What Panting REALLY Means
You’ve probably heard that when dogs pant, it means they’re thirsty and you should shove the nearest bowl of water under their heads to quench that thirst. We’ve for sure done that, but what you may not know is that this isn’t always the real reason dogs pant.
While dogs may pant because they’re thirsty, it’s actually a way for them to cool off. Hanging tongue = hot dog.
Typically, pups pant and breathe in air through their noses and release the air through their mouth — when the mouth’s open, the saliva can evaporate, producing a cooling effect.
So next time you see your dog panting, don’t freak out if he declines any water. He might just be trying to keep cool.
August 3rd, 2008 at 8:58 pm
Recently my mother’s dog has got into this habbit of panting a lot and hanging her tong out. She’s 6 years old, a mix with some german shepard in her. Diganosed with hip displaza so my mother has her on Rimadyl. I have been observing this behavior seeing it is out of her norm but haven’t noticed any signs of certain possible stress’ to set this heavy panting off or tong hanging. She looks uncomfortable though. I’m wondering if panting can be a sign of health problems? She was just at the vet and the exam went well. The vet felt around and noticed nothing unusual with her, so my mother hasn’t questioned the behavior. Do you have any suggestions and if you do I would love you hear them. Thank you for your time.
-Diane