When My Dog Breathing Fast?

You don’t have to worry if it happens occasionally. Dog breathing fast and shallow can occur when your dog has nightmares or excitement dreams. But if your dog breathing fast while sleeping every night, it may be a sign of serious symptoms.

You can see from the dog’s gum because it is an indication of whether oxygen was delivered to organs effectively or not. If it is pale or blue-tinged, it is a sign of respiratory distress.

Another severe disease such as heart stroke also shows dog breathing heavy while sleeping, so you must always maintain their body temperature, so they don’t get too hot. Make sure your dog is given enough water before bed to help its body circulate oxygen smoothly.

Signs Of Dog Breathing Weird

If you see your dog shallow breathing while sleeping, it is one of the signs of weird breathing and possible disease. Some other signs of an abnormal dog breathing fast while sleeping is:

1. Excessive breathing with open mouth
2. Belly and chest moving in every breath
3. Noisy breathing
4. Rapid breathing
5. Breathing with coughing

If your dog experiences any of the above at a time, take him to the vet immediately.

Respiratory Distress In Dogs

Acute respiratory distress syndrome or ARDS in dogs is an extremely serious respiratory disorder. This syndrome is where the respiratory system fails to do proper function due to excessive fluid accumulation within the lungs.

When this happens in dog breathing heavily through nose, the airways are gradually damaged, and inflammation occurs. There can be difficulty breathing and even chest pain. When this problem is left unattended, it can result in the death of the affected animal.

There are a lot of symptoms that show the early symptoms of this disease in dogs. The most common of these is the dog breathing fast while sleeping.

This is usually brought on by an obstruction in the air passages – either from nasal congestion or a build-up of mucus, phlegm, or nasal discharge.

How To Treat Respiratory Distress In Dogs?

To treat dog breathing heavy while sleeping conditions, doctors often prescribe antibiotics to kill bacteria, nebulizers to provide supplemental oxygen therapy, and corticosteroids to reduce swelling and inflammation.

If a chronic or severe dog panting in sleep occurs, surgery to correct the problems is possible.

Surgery for this disease is called orthopedic septoplasty. A septum is cartilage separating the two halves of each nose. During surgery, the septum is cut to allow the nasal passages to widen. This provides supplemental oxygen therapy.

You and your veterinarian need to work together when resolving respiratory issues in pets so that both of you can work on improving the health and welfare of your pet.

How To Prevent Respiratory Distress In Dogs?

To prevent acute respiratory issues like dog breathing fast through nose while sleeping, it is important to maintain healthy body weight, regular veterinary checkups, and use appropriate air filters. To prevent long-term respiratory distress, maintaining good health hygiene is essential.

Keep your pet clean and groomed by bathing them regularly, and keep their teeth clean with fluoride toothpaste. Preventive veterinary medicine can help stop your dog or cat from experiencing respiratory distress in the future.

Final Verdict On Dog Breathing Fast While Sleeping

Every pet owner wants their dog to be healthy. Even pet owners should also watch the condition of their dogs while sleeping. Pay attention if your dog is breathing fast while sleeping. Are they rapid breathing temporarily or every night?

Several things allow dog breathing fast while sleeping. One of them is excitement, dreams, or nightmares. This condition makes the dog breathe faster, the same as the condition after exercise, fear, excitement, or stress.

This is different from a puppy breathing fast while sleeping because small-sized dogs or puppies have a faster heart and respiratory rate than adult dogs. This condition is not dangerous because it is normal.

But if your dog shows some symptoms like pale gums, heavy breathing, rapid breathing, noisy breathing while sleeping, those are some signs of abnormal breathing.

You need to check your dog to the vet because your dog could have severe conditions such as heart stroke, anemia, chronic bronchitis, fluid in the lung, and respiratory distress.

Performing treatment and prevention for abnormal breathing is necessary so that your dog will return to health and be free from severe disease related to the dog breathing fast while sleeping.

Other Dog Health Care related articles you may want to get more awareness on

1. Mange in Dogs
2. Fleas in Dogs
3. Throat Spams in Dogs
4. Worms in Dogs
5. Kennel Cough in Dogs
6. Parvo in Dogs
7. Rabies in Dogs

Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️