Why Does My Pomeranian Pant So Much (17 Reasons For Panting)

Your little fluffy friend has been panting beside you, and you start to begin to wonder if it’s normal behavior. Why does my Pomeranian pant so much?

In this article I breakdown 17 reasons for why your dog is panting.

Pomeranians will pant to regulate their body temperature. There are times when your dog’s panting can be a symptom of a medical condition that needs attention. In order to determine the cause of your Pomeranian’s panting, you must observe your dog for any abnormal behaviors.

Why Does My Pomeranian Pant So Much

There are many reasons that your little friend is panting a lot, let’s jump in and look at 17 reasons for why your Pomeranian is panting so much.

Why Do Dogs Pant

The best place to start when discussing why Pomeranians pant so much is with the basics of why dogs pant to begin with.

Do Dogs Pant To Control Their Body Temperature

Pomeranians may have sweat glands located in their ears and paws but, they don’t use them to cool down like humans do.

Instead dogs use panting as their main way to regulate their body temperature.

Dogs Pant To Cool Down

When a dog is hot they inhale air through its nostrils picking up moisture from within the nose along the way. That moisture then circulates through their body and absorbs body heat.

The dog then breathes the air out through their mouths expelling the moisture and the heat it picked up, helping to reduce the dog’s overall body temperature.

It’s sounds like a long and complicated process but, a dog can take in and out 100’s of breaths a minute.

Do Dogs Pant To Get Warm

We are all familiar with dogs panting to cool down but, I was surprised to discover that a dog can utilize panting as a resource to warm up when they are cold.

When a dog needs to warm their body they will breathe in through their noses and breath out through their nose helping to maintain or increase their body temperature.

Dogs Will Pant If They Have Heat Stroke

Dogs will pant excessively if they are experiencing heat stroke.

Heat stroke can be very serious and even result in death if not treated immediately.

I just recently wrote an article specifically on Pomeranians and heat stroke.

Do Pomeranians Overheat Easily (How To Keep You Dog Cool)

Do Dogs Pant If They Have Been Poisoned

Unfortunately, poisoning in dogs happens more often than we would like. A dog can get into so many different hazards from plants to toxic chemicals.

One of the signs of poisoning is heavy panting.

Some other signs of poisoning to look for are.

Diarrhea
Vomiting
Restlessness
Lethargy
Increased heart rate
Shaking
Thirst
Drooling

How Can I tell if my Pomeranians panting is normal

Dogs Pant When They Are Having A Medical Issue

Panting can be a sign that your dog is suffering from a medical issue.

Pomeranians Will Pant If They Have A Collapsed Trachea

Pomeranians are known for being prone to collapsed tracheas as are many small dogs.

The cartilage within the trachea can collapse and block some of the wind pipe, making it difficult for the dog to breathe.

This condition can vary from a mild case to a severe and life threating situation.

Some of the signs of a Collapsed Trachea are.

Heavy Panting
Honk like coughing
Wheezing
Having a hard time breathing
Vomiting
Turning blue

Dogs Pant If They Are Having A Heart Attack

The thought of your dog suffering a heart attack or heart distress is frightening.

Unlike humans, a dog is less likely to suffer a sudden heart attack. That said dogs can suffer from cardiovascular diseases.

The most common heart disease found in small dogs is valvular disease.

Some symptoms of heart disease in dogs include.

Panting
Coughing
Being tired
Showing signs of depression
Loss of appetite
Bloating
Weightloss
Leg swelling
Weak pulse
Increased heart rate

Dogs Pant If They Are Having A Respiratory Illness

Dogs can experience a variety of respiratory illnesses.

Kennel Cough
Canine Distemper
Influenza
Pneumonia
COPD
Tumors

If your dogs panting seems abnormal look for any other symptoms that are unusual.

The following are signs that your dog may have a respiratory illness.

Coughing
Heavy Panting
Trouble Breathing
Congestion
Wheezing
Lethargy
Fainting
Lack of appetite
Blue gums

Dogs Will Pant If They Are Anemic

Dogs can become anemic due to blood loss, parasites, toxins, medications, or genetics. With so many ways that your dog can become anemic, it can be hard to pinpoint or expect it.

The following are symptoms that your dog may be anemic.

Panting
Vomiting
Fast heart rate
Paleness of their skin
Eating dirt
Dark black stools
Lethargy
Depression
Swelling

Dogs Pant If They Have Cushing’s Disease

You may not have heard of Cushing’s disease but, it is the third most common disease in dogs.

Cushing’s disease is the result of your dogs body producing too much of the hormone cortisol.

Some of the symptoms of Cushing’s disease are.

