What is Panting After Giving Birth?
Panting is a normal part of giving birth. This shouldn’t come as a surprise considering how difficult labor and recovery can be for any creature who goes through the process of delivery. During birth and for a short amount of time afterwards, your dog will most likely pant heavily. This is completely normal and should not be a cause of alarm. If, however, the panting continues past the first day and happens frequently during nursing, this is something that will need to be addressed. While stress and exhaustion can be a factor in prolonged panting, more often than not the underlying issues are much more serious.
- Incomplete birth
- Milk fever
- High temperature
- Heart problems
- Pain
- Hypothyroidism
Regardless of what may be causing the postpartum panting, it is always best to get medical attention to your dog as soon as possible. This is because while some issues may not be life threatening immediately, prolonged treatment could potentially cause irreparable damage or death.
Why Panting After Giving Birth Occurs in Dogs
While panting immediately after birth is a completely normal occurrence, prolonged panting is not. If this issue continues the following day after delivering puppies, your dog may be experiencing problems such as: an incomplete birth, milk fever, a high temperature, heart problems, pain of some sort, or hypothyroidism (rare).
Incomplete Birth
If panting continues for a few hours after birth, it may be due to an unborn puppy or the late delivery of the placenta. Regardless of which it is, if you are inexperienced with puppy delivery, it would be best to contact your veterinarian for medical support. There are a few medications that can be given to help move the placenta along after it has been determined that there are no puppies remaining within the womb.
Milk Fever
Also known as eclampsia, puerperal tetany, and hypocalcemia this condition is indicates low blood calcium levels. One of the major symptoms is excessive panting, and while it may not seem serious at first, prolonged treatment can result in death. Sometimes after giving birth, usually occurring within the first 4 weeks of delivery, a mother dog may have trouble maintaining healthy calcium levels as a lot of her own supply is passed through to the pups within her milk. This leaves the mother with a serious depletion of calcium and can result in milk fever, which will then need to be treated immediately by your veterinarian.
High Temperature
A high temperature is most always a sign of something more serious and should be checked out as soon as possible. After birth, regular temperature for the mother will be around 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit with a one-degree variation allowed. If it is any higher than this, severe panting will occur. This is an indication that something is severely amiss and you will want to receive medical attention for your pet immediately.
Heart Problems
Some more serious problems could appear after birthing due to the stress put upon the body. Examples of heart problems that can cause panting are heartworms, congestive heart failure, and heart murmurs. If you notice that your dog’s panting is paired with lethargy and coughing spells you will want to get her to the vet as soon as possible in order to be diagnosed.
Pain
If panting continues longer than a day after birth, there may be some underlying issue that cannot be seen from the outside. Complications from birth can cause a lot of pain to a new mother, and can be quite common with a first pregnancy. Monitor your dog carefully and if the problems persist or worsen, seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Hypothyroidism
Hormones can become unbalanced after birth. The thyroid and pituitary glands are responsible for producing hormones that help to regulate the body. Hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid develops an issue that causes those hormones to become unbalanced. Metabolism will then slow down and can cause serious issues such as paralysis and coma. One of the most common reasons for this to occur is a decrease in hormone production, such as after a pregnancy. While hypothyroidism can be easily treated, if left unattended it can be deadly. If you notice prolonged panting paired with lethargy, heat seeking tendencies, dry dull coat, loss of muscle coordination, and weight gain without increased appetite you will want to get your dog checked by a vet immediately.
What to do if your Dog is Panting After Giving Birth
Panting is completely normal after birth, so it is extremely important to monitor your dog carefully in order to determine whether or not it becomes prolonged. Typically, the panting should stop a few hours after birth and the mother has time to relax and recover. If it does not stop, however, you will want to seek medical assistance in order to determine the underlying issue of the panting.
While the act of panting itself is not harmful and should not cause any concern, prolonged postpartum panting can be a symptom of life threatening issues so it is vital to visit your vet in order to receive treatment.
Prevention of Panting After Giving Birth
After birth, mother dog should be monitored constantly for the first week. She should get plenty of rest and return to eating and drinking normally without any complications. If she does not respond quickly and seems lethargic, paired with prolonged panting, a vet may need to be consulted. Checking her teats regularly to ensure that there is no redness, heat, swelling, or irritation can help to catch any sign of milk fever in the early stages. The milk should be white and a normal consistency; any discoloration can mean the presence of bacteria which is harmful to the pups and mother alike.
By speaking with your vet often and monitoring your female diligently after birth, any complications should be easily caught and corrected. Most pregnancies go smoothly, but for older dogs or a first pregnancy it is always important to pay close attention to the behavior of the mother in order to prevent any sort of injury or fatal problem.
Cost of Panting After Giving Birth
Treatment cost will vary depending on the cause of your dog’s panting. For instance, if your dog is diagnosed with hypothyroidism, the cost of treatment can range from $500 to $2000. If your dog is diagnosed with milk fever, the cost of treatment will vary based on living costs and the severity.
Panting After Giving Birth Questions and Advice from Veterinary Professionals
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She gave birth 3 days ago, she has had diarrea since and I saw some blood in it.
