Expert: Jannie Balliett - 3/17/2008

Question
my 7 year old female boxer has been scaring me with all of a sudden heavy panting when she is in a resting state. it will last a for a few minutes, she is fully aware of everything. she shows no sign of breathing problems when we are doing our daily walk.

Answer
There might be a few different possibilities going on here.

1) If she is just laying quietly and resting, not asleep, then considering she is 7 years old, she might possibly be suffering from "hot flashes." Yes, menopause hot flashes. A hormonal change can be occurring at her age.

2) If she is actually asleep, it could be "dreaming." People have asked me why females "hump" in their sleep... and that is because they are dreaming, and it's about dominance and the alpha stance. So labored or heavy panting in a sleep state can be related to dreaming.

However, I am understanding she is "resting" and awake. She does not pant heavy while walking, or other activities, right?

I would expect it to be a hormonal change and a hot flash, like menopausal women suffer from and their night sweats.

(Dogs don't sweat- they sweat by their tongues and panting)

Call your vet and talk to his/her assistant and have the assistant talk to your vet for you and call you back.

If it's a concern, they'll have you bring her in.