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Rescue dog health problems
My girlfriend and I just got a rescue dog and we've noticed that her breathing is a lot faster than normal. We've had her for three days so far and will be scheduling a vet visit soon. It seems like she's taking shorter and faster breathes. I wonder if she could be stressed or is it something else? This didn't really happen until after we took her out for a car ride. Sometimes it lasts a while after a dog walk, but I think in that situation it's just because she's tired. Her heart rate seems normal. What are some reasons why she could be breathing fast? Fall is coming soon and it is getting colder so I don' think the weather is an issue. She is a golden retriever mix with maybe a spitz breed, very small for her breed. She's 40 lbs, and she will be a year old next month. Her medical record said that she was tested for heartworms and it came out negative. I don't know if the family that gave her away gave her heartworm medication, but the organization that took her in was giving her medication before the test, so could that have effect the results of the test? The organization had her for only about 2 weeks. Even when she fell asleep her breathing stayed the same and was still a little faster than normal. What should I expect when we go to the vet?
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You'll need to see the vet.
If she is breathing quickly through her mouth, there is virtually nothing to worry about. If her breathing is still fast when he mouth is closed and it's happening through her nose, then there is a larger chance that something is up.
She could just be over-excited. Could be she's unaccustomed to the degree of exercise she's getting with you. Could be she has a benign underlying issue like asthma or allergies. She could be perfectly normal - some dogs, especially mutts, have abnormal breathing patterns due the configurations of their nose. Or, it could be a number of things more problematic.
It's also worth remembering, especially if you haven't had a dog before, that they do breath much more quickly than a human being. Adult human beings at rest breathe between 15-20 times a minute. Adults dogs at rest may breath as many 35 times a minute without anything being wrong with them.
You did the right thing making an appointment. Other than that, maybe keep her exercise to a minimum until you see the vet. Probably nothing to loose any sleep over.
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A vet is the only one who can really answer your questions. Do the same as if it were yourself going to the doctor. Give plenty of stories and details as to what is happening, even anything you may think trivial or non important because you never know what piece of information is the critical one that gets a doctor to decide to test for something other than the usual problems.
Hope all goes well for you and kudos to you for adopting a rescue dog.
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