ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
by Vicki

I read that a normal dog breathes up to 36 breaths a minute. I notice Pixie breathes much faster than that. I even got concerned the other morning and called the vet at 2 a.m. The first thing they asked if her gums were pink. I told them yes. The vet on the phone said it was nothing to be concerned with. I took her to her regular vet yesterday and he asked me the same thing. He said what the books don't tell you is that the breathing varies. He also mentioned that she could be hot. She is very active, eating good, etc. This morning about 4 a.m. I noticed her breathing kinda fast, so I got her up, she drank a lot of water, then I took her out to potty. She went right back to sleep. She was wondering what all the fuss was about. It's been hot out here lately. Do you ever notice that your dog breathes a little faster at times. She wasn't panting with her tongue sticking out or anything, but she was thirsty. During the day she's fine. I just wanted to know if you ever notice the breathing patterns of your dogs. I took her pulse and it is normal. I guess I'm still just a over worried new mom.

DISCUSSION:

Yes, I have noticed that when our little Angel is sleeping quite often her breathing gets very rapid. I always thought it was because she was dreaming.
-Janis

Vicki, I have noticed that Lucy will do this if we are in bed and she has to go out to pee. The first time she did this she kept looking at me like I should know what it meant, but I gave her water and petted her and held her, etc. Finally, I took her out to pee-pee and she came in, got in bed, and fell fast asleep. Now when she does that, the first thing I do is take her out. I am not saying the need for the great outdoors is "always" it, but this seems to be the case for Lucy.
-cathy brown

A friend was over today who has a little dog. She reaffirmed that they breathe faster when they get hot and it's a good idea to have water available for them when they are sleeping to sip if they need it.
-Vicki