dyspnea is a clinical sign consisting of the appearance of difficult and forced breathingIn dogs, this sign usually manifests initially with heavy breathing through the nose and a larger opening of the nostrils. Dyspnea usually also manifests with wheezing, increased respiratory rate, and cyanotic mucous membranes. It is a symptom that can appear in many diseases, not only linked to the respiratory system, but also related to other devices and systems.
If you're wondering why your dog breathes heavily through his nose, we recommend you read the following article on our site at that we explain its possible causes and treatment.
Pathologies of the upper respiratory tract
In this group we include those pathologies that affect the upper respiratory tract, that is, the nasal cavity, the larynx and the windpipe. Generally, these pathologies tend to produce a inspiratory dyspnea, that is, during the air intake phase. They are as follows:
- Brachycephalic syndrome: This is a malformation of the upper respiratory tract that affects brachycephalic (flat) dogs such as bulldogs, pug or shih tzu. Malformations that may occur in this syndrome include nares stenosis, elongation of the soft palate, laryngeal collapse, and tracheal hypoplasia. All of them tend to hinder the passage of air through the respiratory tract, causing forced and difficult breathing. It is even possible to notice in this case that the dog makes noises like a pig or emits small snores.
- Obstruction by foreign bodies: such as bones, pieces of food, balls, etc. When foreign bodies completely occlude the lumen of the respiratory tract, a serious picture of suffocation will occur. However, when they only partially obstruct, we can observe forced and difficult breathing.
- Other causes of obstruction: all the pathologies that cause an obstruction or narrowing of the upper respiratory tract, hinder the passage of air and cause dyspnea. Among others, we highlight glottis edema, laryngeal or tracheal collapse, laryngeal paralysis and nasal, laryngeal and tracheal masses or tumors.
Treatment of pathologies of the upper respiratory tract
In most cases, the solution to the problem requires surgical treatment. However, sometimes a Complementary medical therapy is necessary, based on corticosteroids, antitussives, bronchodilators and/or tranquilizers.
Pathologies of the lower respiratory tract
Within this group we include pathologies that affect the lower respiratory tract, specifically, the bronchi, lungs and pleura. Generally, these pathologies produce expiratory-type dyspnea, that is, in the phase in which air is expelled from the lungs. For this reason, it is common to notice that the dog blows through the nose because he cannot breathe normally. Let's see the pathologies:
- Bronchial pathologies: in cases of bronchitis there is bronchoconstriction (narrowing of the bronchi) and an accumulation of exudate in the lumen of the bronchi, which hinders the passage of air and causes the appearance of respiratory distress. Something similar occurs in tumors that affect the wall of the bronchi, since they reduce the lumen of the ducts and hinder the passage of air.
- Pulmonary pathologies: any pathology that diffusely affects the lung parenchyma, especially if it is bilateral, gives rise to the appearance of dyspnea. Within this group we include pulmonary edema (presence of fluid within the pulmonary alveoli), extensive pulmonary tumors, bilateral pneumonia or bronchopneumonia, pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary emphysema, among others.
- Pleural pathologies: the pleura is the serous membrane that surrounds the lungs and chest cavity. When the pleural space is filled with air (pneumothorax) or fluid (pleural effusion), compression of the lung parenchyma occurs, preventing it from distending adequately during respiration. As a consequence, forced and difficult breathing appears.
Treatment of pathologies of the lower respiratory tract
In these cases, the treatment is very variable and depends on the specific pathology that causes the respiratory difficulty, that is, that causes your dog to breathe very hard through the nose. These are the main ones:
- Most of these pathologies require pharmacological treatment which, depending on the process, may include antibiotics, diuretics, bronchodilators or corticosteroids for via inhalation.
- When necessary, supportive therapy can be performed with mucolytic drugs, cough suppressants or oxygen therapy.
- In most chronic conditions it is advisable to control the diet to promote weight loss, since in this way it is possible to reduce the pressure of the abdomen on the chest and thereby reduce the work of breathing and increase chest capacity.
