Panting is a symptom of quite several conditions in diabetes. Whatever the reason is, you can’t ignore it. Whenever you see your dog panting, act quick. It might be an emergency to the extent that your diabetic dog is dying.
In this article, we will talk about all the conditions that why is diabetic dog panting and how you should treat them.
Why a diabetic dog is panting?
Panting could be due to simple reasons like initial symptoms of diabetes or severe like the final stages of diabetes. Some of the reasons, why the diabetic dog is panting includes
Excessive exercise
In Diabetes, there should be a limit to everything. A diabetic dog has different stamina than a normal healthy dog. If a dog is on insulin, he is relying on the outer source to provide insulin to the body. Insulin converts food glucose into energy.
When a healthy dog does excessive exercise, the body needs more cellular oxygen to cope up with physical activity. His body can make that. Even in need, his body will produce more insulin to convert more glucose into energy. Diabetic dogs can’t process that extra energy in their cells. As a result, a dog may show a symptom like
- Panting
- Shaking (read diabetic dog shaking)
- Fatigue
- Lethargy
- Hunger (read why my diabetic dog is always hungry?).
Blood Pressure
Diabetes can silently invite other problems that you might be unaware of. This is why a diabetic dog must follow a strict routine to keep everything normal. A simple issue like obesity can cause hypertension or high blood pressure in dogs. Obese diabetic dogs are more at risk of other diseases too. Panting could be a symptom that your diabetic dog has high blood pressure.
Excessive thirst and heat
When your dog is diabetic, the initial symptoms will include excessive thirst. When diabetic dogs feel heat or they want to drink water, panting is a way to convey the message. Make sure your dog stays hydrated. Dehydration in diabetes can cause other conditions that might require emergency treatment.
Heat is anyway not good for a longer period even for normal dogs. When your dog is diabetic, make sure he doesn’t stay out in extreme weather. (Read can Labrador survive hot weather and can huskies sleep outside in cold weather).
Emotional pressure
Emotional pressure of any kind can elevate stress hormones in a dog’s body. When a diabetic dog undergoes feelings like anxiety, depression, fear, excitement, or happiness, he can do panting.
Many times you can’t control how your dog feels. Sometimes even a simple drive with the owner can cause excitement in diabetic dogs. Try to calm down your dog with love and care.
Lung diseases
In diabetic dogs, Panting could be a result of lung diseases. Sometimes any problem in the pancreas affects other organs too. (Read low blood sugar in dog’s pancreas). How you will know if your dog is just panting or having serious respiratory problems?
If your dog is panting due to breathing difficulty or any infection in the lung, he will change his posture to a more stretched and standing position. This condition could be serious and need immediate treatment.
Ketoacidosis
Ketoacidosis happens when a dog’s body doesn’t get enough glucose. As a result, the body starts using fats as a fuel source. This will reduce a lot of muscle weight in a dog’s body.
Ketoacidosis can occur due to multiple reasons. Like dehydration, stress, infection, or when you inject more than required insulin in a dog’s body. (Read double dose of insulin dogs and Diabetic dog skin problems).
The symptoms of ketoacidosis include.
- Vomiting (read diabetic dog throwing up)
- Lethargy
- Panting
- Weakness
- Diarrhea (read diabetic dog diarrhea)
Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia is a condition where your dog’s glucose levels drop. It occurs when you inject a high dose of insulin. Consistent low blood sugar can trigger ketoacidosis. Diabetic dog symptoms of too much insulin will include
- Restlessness
- Shaking
- Panting
This is important that the dog’s sugar levels stay within the normal range.
(Read When to test dog blood sugar? And glucose level 500).
Hyperglycemia
When blood sugar levels elevate, the body needs to get rid of them. This situation puts pressure on body organs to work faster. It can cause thirst and heat in a diabetic dog’s body. If your dog is having trouble walking and he can’t control and coordinate his movements along with panting, check his glucose levels. He might be suffering from hyperglycemia.
Pain
A diabetic dog may be panting because he is in discomfort. ( read diabetic dog restless at night and why does my dog scratch carpet in the middle of the night). Check if your diabetic dog has fever, vomiting, and diarrhea along with panting. He might need your help.
Final stages of dog diabetes
Panting could be a symptom that the end is near. If your diabetic dog is
- Panting
- Pooping blood
- Throwing up
- Lethargic
- Unconscious
- Having seizures and
- Blurred vision (read diabetic dog eye discharge)
Chances are he is dying. Rarely, this condition is reversible.
How to treat diabetic dogs’ symptoms panting?
When your diabetic dog is panting, you need to make sure everything is fine. Remember that untreated diabetes in dogs is harmful. Here are some short term and long term solutions
- If your dog is panting due to excessive exercise, make sure you set a proper routine and time. Your dog must not do more exercise or physical activities than the allotted time. Also, check his glucose levels pre and post-exercise to make sure he doesn’t get started. Dog diabetes treatment also includes maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
- Also, don’t reduce exercise at all. Staying fit is important for diabetic dogs. Obesity can cause hypertension and joint problems in diabetic dogs.
- Give them healthy food to eat. (Read is Freshpet food good for diabetic dog). You can also add supplements to your dog’s diet. (Read Nutra thrive for dogs reviews).
- Make sure your dog stays hydrated. Dehydration is a killer for diabetic dogs.
- If your diabetic dog has some illness like heart or lung disease, consult your vet as early as possible. Panting could be an indication of danger alert here.
- Check and monitor your dog’s glucose levels regularly. This will help you to treat your dog accordingly.
- If your dog is having ketoacidosis, he might be taken to the hospital where he will be given electrolytes and medication to get better.
- In case of hyperglycemia, give your dog insulin with the vet’s advice. Never give insulin on your own. Also, try treating dog diabetes without insulin. For this give him a lot of water. This is helpful in glucose reduction. Your dog will pee and glucose levels will gradually go down.
(Read diabetic dog peeing sticky urine everywhere)
- If your dog having hypoglycemia is panting, give him something sugary to make him better. Don’t feed him excessive sugar.
- When you know your dog is dying, you might consider euthanizing them with the vet’s advice to ease their pain.
Conclusion
If your diabetic dog is panting, look for the reason and sort it out. Most of the time the condition causing panting is reversible. However, If your diabetic dog is dying, it’s time to say goodbye with heavy a heart.