Heavy Panting
Being extremely thirsty
Urinating often
Fur loss
Growing a pot belly
Skin thinning
Tired
Getting more skin infections than usual

Dogs Will Pant If They Are Over Weight

Just like humans, when a dog is overweight there is more strain and pressure on the dog’s body to complete the necessary functions for life.

The extra weight has a tendency to impact a dogs respiratory system and their ability to breathe easily.

Overweight dogs have a tendency to panting heavily more often that dogs who are a healthy weight.

Dogs Pant If They Have An Adverse Reaction To A Medication

You never know ahead of time when you or you dog will experience an adverse affect and reaction to a medication.

You will always receive paperwork with all of the possibilities of adverse reactions and honestly, it can be quite scary to read and most of us just skim by it and take the medication.

We tend to not think about it as much with our dogs until we notice something that doesn’t seem right.

Panting may be a sign that your dog is having an adverse reaction. Your dog can experience a reaction that ranges from mild with sneezing and watery eyes to a severe life-threatening anaphylactic reaction.

As with anything, if you are concerned that something is not ok with you dog seek veterinary care immediately.

Dogs Pant If They Have High Blood Pressure

Dogs can have high blood pressure, it’s most often caused by another health condition that is present.

Endocrine, kidney, and nervous system conditions are the most common health problems that can cause a dog to have high blood pressure.

The signs of high blood pressure include.

Heavy panting
Seizures
Depression
Heart murmurs
Blindness
Blood in their urine
Kidney swelling
Lethargy
Bloodshot eyes

Dogs Will Pant If They Have A Fever

If a dog has a fever their bodies with naturally try to cool down through panting.

A fever is a natural response to a virus within the body. The body will increase its body temperature in an effort to kill off the virus. Where a fever is a good thing it can also be scary and dangerous.

If your dog is running a fever it’s best to call your vet for advise.

Dogs Pant When They Have Metabolic Acidosis

Metabolic acidosis occurs when there is high levels of acid in your dogs blood.

If a dog experiences high levels of acid in its blood for extended periods of time it can suffer from heart distress and mineral loss.

Metabolic acidosis usually occurs when a dog has a preexisting condition like kidney disease, malnutrition or diabetes.

The following are symptoms that can appear when a dog had Metabolic Acidosis.

Heavy panting
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Heart arrhythmia
Hypotension
Fever
Depression

Dogs Will Pant If They Are Having A Hard Time Breathing

Dogs can sometimes have a difficult time breathing. It could be caused by asthma or simply advanced age.

If a dog is struggling to get enough oxygen they will pant heavily.

Dogs Will Pant If They Have Anxiety

Dogs tend to pant and breathe heavily when they are nervous or anxious. Sometimes they will also start to drool.

Dogs Will Pant When They Are Excited

When a dog is excited they will often jump or run around and start to pant.

Dogs Will Pant When They’ve Exercised

Dogs will always increase their panting when they’ve been exercising.

How Can I Tell If My Pomeranians Panting Is Normal

When you are concerned about your Pomeranians panting you should stop to evaluate the situation or get help immediately if it’s an obvious emergency.

Observe Your Dogs Activities

Watch you dog closely to see if they are showing any changes of abnormal behaviors.

Also, think about what your dog just did. Could there be a logical and harmless reason for their panting?

Was your dog just running around the yard or playing with any one?

Does Your Dog Have Heatstroke

Is there a chance your dog has heat stroke?

Dogs that have heat stroke will pant heavily as a way to reduce their elevated body temperatures.

If your dog has heat stroke it’s a life threating emergency and you need to seek help right away.

Do Pomeranians Overheat Easily (How To Keep Your Dog Cool)

Look For Signs Of Distress

Is you dog showing any symptoms of distress like vomiting, diarrhea, rapid heart rate, lethargy?

If there are any signs of distress get veterinary help immediately.

Has Your Dog Gotten Into Anything

Do you see a tipped-over plant or an opened package on the floor? Did someone just take some medication, and could’ve dropped some on the floor?

Evaluate if it’s possible that your dog has poisoning. If so, call your vet.

When Do I Seek Veterinary Care For My Dogs Panting

If you can’t find a healthy normal reason for your dog’s panting and you are witnessing anything that is not normal for your dog get help immediately.

It’s better to make a trip to the vet and have everything be ok, than not get help when there is something serious happening.

It’s very hard to tell sometimes when you dog needs helps since they are unable to communicate like a person.

Final Thoughts

Dog’s will pant for many reasons, they may have just been outside having fun or they could be in pain with a medical emergency.

It can be hard sometimes to figure out the cause of certain behaviors. My advice is to always think about a possible root cause and to observe your dog for anything that seems abnormal.

You know your dog better than anyone and should use that knowledge to assist you in determining if the panting is a sign of something that may need veterinary care.