- In some cases, such as some lung tumors or pleural pathologies, a surgical treatment is necessary.
Pathologies that affect respiratory function
In addition to the diseases that we have described in the previous sections, there are other pathologies that have no origin in the respiratory system, but that, however, can affect respiratory function. Within this group, we find:
- Insufficient contraction of the respiratory muscles: the contraction of the respiratory muscles allows the opening of the rib cage for proper ventilation of the lung. However, when a lesion occurs at the level of the respiratory center, at the level of the nerve roots that innervate the respiratory muscles or at the level of the respiratory muscles themselves (myositis, dystrophy, atrophy, etc.), these muscles contract insufficiently, causing labored and forced breathing. This situation can also occur in cases of acute chest pain (such as chest trauma or pleurisy) or in neuromuscular pathologies that affect the respiratory muscles, such as tetanus or myasthenia gravis.
- Extrathoracic pathologies: these are pathologies located outside the thoracic cavity, but which can affect respiratory function. In general, these are pathologies of the abdominal cavity that compress the diaphragm and prevent its recoil during inspiration, making it difficult to distend the lungs during inspiration. In dogs, it can occur in cases of ascites (accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity), gastric dilatation/torsion, or diaphragmatic hernia.
Treatment of these pathologies
As you can guess, the treatment of the causes described in this section also varies depending on the specific pathology:
- In cases of myositis or neuromuscular pathologies, such as tetanus or myasthenia gravis, it is necessary to establish a pharmacological treatment In addition, in cases of acute chest pain it is essential to perform a good support analgesic therapy
- In other cases, such as gastric dilatation/torsion or diaphragmatic hernias, surgical treatment is necessary.
Cardiac pathologies
Respiratory distress can appear both in pathologies that cause left heart failure, and those that cause right heart failure:
- Left heart failure: in these cases, dyspnea occurs as a result of the appearance of pulmonary edema (accumulation of fluid within the alveoli of the lungs). It occurs, for example, in dogs with mitral valve degeneration or patent ductus arteriosus.
- Right heart failure: in these cases, dyspnea is caused by pleural effusion(accumulation of fluid in the pleural space). In addition, dyspnea is often aggravated by ascites (accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity). It occurs, for example, in cases of tricuspid valve degeneration and right ventricular cardiomyopathies.
Treatment of cardiac pathologies
In these cases, treatment should be based on two pillars:
- On the one hand, a specific treatment must be established against the primary pathology that causes heart failure. Usually, these pathologies require pharmacological treatment (with antiarrhythmics, inotropes, etc.), although in some cases, such as patent ductus arteriosus, surgical treatment is necessary.
- In addition, depending on whether left or right heart failure occurs, it is necessary to correct pulmonary edema or pleural effusion, respectively. In case of pulmonary edema, diuretics should be administered, while in case of pleural effusion it will be necessary to drain the effusion by thoracocentesis.
Other causes that cause a dog to breathe hard through the nose
All of the causes described above can cause you to notice that your dog breathes heavily through his nose when he sleeps and when he is awake. Depending on the specific cause, yes, the type of breathing will be one way or another, as we have already seen.
However, they are not the only causes, because in addition to the etiologies described in the previous sections, we must highlight other causes that can lead to labored breathing in dogs:
- Obesity
- Anemia
- Poisoning
- Heat strokes
- Electrocution
Treatment of these other causes
Likewise, the treatment of these causes will vary depending on the specific process.
- In overweight dogs, it will be necessary to establish a hypocaloric diet with an adequate exercise plan to achieve a progressive weight loss of the animal.
- In cases of anemia, it will be necessary to establish a specific treatment against the primary cause, depending on whether it is anemia hemolytic, hemorrhagic, or hypoproliferative.
- In cases of intoxication, heat stroke or electrocution, it will be essential to establish a support treatment with oxygen therapy, fluid therapy, etc.
