[stacey19]

I have a 9 year old toy-sized poodle and over the past week or two I have noticed her breathing has been fast, shallow, and sometimes irregular. She takes, on average, between 35 and 45 breaths per minute. It is not panting as her mouth is closed, she is breathing through her nose, and very occasionally snorts or coughs... This is happens when she is awake but resting and hasn't been doing any strenuous activity recently... When she breaths, her chest moves quite a lot, and I have noticed that, sometimes, her breaths aren't smooth, but jilted instead.
Despite this, for the past few nights, she has been breathing extremely slowly whilst going to sleep.
I don't believe she has any other issues, and she plays as she usually would, eats and drinks to the best of my knowledge, etc.
I was wondering if anyone knew anything about this?
I would really appreciate some second opinions, the rest of my family likes to tell me i am overreacting, but I want to be sure, and right now, all the Vet's nearby are closed... :eyeroll:
The internet is a scary place, and only ever tells you the worst of a situation. I was wondering if there was an explanation for it that does not automatically mean death...

 

[harleyboysmom]

Welcome to Dog Forum.

Really, you should consult a real vet, not look at google or any other sight. Your pup could have heart failure and be helped by meds by your vet. But the vet is your true answer.

Good luck, and keep us up to date.

 

[lzrddr]

you definitely need to take her in… respirations over 40 per minute in a resting situation (aside from panting or dreaming) are NOT normal, and often a sign of early early heart failure… combined with the snorting and coughing episodes, I am concerned that is what your pet has developed. Do NOT exercise her at all and keep her as calm as possible until you can see your doctor.

 

[TiggerBounce]

You are not over reacting....Something like this can be very serious. As others have mentioned, it could be beginning heart failure. It could also be an issue with her lungs, like fluid in them. Either way, it sounds like she's in respiratory distress and the cause needs to be determined very soon. Delaying it any longer could make things worse.