It's really hard for me to get to the wet cause I have no one to take care of the pups and i have a several hour journey to the wet and back home, around 13 hours ill be gone from them. Shes always been very slim and I can't feel any puppies in her stomach. I made sure everything came out with the puppies. She has a neutral discharge smell. Her milk is white and no strange smell. I bring her water several times per day, she drinks and i feed her 2-3 times per day, a nutritious minced beef recipe and put the fluid from it in her water, also feed her adult dry food, am going to get puppy dry food on friday. I gave her a calsium tablet when she had just given birth, shpuld i give her one more now? Vet said one before giving birth and one after but they are human vitamins he told me to give her and i was worried it'd be too much in one or two days for her? She doesn't pant all the time, she seems happy and excited, and very attentive to her puppies. But when not panting, she breaths heavily trough her nose.
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My dogs just had a litter of 10 puppies a few days ago and is now almost panting constantly and kind of feels warmer than usual is that normal? She also seems like she’s hungry and looking for food but won’t hardly touch her own dog food is that normal as well? We’ve been trying to give her as much water as possible and food as possible but sometimes she just won’t eat or drink
Did you ever find out what was wrong? mine had 10 puppies Friday and tonight shes panting and acting a little weird.
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My dog gave birth over 24 hours ago and now excessively panting and acti g as if she had to push i made sure all the placenta was out and there are no other puppies in the womb this.is her first litter
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My dog gave birth 8 days ago to 3 puppies and she just started panting and shaking and its hard for her to walk or jump even when i tried to take her on a walk she refused. Last year when she gave birth for the first time the same thing happened and i started giving her medicine with calcium and vitamins, i was just wondering if i should just give her the medicine and see what happens or immediately take her to the vet ? Thank you so much
Take her to the vet last year when it first happened. If she is having severe enough issues that she can barely walk eight days later possibly it would be unwise to breed her a second time.
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my dog london gave birth on june 23rd. she gave birth to eight puppies and did well in giving birth. the puppies are 3 weeks old now and she stills pants while trying to sleep. she never pants so hard while sleeping. she eats her dog food and drinks her water. but i don’t know what’s wrong. her heart rate beats fast and she breaths heavily. this never happened before. she’s 1 year and 8 months. i don’t know what’s going on. i need help 😪
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My dog had puppies almost 3 weeks ago and everytime she feeds she starts panting heavily I don’t have the money for a vet but I’m worried about her the puppies are getting milk they are growing and she eats and drinks but drinks a lot of water like she just walked two miles or something this is her first litter and she had 7 puppies she’s a deer head so she isn’t tiny I’m just worried something might be wrong after looking it up and reading everyone’s experience with their dogs.
Thank you
Not to be rude but please don’t breed again if you don’t have the money for a vet. Breeding dogs should be left to those who can afford the vet and know what they’re doing. Hope your dog is ok though.
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Emma gave birth to her first litter today. She had three not issues and seemed to be done. We were told to expect 2 or 3. She was using the washroom without issue. Eating and drinking. Feeding and cleaning pups. Then 9 hours after the 3rd pup she started having contractions again... she had 2 more pups. The first was extremely tiny and came out no problem. The 2nd was much larger then any of the others and we had to help her deliver. Unfortunately both of those pups were still born. What did we miss? Was there something else we should have noticed or been told of?
Now she is panting a lot but her temp is normal. She’s not overly interested in food or water but is still looking after the original 3 pups. It’s a long weekend and I unfortunately can’t afford an emergency vet on a long weekend
Emma seems to be doing well and is eating and drinking little bits again. She’s very attentive to her pups.
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My St. Bernard just had her first litter of 13 pups, 2 did not make it and we are now 48 hours after delivery, she’s not eating very well and has no interest in drinking, pants very hard during feeding where she’s actually knocking pups off, she seems to not have a huge interest in them right now, cleaned them all very well but doesn’t want to be bothered… if one goes by her face she kind of flicks it away and doesn’t want to lay with them during the day. I’ve just been reading up and will be trying chicken broth in her food in the morning but can I do anything to help her?
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My golden gave birth to her third liter last night. Her previous two liter were both 8 puppies, she and puppies did wonderful. Labor was slow but steady and there were no issues. This time she had a liter of 12 and labor seemed to happen very quickly. I was concerned after the 12th puppy she had some heavy breathing and I noticed her push once but then she calmed down. Slept for several hours with her puppies and had a fairly uneventful day today. However, later today she started panting and breathing very heavy for some time, seeming very restless and even barking some at one point. She's ate and drank wonderful. She's been getting cottage cheese and livers on top of her puppy chow. She's lactating fine, nursing great. She's not leaving her pups to use the bathroom much and def not for very long but aside from the panting and restlessness she seems to be doing good. Her panting so hard and seeming so restless is just concerning to me. Her previous two liters we've simply called our vet to let him know she's had them and how things were going, then taken mom and pups in at 2 weeks and again at 8. My husband thinks I'm overreacting but I'd be devestated if something happened to her. Should I be worried she may have more unborn pups? I'm 100% sure all placentas were expelled as I helped her with every pup and made sure.
