Whenever your dog begins to pant, there is absolutely nothing to worry about. However, you may be wondering why it happens and why it occur so often. It’s safe to say that there are several reasons why your poodle might be panting.
What is Panting in Dogs?
If somehow your poodle is moderately panting then there is absolutely nothing to worry about as this is very normal and it tends to play an amazing role when it comes to lowering their body temperature and also gets oxygen into their bloodstream. Whenever your poodle is panting they tend to breathe with their mouth open and tongue somewhat protruding.
Panting is said to be a superb cooling mechanism which is beneficial since dogs in general doesn’t have a sweat gland like us humans do. What dog does is cool their bodies by using the evaporation of moisture from the mouth and tongue which eventually exchange the hot air of their lungs with cooler external air.
Lots of dog owners actually confused panting with labored breathing. This type of breathing is characterized by strained respiration and sometimes comes with sounds of distress such as crying or whining or whistle from the nostril which is due to blockage.
Common Reasons For Panting
There are several reason behind your dog panting which includes:
To Cool Off
One of the main reason behind your poodle panting is because they are trying to cool off due to overheating. However, if they are not overheating, then it might be that they are panting because if exercise. Even though you’ll find that dogs do sweat from their paw pads, this still isn’t enough for them to be cool off. This is why dogs use their mouth in order to cool off.
Panting works in a very effective way as it release heat in exchange for cooler air. As you can see, this process is not quite efficient especially for short face dogs. This is why dog may pant even if they a little warm. The hotter your dog becomes, the more intense they will begin to pant. Some times when they are panting you will notice drooling as well as redness of the tongue and gum.
Whenever your poodles is overheating there are a few signs to look out for including bright red tongue and gums, wide eyes and weakness. There are things you can do to help your poodle remain cool and try to minimize their expose to the sun. You should never leave your poodle locked up in a car as cars can actually get much hotter than even outside temperature.
When They Play
It could be that your dog is happy and running around. If this is the case then it could be why your dog is regularly panting. You’ll also see their tail waggling showing a sign that he’s in a good mood. Once your furry friend gets calm, then you can expect the panting to be calm as well and eventually stop.
Excitement or Stress
Not only does panting as to do with your dog body being overheating, a lot of dogs actually pant when they are experiencing fear, anxiety or stress. It could be because of a car ride, fireworks, separation anxiety and if that’s the case you’ll need to visit your local vet.
What we suggest is that you look on your dog body language just to see if there is any sign of fear or any form of distress. At this point, you will need to understand the cause so that you’ll be able to minimize these things. So, if you find panting to be related to fear, anxiety or stress, then we highly recommend removing from your dog life immediately.
Pain
One thing for sure is that dogs are great at hiding pain and illness from humans. So, once they are going through a certain phase highly unlikely you’ll know about it. However, if the pain gets out of control, they will starts to show sign of discomfort. Look to see if your dog is vomiting, experience diarrhea, limping, loss of appetite. You should contact your veterinarian immediately if there’s any sign of illnesses.