Rapid and Shallow Breathing

[Roy]

Hi everyone,

Nickie just turned eight months old yesterday.We noticed that ever since we got her, her breathing after exercise has been very rapid and shallow. We took her to the vet about 6 weeks ago and he listened to her heart and couldn't hear anything abnormal. 

Nickie vomited yellow vile two days ago and she's been having a very minor cough since the beginning of the week. She has been eating and acting completely normal.

I'm not too sure if her rapid breathing is normal because she's a puppy. Do you guys think her breathing pattern is normal for her age?

The link to the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJGamCC1hLI

[Cindy and Olive (Ollie)]

What is her resting breathing rate? Check that against norm values, too. I'd consider getting an X-ray for peace of mind.

[Roy]

Hi Cindy,

I will check her resting heartrate later on today. Her resting heartrate seems to be pretty normal. She doesn't pant when she's hanging out.

[Amy and Annabelle]

 So is she panting?  Is she hot and trying to cool herself off? They don't sweat so panting is how they do it. When Annabelle has been running around outside on a 90 degree day she will go get a drink of water and sit under a tree and pant for awhile to cool off.

[Roy]

Hi Amy,

Yes, she's pants hard like in the video after playing fetch or playing with the dogs at the dog park. She doesn't seem to tire too easily. She could play for a long time. It's just that I've never seen a dog breathe that fast and rapid before.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I can't hear anything on the video, but if the shallow rapid panting has been going on for 6 months and the vomiting/coughing started yesterday. I doubt that they are related. I personally would take my dog to the vet if he was coughing, especially with vomiting. There are all kinds of viruses going around in dogs, and puppies' immune systems are not as strong as adults. We're coming into a holiday weekend, better safe than sorry.

[Roy]

Hi Karen, Thanks for your reply. It's a poorly shot video and I apologize for that. If you look at her breathing pattern in the video, I think you'll see that its quite fast. It looks like her whole body is shaking because her breathing is so rapid. I might be normal but I'm not a 100% sure because my lab wouldn't inhale/exhale that fast. Nickie breathing pattern is like a machine gun.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

When JD and I are driving home from a good ball playing session at the park, his panting in the back seat makes my whole car vibrate, and I drive an SUV, lol.

I wouldn't be as concerned about the panting as I would about the cough and vomiting. It's not like it just started or suddenly got worse, it's been going on since you got her, and I am certain your vet has listened to her heart and lungs at her well visits, and would have mentioned it if anything sounded "off".  

[Roy]

Haha, same with Nickie. Her panting is so fast after hard exercise that she vibrates the SUV too. Thank you for your advice.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Does Nickie go to Daycare or is she with other dogs frequently?  Has she had a bordetella vaccine?  Did she vomit the bile just one time and was it early in the morning?  It's great you got a video...I'd definitely share that with the vet.

[Roy]

Hi Jane,

NIckie does go to daycare about 5 times in a month. She did get her bordetella vaccine. The coughing stopped and she vomited just that once so I will keep monitoring her.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Oh good.  Even with the bordetella vaccine they can sometimes pick up a mild case which with my guys means a slight cough for a day or two, especially if they're going to Daycare.  The vomiting of bile for my Guinness is usually related to an empty stomach.  Hope there are no more incidents.

[Roy]

Thank you Jane :)