What Should You Do If Your Dog Is Shaking And Breathing Hard?

Shaking and heavy breathing can be a common sign that your dog is in pain. The pain could be from anywhere in the body and could be caused by a number of things such as muscular pain, exposure to heat or cold, pain due to an infection or disease. Your dog may also be shivering and breathing heavy as it is scared, of something e.g. A loud bang such as a fire work going off. However your dog may be suffering from tremors which are explained below along with their method of treatment. However it is always as advised to take your dog to the vet as only they will be able to examine them and give a definite diagnosis.

Tremors in dogs, much like tremors in humans, are rhythmic involuntary movements that can affect all or part of the body. There are many causes of tremors. Tremors involving the head are often caused by abnormalities of the brain i.e. Cerebellum or the organ of balance i.e. The vestibular. Inflammation, trauma, toxins and immune system problems are only a few of the causes that can affect the brain and result in tremors. If the tremors affect the dog's hind legs, there is a strong possibility that there may be problems with the dog's spinal cord or by an underlying disease such as kidney failure, hypothyroidism, or hypoglycaemia i.e. Low blood sugar. However, if the tremor affects the entire body, the cause could be toxins, degenerative nerve disease, or even tumours.

Treatment and prevention of tremors is administered if the tremor's primary cause can be identified. In fact, most of the causes of tremors in adult dogs are treatable. However, a proper diagnostic work-up must be done in order to arrive at a diagnosis so that appropriate treatment can be initiated. Diagnostic tests should include blood tests e.g. Biochemistry, complete blood count, urinalysis, x-rays and CSF tap i.e. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis. In some cases, a veterinarian may wish to refer the patient to a specialist in veterinary internal medicine for diagnostic tests.

Pain and discomfort is common reason of shaking and heavy breathing in dogs. Your dog might be having pain some where in the body. I can not diagnose exactly on the net because I can not have physical examination and can not take medical history. Pain and restlessness in dogs can be due to many reasons like

1. Muscular problems
2. Skeletal problems
3. Disc injury
4. Traumatic injury
5. Damage to tissues
6. Inflammation of the tissues
7. Exposure to heat and cold
8. Pain due to some diseases

So, you should take your dog to vet for accurate diagnosis and proper treatment.

If shaking and heavy breathing occur simultaneously in dogs then pain can be suspected. Pain can be due to any reason like injury, arthritis, disc injury, exposure to heat and cold, tissue damage, skeletal problems etc. This condition can also be due to some other diseases like heart diseases, lungs diseases, etc. So, treatment depends upon accurate diagnosis and this is possible by visiting a vet.

Physical examination is necessary to diagnose the cause of labored breathing in your dog. Usually. Following conditions can cause this problem.

1. Heart diseases including heart failure
2. Pulmonary edema
   
3. Pneumonia
4. Lung cancer
5. Blockage in the air passage

Some laboratory tests are also needed to confirm diagnosis. So, get help from your local vet in this regard.

Your dog could have asthma or it could be dehydrated.... If you want to make sure he isn't dehydrated, calm him down, then, check his gums, if they are whitish, he is dehydrated, if they are pink, like normal, he is fine. Other than that, I would say you should go to the local vet.

Shaking and pacing in dogs is usually associated with pain. This pain can be due to any reason like injuries, arthritis, cartilage damage, this herniation etc. Difficulties in breathing can be due to many reasons that include

   1. Pain
   2. Heart diseases
   3. Lungs diseases
   4. Trauma
   5. Bleeding in lungs
   6. Obstruction of air passage
   7. Fluid in lungs
   8. Pneumonia

So, take your dog to vet for accurate diagnosis and treatment.

My 11 year old female pit bull is having labored and jerking breathing.  What could be wrong?

You need to get him to a vet ASAP! He may be having seizures or been into something poisonous, etc. Best wishes..

Panting can be normal after exercise, or in hot temperatures, or if your dog is anxious or excited.  However, sometimes it can be a sign of more severe illness.  If the panting is excessive or causing distress further investigation may be warranted.  Causes can include respiratory tract disorders, cardiovascular disorders, blood diseases, and neurological disorders.  Your vet will need to take  a thorough history of the problem, do a full physical examination and some initial tests to begin diagnosis. 

Humans muscles feel tired because of a built in reaction in the nerves and muscles that send out a signal that your tired to keep you from overworking them, though the reaction happens far before you could hurt yourself just to be safe. Dogs tend to lake this muscle reaction and therefor tend to not feel tired and continue to play even though their body is working hard. This means they can be breathing heavily from working hard but still be active

You keep your eyes on that dog!

Was he young because he could be scared of the surroundings