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Hi my dog has delivered 6 beautiful pups , she is panting still . We are 37 hours post delivery. She also has some bleeding . Not bright blood at all dark in colour . This is her second litter but I used dark colour blankets the first time . She will eat and drink if I bring it to her hehe doesn’t wanna leave her babies . Quick pee and that’s it . She’s nusring and licking them a lot too .
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Tia gave birth to 5 pups all weighing at about 3.8 oz, 8 days ago. She doesn't pant consistently but today it's much more heavy.she is using calcium per instructions by her vet. I'm getting concerned, just want to know how concerned I should be. ER Visit or vet in the morning?
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My 5 year old Chihuahua has been panting for 2 days now. She recently gave birth to 3 pup's. She's eating fine and drinking water. It's her first time being a mother. Is this normal?
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My dog delivered 8 beautiful puppies on 2/7/2018 but shes panting quiet alot mainly while nursing. Shes feeding pups great cleaning them and very protective when my other dogs come near. We keep my others separated from mom and pups but let them in only for a little at a time. Im concerned about the panting as this is her first litter, and the temperature in out country has been extremely hot for us as its near 30°c so Im not sure if this is why. I could really do with some advice as it would kill me if anything happened to mom and pups l. Thank you in advance.
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My female had her pups may 24th. All 8 pups are doing great and she had no complications. I have noticed her panting very heavily this morning and it concerned me. We have them in the shop and it can get hot in mid day time. But we have fans going. She gets plenty of water and puppy chow. Its her first litter.
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My dog gave birth to four puppies three days ago. Two were live births, two were dead births. The remaining two died the next day. Mom has been panting non-stop. She was drinking the first day, but has not eaten or drank anything since.
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My dog gave birth to 7 puppies on april 14 to april 15 this 2018. And she is still panting. Should I go to a vet now?
She eats and drinks water but I haven't had the chance to buy a vitamin for the milk for her. Should I go to the vet or should I just buy the vitamin?
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My dog is a mix she gave brith a week ago to 7 puppies she eats and drink lots of water the puppies are doing well only when she feeds them she starts panting heavy breathing after they finish it stop ?
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Thank you. For folks new to whelping this type of info is invaluable.
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My husky gave birth 2 days ago (6 pups) the run dies yesterday but the other 5 seem to be doing well. I've noticed today that when they nurse she pants very heavily for a few minutes. Shes eaten but hasn't really drank any. I still continue to offer it to her. She's only left their side to quickly go out to use the bathroom twice. Is this normal or should I be concerned?
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I placed a water dish and small food dish next to the box the mom and puppies were in. The mama just stuck out her head to eat and drink without having to leave her pups. After a few days she relaxed and felt more comfortable leaving them to eat and drink.
@jadasowner is she okay now ? Because my dog is doing the exact same thing and she just gave birth Friday the 13 this month.
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My Airedale just gave birth to a big litter of puppies yesterday. She has been panting a lot on a off, sometimes when they nurse and sometimes after she's done licking them. However, she seems fine despite that, she's eaten, had water, and even got up once. She sleeps too and as I said isn't panting *all* the time. I just want to make sure she'll be okay and I don't want to take her to the vet unnecessarily. Thank you!
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My dog Krystal gave birth yesterday to a litter of 4 puppies. She is a very young dog only 11 months old. She is panting well she is nursing. The pups don't latch onto the back two tears so they are her swollen with milk. I have been giving her a calcium supplement throughout her pregnancy. She is eating well but not drinking as much as I think she should. She refuses to leave her litter. How can I help her and is she okay
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My dog gave birth about 30hours ago to 2 puppies, she continues heavily panting on and off mostly while nursing, then when she finishing nursing about 10min after she stops panting. I had her xrayed last night to make sure there were no puppies and the vet advised me she may be panting due to full belly of food, she is eating and drinking very well and pups are nursing very well and little to no crying. The mother has a littke swelling of her back 4 teats but not really red and the milk is white that comes out. Her stomach is now really bloated or swollen, im not sure why this is happening and should i be concerned??
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Our dog gave birth to her first litter 3 days ago.
9 pups in total but one had a deformity and died shortly after birth and other than that there were no other issues.
She is nursing and is reluctant to leave the litter other than to use the bathroom, and is eating and drinking well.
She is still panting quite heavily about 70% of the time, especially when nursing
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my shi tzhu gave birth to her 2nd litter about 36 hours ago and all puppies are fine, (5) she is still panting . she did have a hard labor this time and panted and shook 20 hours before pushing. then took 3 hours to deliver, while first litter was done in less than 2 hours from start to finish. she is eating and drinking and going to bathroom. should i worry about panting? nipples look fine and pups are nursing.
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My dog Klein gave birth yesterday and I think it went well but when she brestfeeds her puppies, she pants notably heavy. Is that okay? I've checked her teats and there isn't any redness or swelling.
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my shi tzhu gave birth 36 hours ago and is still panting, she is nursing fine and have eaten several times and drinking and has both peed and pooed. just not sure about the panting still, should i call vet?
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What was wrong?? Having same problem??