Key takeaway Many things can cause your dog to start panting at night, including anxiety, heatstroke, medical conditions, and genetics. Panting is a result of your dog’s body reacting to something, and it could be an indication that they need help.
Dogs pant for the same reasons humans sweat; it allows them to release body heat. Of course, dogs also sweat through their paw pads, just in a different way than humans do. Dogs pant for a number of reasons, ranging from being too hot to having anxiety. When your dog pants, they are ultimately cooling themselves down. However, if your dog is panting heavily in the middle of the night in a room thats not hot, it could be an indication of something else. Your dog might be panting at night for several reasons.
As a proud pet parent, you know everything about your dog, including when something just isnt right. Learn more about why dogs pant at night and how to tell if it’s something more serious by reading below.
Panting is your dogs primary cooling mechanism.1 They open their mouths and breathe air in quickly to produce a cooling effect the same way human sweat reacts to air. However, there are many other reasons why dogs pant that are unrelated to cooling themselves down, such as certain health conditions, obesity. However, the top reasons dogs pant are to cool down or because theyre stressed. In the sections below, we’ll explore more of the different reasons why your dog is panting at night.
Reasons Why Your Dog Is Panting at Night
There are many reasons why your dog might suddenly begin panting at night, even if its a cool temperature in your home. Dogs pant for many reasons, so its important for pet parents to know when its time to worry about their dogs breathing. Here are common reasons why your dog is panting at night.
Metabolic disorders such as diabetes and Cushing’s Disease are some of the most common reasons dogs pant at night. In fact, one of the most common symptoms of Cushings disease in dogs is excessive panting no matter what time of day it is. Cushings disease is triggered by a tumor on the pituitary or adrenal gland, which results in the overproduction of the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), making your dogs body produce more cortisol (also known as the stress hormone).3
Other symptoms of Cushings disease include:
Cushings disease causes panting in dogs for a number of reasons, including stress because the dog doesnt feel well. If you notice excessive panting at night, its always best to schedule a visit with your veterinarian.
Some dog breeds have a genetic predisposition to breathing problems. If your dog is panting at night, its possible that it isnt an emergency; instead, it just might be something to expect with their breed. For example, dogs with short heads typically have brachycephalic syndrome, which means they are prone to obstructive breathing because of the shape of their head, muzzle, and throat.4
Common breeds with breathing problems are:
Because of their short muzzles, these breeds have shorter or flattened throats and breathing passages, which can make them have breathing problems, including excessive panting at night. While breathing issues may be a familiar problem with these breeds, it’s extremely important to keep an eye on your pet when you notice that they’re having trouble breathing. Check for signs of inadequate oxygen, like turning blue or purple (cyanosis) as this constitutes a veterinary emergency.
Panting at night is just one of the many signs of anxiety in dogs. This type of behavioral panting has nothing to do with feeling overheated; its just how their body is reacting to a stressful situation if your dog has anxiety. These are the common causes of anxiety in dogs:
Another common reason why your dog is panting at night is anemia. Anemia is when the number of red blood cells decreases either by destruction, loss, or lack of production. Anemia causes an increased heart rate, which can make your dog start panting. When you work out and increase your own heart rate, you begin breathing heavily; the same thing happens to your dog when their heart rate increases. Dogs with anemia typically have energy loss, weakness, and a loss of appetite, along with panting and an increased heart rate.5
Many senior dogs pant at night for a number of reasons, which can include health conditions like anemia and Cushings disease. Older dogs can also suffer from cognitive dysfunction, which disrupts their sleep-wake cycle, causing them to be restless at night. In turn, they may roam the house at night, get lost due to dementia, then get nervous or /anxious and start panting.6
Additionally, older dogs have weaker muscles, which may require them to put more effort into regular movements, which can cause panting at night. Older dogs may also be more anxious because theyre not able to move around as much, or they may experience pain when walking or standing. Combined with changes to their daily life, dogs can become stressed more easily as they get older, which may result in panting.
Dogs with heart disease and heart failure pant more because their heart is working harder to pump oxygen throughout the body. Rapid breathing is just one indication of heart failure in dogs because of fluid buildup in the lungs. Dogs can get heart disease from heartworms or heartworm disease, so its important to keep your dog protected by getting heartworm prevention medication from your vet. Luckily, heartworm is both preventable and can be treated if its caught early.
Just like in humans, obesity can lead to a wide range of health complications for dogs, including heavier breathing at panting. Dogs with obesity typically suffer from arthritis, heart problems, and joint problems. Obesity causes excessive panting because your dog is working harder to do everyday activities, which means exerting more energy and increasing their heart rate.
Its important to feed your dog a well-balanced diet and exercise them daily. You can usually tell if your pet has gained a little weight, but many pet owners dont know how much their dogs should weigh. If youre not sure how much your pet should weigh, you can consult a vet who can help you find the right diet for your pet and help you maintain or lose their weight.
Dogs in pain have a higher heart rate, which can lead to faster, heavier breathing and panting at night. Pain can come from internal problems, such as a disease or illness, or external problems, like a hurt paw from jumping off the couch. If you notice your dog is in pain, seek the help of a veterinarian immediately. For example, if your dog is limping and panting, they may require a trip to the emergency vet for a potential sprain or broken bone. Unfortunately, you cant see every injury, but your dog can be in pain whether its visible or not.
Clear indications your dog is in pain is panting accompanied by yelping or avoidance when you try to touch them in a certain area or reluctance to move.
Heart disease
This might lead to significant difficulty breathing, and excessive panting and coughing also can be a symptom of heart disease or heart failure.
If this is the case, you will notice heavy breathing after walking for a short distance.
Why Does My Dog Wake Up Panting At Night? | DogVela
From time to time, pretty much every dog pants. In cartoons its the sign of a hungry dog, waiting for a comically sized piece of meat. In real life though, dogs pant for a variety of reasons. Most often, its just to cool down. Although for a dog panting at night, anxiety might be the issue.
There are a wide variety of reasons why a dog pants. In manysituations, a dog panting is absolutely nothing to worry about. However, there some situations where a panting dog can be a sign of stress, anguish, or even an underlying medical condition. These are some of the common causes for a dog sticking their tongue out and panting.
The main reason for a dog to pant is just to cool down. Nothing sinister or worrying, just a practical way of cooling.
Dogs have a very limited number of sweat glands, located only on their pawss. Therefore, they have to rely on different methods of cooling down. Panting is their best way of actually letting heat out of their bodies. This allows them to cool down by exchanging heated air for cool air.
Stress can manifest itself in many ways, both in humans and in dogs. One of the ways that our pets can calm down while stressed is through panting. Dogs might end up gasping for breath if they’re feeling particularly stressed about something.
Other symptoms of stress are shedding, hiding or attempting to escape, and avoiding people or situations. If your dog is demonstrating these symptoms and panting, stress might be the cause.
If you’re wondering why your dog is panting at night, anxiety might be the answer. An anxious dog will often seem stressed and nervous. This includes pacing, repositioning themselves, and panting.